Dimensions, which lasts until Saturday morning, is a series of events intended to give prospective members of the Class of 2011 a taste of Dartmouth life.
Prospective students - affectionately nicknamed "prospies" by the Dartmouth community - will stay with current Dartmouth students for the next three nights. Upon their arrival at the Hopkins Center, they received a pamphlet with information on the optional events occurring between Wednesday evening and Saturday morning.
These events include departmental talks, community dinners, the welcoming show, an alcohol-free dance party and a cappella showcases.
There was also an exclusive half-hour tour of the new buildings given on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Self-guided tour pamphlets that specialize in the sciences and arts will also be handed out all week.
"So far things look like they're going really well," Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Karl Furstenberg said. "I'm really optimistic. It looks like a great program this year. Students and faculty are really turning out to show Dartmouth off. We're off and running."
Students from all over the country are attending this year's Dimensions.
Susan Matthews, a prospie from Chatham, N.Y., is excited about her visit.
"When I came to visit the first time over the summer, the campus wasn't really alive," she said. "It's exciting to see what it's really like. It's making me kind of feel like I shouldn't even go and visit Middlebury," she said.
The hosts' job, in addition to giving prospective students a place to stay, is to help their prospective students find events and classes to attend as well as to give them a flavor of what Dartmouth students are like.
Michael Heslin '08 will host a prospie for the first time this year. "It was something my friends have done, and it seemed like something that could be fun," he said.
Heslin does not have any specific plans for the next three days, but intends to spend some time with his prospective student.
"I'm just trying to hang out with the kid and figure out what he wants to know about the school," he said.
Prospective students are not allowed to attend any event where alcohol is served, however, which limits their nighttime activity options.
According to the hosting agreement students must initial on the Dartmouth website, "Visitors may attend events sponsored by the Programming Board or the Admissions Office at Greek Houses, but may not attend events where alcohol is served. Any offense is considered a violation of college, town, and state law."
The prospective students must also sign an agreement to adhere to all College guidelines, including policies on alcohol and drugs for the duration of their stay. Any violation of the guidelines could lead to "reconsideration of your admission to Dartmouth," according to the Guidelines.
This rule shields prospective students from what many undergraduates believe is a significant part of social life on campus.
"I can see the reasons behind not allowing prospies to go to the frats, but for a significant portion of the campus, the Greek scene is a very important part of the Dartmouth experience and it's unfortunate that they can't get a picture of that," Heslin said.
Landon Brown '10 said he understands the liability of allowing prospective students to attend fraternity parties, but feels that the administration is not portraying an accurate image of the school, which may have an effect on the type of students who choose to attend Dartmouth.
"It almost seems like the administration is trying to skew the Dartmouth image, and effect changes in what type of student comes here," Brown said.
Eric Nisenbaum, a prospective student from Philadelphia, Pa., agreed with Brown's suggestion.
"It's kind of ironic that the entire point of this weekend is to convince prospective students to come, and they keep you away from an aspect of Dartmouth that in theory would be one of the more convincing reasons to attend," Nisenbaum said.
Carolyn Kylstra contributed to the reporting of this article.
