We can’t make it. Please share what the day is like. We’ve already visited but my daughter will be in her school play that weekend.
We’re going and will let you know our impressions and anything new that we learn.
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We just returned from our visit with our daughter. We were already favorably inclined towards Dickinson and the visit supported this. Things that stood out for us: Seems like a large number of faculty and administration are alum which was interesting; everyone who spoke was passionate about what they teach or their role in the administration, and they were warm and personable.
It was well-organized - there was a large gathering last night and the president spoke, and he spoke again this morning. He’s fairly new - he was interim for a year or two and is now officially the president, also an alum. We heard from other administrators and some parents of alum. Last night there were activities for the kids so they could at least get a feel for who might be going there. Today there was a student panel which, as usual for every panel we’ve seen, was very compelling, superstar kids who throw themselves into activities, self-starters, funny and relatable. We had a chance to speak with faculty in courses that interest her, spoke with students who’ve done the study abroad program, saw a dorm. It was pretty thorough.
We missed one of the faculty meet and greets that interested us because we just ran out of time, but a senior walking by heard us as we were being told that we missed it and said, “hey, I’m an international studies major, I can talk to you.” How nice was that? My daughter is actually interested in international business, but it was close enough, and just great to hear from a regular student vs someone who signed up to be an ambassador. He explained his path to choosing his major which reinforced what we hope for - he took classes that interested him, figured out what he liked and when he had several credits towards a particular major he made that his major. The girls whose dorm we visited were also random, not ambassadors, and my daughter asked them a few questions and they were very nice.
Students seem down-to-earth. Saw many students walking around in groups of 3 or 4 having conversations. The campus is great. Some folks prefer a campus/quad that’s self-contained in one place. Dickinson is spread out. There are two huge quads with most of the buildings where classes are, library etc, and another quad that’s mostly dorms, and then other buildings on other streets. So yes, you will be crossing streets to get places that aren’t on the quads but there are crosswalks and it’s Carlisle, not NYC, so very low-key. We like an expansive campus like that, integrated with the town, vs. some other small LAC’s we visited that are basically one quad and removed from the town. But obviously that’s personal preference.
There were 1500 people there, so a great turnout considering I imagine the freshman class is about 600. We’re visiting another small LAC that’s a plane ride away (vs. 2 hour drive for Carlisle) this week and then she should be able to make her decision. Overall, the visit smoothed the way to a decision, and if the other school outshines Dickinson, it will be a very informed choice.
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Thank you so much for your post about the admitted student day. My daughter has narrowed her top two to Dickinson and the College of Wooster. Both came with wonderful scholarships. She has different concerns with both schools and also loves both schools. She will most likely go on to more school after graduation at some point, she’s thinking med school right now.
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