The program was scheduled a week later than in previous years, which could contribute to the increased attendance, Damerville said. Moving the date may prevent Dimensions from coinciding with prospective student programs elsewhere, she said.
"We're lucky in that we don't have a lot of overlap with our peer institutions," she said.
More effective advertising could also be a factor, according to Damerville. The Admissions Office now offers live video chats hosted by Dartmouth student web guides and does "a better job of communicating with students who are receiving funded transportation to the Dimensions program," she said.
Among other changes to this year's Dimensions program, the admissions staff chose to assign prospective students to their hosts when they arrived on campus, rather than beforehand. The new practice allows students to make contact with their hosts immediately, according to David Knight '10, a full-time admissions intern and student hosting coordinator.
"The reason that the change happened was just to streamline it and make it easy for everyone involved," he said. "Basically, when people arrive they're able to get the host, right then and there, and not have to wait."
Recent College budget cuts have had no effect on the Dimensions program, according to Damerville.
"We've been conservative in budgeting for office priorities like recruitment travel and publications," she said. "Although the unusually large number of students coming to campus will make this year's Dimensions program more expensive, we've budgeted in a way that will allow us to accommodate these visitors."
Students who attend Dimensions tend to matriculate at a much higher rate than those who do not, but this year's matriculation numbers will be less predictable, according to Damerville.
"It's hard to say [how many will matriculate]," she said. "We've never had this many students come to campus before."
Kathy Sunn, a prospective member of the Class of 2014 from the California Bay Area, said she had been looking forward to Thursday's "Roll into Spring" event, where students "prepare and enjoy delicious snacks from across Asia," according to the online Dimensions schedule.
Sunn is choosing between Columbia University, the University of California, Berkeley and Dartmouth, she said.
"I really want to see the student body and how I imagine myself fitting in here," she said.
Prospective student David Clemens-Sewall is considering Dartmouth, Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania, he said. He came to Dimensions "to meet the [Dartmouth] Outing Club and the Frisbee team," he said.
The three-day program will feature a speech by College President Jim Yong Kim in Moore Theater at the Hopkins Center on Saturday. A question-and-answer session will follow the talk.
"We're really excited that this year we're going to close the program by allowing admitted students and their parents to hear [Kim] speak," Damerville said. "I think that it's going to be a really important message for students considering Dartmouth."
On Thursday night, Dimensions participants met their overnight hosts and learned about residential life in the first-year dormitory clusters. Not including early decision visitors, 507 prospective students are assigned to sleep in dormitories, according to Damerville. Dimensions does not provide living arrangements for early decision candidates, who must organize their own hosting on campus, she said.
The schedule of programs includes several optional events, including academic department open hours, an activities fair in Leede Arena and gatherings hosted by various student organizations.
Attending the "Class of 2014 Welcome: Your Official Introduction to Dartmouth College" event in Leede Arena on Friday evening, while technically optional, is a practical prerequisite for Dimensions participants, according to Damerville.
Friday's events also include a variety of evening activities organized by Greek and non-Greek organizations. Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity and The Tabard coed fraternity will both be hosting their annual dance parties for prospective students, and Phi Tau coed fraternity will be holding its "Milque and Cookies" event. The Tucker Foundation will be providing games, music and food and will offer a night hike, while the Afro-American Society and La Alianza Latina will be co-hosting a dance party.
All Dimensions events are non-alcoholic, Damerville said.
"We do really try to make sure that admitted students are aware that they shouldn't do anything that will put their status at the College in jeopardy," she said. "On such a small campus, it's pretty easy to pick out admitted students, but we definitely encourage current students to be vigilant at any events where alcohol is being served."
Dimensions provides prospective students with insight into the undergraduate lifestyle at Dartmouth, according to Damerville.
"You want to give students a type of exposure to your undergraduate community that they're not going to get on a short visit or campus tours," she said. "Experiencing the warmth and enthusiasm of our community is an important draw to our campus."
