The admissions office and the Dickey Center for International Understanding have created several new programs to expand their outreach efforts to target international students, according to College officials. The programs include visits to high schools by students and professors participating in Dartmouth study abroad programs and new programming for international students currently at Dartmouth.
International students comprise a record 9 percent of the Class of 2011. Approximately 8.5 percent of admitted students this year are international, while 8.1 percent of the Class of 2012 is international.
Despite these fluctuations, Dartmouth has seen a general increase in the percentage and number of international students admitted over the long term, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Maria Laskaris said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
"I think it's important that we build a community here that includes a strong cross-section of international students to bring the world to Dartmouth," Laskaris said. "The perspective international students have in the classroom and in the dorms and the extracurricular activities, I think, enriches the experience for everybody."
The admissions office will reduce international travel because of budget cuts, but is looking to boost international recruitment through other efforts, including a pilot program launched in Italy in the fall, "Take Dartmouth Abroad," which is based on the "Take Dartmouth Home" program in which current students visit their former high schools and talk about the College.
In the new initiative, professors leading Foreign Study Programs or Language Study Abroad programs and their students will visit high schools and conduct information sessions about Dartmouth on behalf of the admissions office, Laskaris said. The program will likely target schools and areas that have previously sent students to the College, or where students have requested information about Dartmouth. Targeted schools must also have strong English programs, Laskaris said.
"We've had some really good success [with "Take Dartmouth Abroad"], so I think we're going to look to expand that in other parts of the world," she said."
Hikaru Yamagishi '12, an international student from Tokyo, Japan, said she thought the program will likely be successful.
"I think one of the main reasons that I finally decided on Dartmouth was Dimensions," she said. "It was the infectious spirit, so having a real live Dartmouth student talk about their experience would definitely help me want to come here."
Dartmouth's need-blind admissions policy may also contribute to the continued increase in the number of international applicants, Laskaris said. The admissions office implemented the policy last year after the application deadline, so international applicants for the Class of 2013 were the first who applied to Dartmouth knowing their applications would be considered need blind, Laskaris said.
"I expect more applications as people realize it's need blind," International Student Association President Kevin Jackson '10 said. "If you're worried about the money, you apply to need-blind [schools] first."
Jackson said he thought the decrease in the admissions office's travel budget was unlikely contribute to a large decrease in the number of international applications since in many of the large international schools Dartmouth traditionally visits, such as the United World College he attended in New Mexico, there is enough word of mouth and a tradition of applying to schools like Dartmouth to keep application numbers up.
The Dickey Center is also looking to expand outreach to international students once they arrive on campus. This winter, the center created a student advisory board, which will include at least two international students, Dickey Center Student Programs Officer Amy Newcomb said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
"The international students have really helped us see where we're missing to reach out to that population on campus," she said.
For the first time next year, the Dickey Center will hold a lunch for international students during international orientation, a two-day session that international students attend before the start of the general freshman orientation. The Dickey Center staff hopes to target international students specifically because they often to not attend the center's general orientation events, Newcomb said.
Kamil Adamczewski '11 of Poland said the general orientation events may intimidate some international students.
"I think [international students] live in a certain bubble, an international bubble, so maybe after they get to know international students they feel good and safe, and like they don't need more events," he said.
The International Business Council, a student organization started at Dickey this fall, also hopes to reach out to international students, Newcomb said.
"They want to look at international business in different regions of the world, and in doing that, they want to utilize the international students that have perspectives from those countries," Newcomb said. "I think that will be a nice way to bring some of the international experiences into that organization."
Newcomb said she hopes the Dickey Center's increased outreach will bring more international students into the organization.
"We've seen that with American students, when we've done education and outreach to let people know what programs we have available," she said. "We've see the numbers of our applications rise, and numbers of participants at events has gone up. I would think that the same would be true as we try to do more and more outreach to international students."
Elena Mustatea '11, an international student from Romania, suggested that the Dickey Center could involve international students when bringing in speakers from foreign countries to give a student's perspective on the issues discussed.
"I think that's a fabulous idea," Newcomb said. "Even if it's just a discussion afterward, that sounds like a great thing to do."
The Dickey Center has also been increasingly working with the International Students Association, Jackson said.
"We've started working with the Dickey Center and they've been great partners for us," Jackson said. "They really want Dartmouth students to take part in the mission that you're a global citizen."
