To the Editor:
As an early decision admit (who wasn't invited to Dimensions) and a former Admissions Office intern for hosting and Dimensions, I feel uniquely qualified to comment on "The Missing Dimension" (May 3), by Suril Kantaria '13.
I have tremendous sympathy for Kantaria's argument that ED students would both benefit from and enhance Dimensions weekend. Much like freshmen trips, Dimensions is a uniquely Dartmouth event, and for many it feels like a necessary rite of passage in the quintessentialDartmouth experience. Also like freshmen trips, Dimensions is made possible by a massive, campus-wide effort. From the volunteer hosts, to the students who put on shows and events, to the faculty and staff who open up their doors, classrooms, labs, libraries and social spaces, Dimensions is the product of the time and resources of many.
Unfortunately, these resources are finite. There are only so many hosts with so many rooms, so many chefs and tables to accommodate visitors in the dining halls, so many social spaces to host groups of maximum sizes and so many staff to coordinate the execution of a perfect weekend (ignoring, for the moment, the tremendous cost of making this all happen). Thus, the reality is that Dartmouth has to prioritize. Since ED students are definitely going to attend the school, and the goal of Dimensions is to convince prospies to matriculate, the most prudent use of limited resources is to target the "maybes." On a personal note, while I certainly envied the lucky "regular" admits who had the opportunity to attend Dimensions, the Admissions Office staff and interns work 'round the clock for weeks to make Dimensions happen, and there simply aren't enough hours in the day to make arrangements and accommodations for more people.
And ED students don't have it so bad: they can take advantage of the year-round hosting program, and they can still look forward to participating in the largest outing trip program in the country and perhaps the longest, most fun orientation of any college.
