Last February's decision to discontinue "senior interviews"--on-campus interviews for prospective students held by seniors at the College -- allowed the office to reallocate its staffing and resources, and has resulted in the new student forums.
"We see over 21,000 people coming through McNutt [Hall]every year," Assistant Director of Admissions Caroline Kerr '05 said. "Ending on-campus interviews allowed us to redirect our time and staff capacity to student forums and more information sessions and tours."
Nearly all of Dartmouth's peer institutions -- with the exception of Yale University -- have recently shifted away from on-campus interviews in an effort to promote greater equity among applicants, many of whom are unable to travel to campuses for interviews. Dartmouth, however, is relatively unique in offering the student forums. Yale is the only other school to offer a similar program.
The student forums, which are held twice daily in the admissions office, are currently run by the office's four full-time senior interns. A number of admissions outreach interns are currently being trained to lead these sessions as well. In each half-hour session, two undergraduate senior interns meet with small groups of prospective students to discuss academic and extracurricular life at Dartmouth.
"It's a great way for students to talk about Dartmouth and college in general and to find out if Dartmouth is really right for them," senior intern Elise Braunschweig '08 said. "Overall, I think people are getting a better sense of the school."
The sessions, which in the last week have varied in size from five to roughly 25 students, are entirely discussion based. Student questions have included topics ranging from particular academic programs and the D-plan to dining options and concerns about Greek life.
The office has received positive feedback about the forums from many visitors, Kerr said.
"I got to ask all the questions I didn't have time for in the tour," said David Dodge, a prospective student from Williston, VT, who visited campus Monday and attended a forum. "Both of the leaders had some great answers."
The shift away from on-campus interviews has altered the role of the senior interns who formerly spent the majority of their time conducting interviews, Kerr said. Interns can now get involved in a wider range of admissions activities and act as resources for prospective students beyond their campus visit.
"We have a lot more time within the position to serve more as mentors to students we meet and can keep in contact via e-mail," Braunschweig said.
Kerr emphasized that Dartmouth's admissions programming strives to put prospective students in touch with a wide range of individuals who can speak about the Dartmouth experience.
"One of the best things we can do to serve students who are interested in applying is put them in touch with resources and then get out of the way," she said.
