Prospective Students Flood Campus Despite April Snow Showers

Author: Craig Szela

"If I could describe it in one word — gorgeous," said prospective student Julie McGuire who visited Middlebury College on April 15, the first of two Campus Preview Days, in reference to the near tropical weather sweeping the Champlain Valley last week.

Despite the blizzard-like conditions this past Monday, the College's second preview day, tour guide Amy Josephson '05 said that prospective families on her tours reacted in the same way McGuire had.

On Monday, tour guides slid through the snow explaining that Vermont really was a hospitable place even for those from the lower latitudes. "If you don't like the weather in Vermont wait five minutes," Josephson told her tour. She explained that the weather seemed to do nothing more than amuse the tours rather than persuade them to seek a milder climate.

The two preview days attracted between 330 and 350 prospective students, said Assistant Director of Admissions Douglas Badger.

According to Director of Admissions John Hanson, the turnout for the prospective dates was "significantly larger than pervious years." He attributed the increase to the size of the admitted class. Of the 1,600 accepted students, the Admissions Office estimated that 570 would enroll for September matriculation and 110 would start in February, Hanson said.

He also cited another theory for the increased attendance, saying, "Whenever one of the two campus preview dates coincides with Patriot's Day in Massachusetts, we always seem to have a significant turnout."

In addition, Hanson did not rule out the possibility that the interest in the preview program could have something to do with applicants trying to avoid the urban scene. He said, however, that he could not point to specific indications that this was, in fact, the case.

Besides touring the campus, prospective students attended a variety of functions ranging from performances, such as the On Tap Spring Show and a special Otter Nonsense event, to a campus activities fair in Kenyon Arena.

McGuire, a prospective February first-year, attended a panel where she heard current Middlebury Febs discuss how they had used their time off and what life at Middlebury was like.

"It sounded like a great opportunity and chance to learn more before [enrolling]," she commented.

Prospectives with friends or athletic connections at Middlebury spent the night trying to get a better sense of the College's social side. Josephson hosted a prospective and took her to the On Tap Spring Show. Being a tap-dancer herself, the prospective student was excited to see an opportunity to pursue her interest at Middlebury, Josephson said.

Margaret Farquhar '04 said that the prospective she hosted left Middlebury with a positive impression of the school. Farquhar said, "Being a backcountry skier, this prospective was not bothered by the snow at all."

The large turnout at this year's Campus Preview Days indicates that many admitted students are seriously considering Middlebury as their school of choice, despite the extreme weather fluctuations.