The College has organized and funded events like the Class of 2010 Welcome, a panel titled "Oh the Places You'll Go," tea with professors and a reception with College President James Wright to introduce prospective students to the school. But some students suggest it's the unstructured events -- including evenings spent in fraternity basements -- that strongly influence many prospective students' decisions.
"Socially, I don't really know what Dartmouth is like and that's what I want to get out of it," prospective student Jonathan Thorpe said. He added that he looked forward to meeting students, an experience College brochures and books could not offer.
Thorpe said he wanted to see "if I can see myself going to Dartmouth and having a good time."
Assistant Director of Admissions David Hankins '05, who helped organize Dimensions, agreed that unstructured events and interactions with current students are key to making the weekend a success.
"A lot of the positive experiences that come out of Dimensions come when students are doing things on their own -- going to classes, exploring the campus," Hankins said. "Part of our mission is definitely to encourage students to explore Dartmouth on their own and find out what can make it so special for them personally."
Student hosts can help facilitate prospective students' interaction with the College social scene, but as of last week 160 students still did not have a place to stay. The Admissions Office delivered a BlitzMail request to increase the number of hosts, and Hankins said there have never been any instances in the past where prospective students were not matched with hosts.
Despite the expense and difficulty in organizing the program, Dimensions is an effective tool for the College to increase the class yield. Hankins said that in the past the number of students who ultimately chose to attend Dartmouth was significantly higher among Dimensions participants than among students who did not attend the program.
Jana Paremoud '08, who will host four prospective students with her roommates, said she hadn't known what she wanted when she came to the College and had been considering more metropolitan schools. The Dimensions program strongly influenced her decision to attend, she said.
Michelle Dunn '09 also enjoyed the program.
"Just the experience of actually being on campus and going to classes" made it exciting and educational, she said. "It's what basically made my decision".
Katie Butler '07 did not attend the Dimensions program, and said it probably would not have influenced her decision "because I knew I was going to come here," she said.
She added that other programs such as the Dartmouth Outing Club's freshmen Trips adequately oriented her to the campus.
Liz Spence '08 said she won't mind the crowding that will result from the presence of 500 extra people on campus.
"I feel like it's a great opportunity for them to get to know the school," she said. "[Dimensions is] so great. Have a good time."
