<p>I suppose all of our kids are receiving the invitations to the "reception" in honor of their acceptance to their respective colleges. </p>
<p>Are they really just sales pitches? Or, will ED students also enjoy them? </p>
<p>Do students dress up or go in jeans? Will there be food? Penn's is 6pm this Wednesday. </p>
<p>If anyone has gone to one and has feedback, please share. Thanks.</p>
<p>we did go to Reeds reception- it was at a nice waterfront hotel- & there was food- it was a chance to talk to alumni and others</p>
<p>We also went to Evergreens reception @ Safeco field for a "select" group- as far as i could tell most who attended received some sort of merit award- it was also nice and there was food ( and tour by an alum who produced some of the art pieces @ Safeco-)
we didn't wear jeans to either but if they were clean and pressed and you had a nice shirt & jacket you could probably fit in.
I did have a good time especially at Evergreens because there was more planned- it was fun talking to profs and other parents.
Reeds was mostly confined to a large room & the thing that stayed with me the longest was an alum discussing bowling and the PE requirement.
Bowling was apparently very popular in his day as you could drink and smoke & still get PE credit! ( I have no idea how much he was kidding or not)</p>
<p>We and our eldest S received an invite to a reception for his Ivy several years ago. The reception was held on a Sunday afternoon for parents and kids. We wore casual, nice clothes and the kids probably wore khakis or something like that. There was some food. It was nice for the kids to meet others from the area attending the college (although some were acquainted through sports, honors bands, etc.) and we were pleased to talk with other parents and their kids. This was our oldest going away to college and a mom with her third and youngest at the reception gave me some good advice: she was sorry she had nearly always left behind at home the two youngest when moving her oldest in/out, for parents' weekend, etc. We tried whenever possible to bring along our younger two -- especially for frosh move in day when DS was on an outdoor trip and we had to move in all his stuff ourself!</p>
<p>One of the things I found most helpful about these receptions (see my post below) is that you get to meet the type of student you may be spending the next four years with - seeing how you fit in with them, whether they're the type of person you would like to be friends with. Visiting's best, but if you can't, the reception can give you the same idea.</p>
<p>To some extent, these events are sales pitches aimed at snaring students who haven't committed. However, enlightened colleges should particularly welcome EDs, since they are unabashedly enthusiastic about the school. Jeans are fine and light refreshments (vegetables & dip and sandwiches) are served. If your son is uncommitted and undecided, he should definitely go to the receptions in your area (although he'd be best off going to the weekends for admits, in which case he could skip the receptions).</p>
<p>dart-my son was an ED applicant, so he's bound to attend. He has already decided to skip one of the "preview" overnight events because he feels that he's "previewed out". But, he would like to attend something. I think it will be nice for him to set foot on campus sans the angst that accompanied all of his pre-acceptance visits.</p>
<p>I 2nd visitng missing the angst
When we visited Reed intially- D loved it despite the pouring rain
It was just the sort of place she wanted
However both acceptance and a decent finaid package were critical but very risky
When she returned for admitted students day- knowing that she could actually ( well barely but still) afford to attend- it was only fitting that the weather was gorgeous!</p>
<p>D and I attended the MIT reception last year, and the best thing was getting to meet and chat with a real live MIT adcom. Got some good behind-the-scenes insights from that conversation.</p>
<p>There was food and drink. Everyone stood around talking. There were alums from the local organization. The MIT lacrosse team that happened to be in town for a tournament was also there, but they mostly kept to themselves.</p>
<p>D, H, and I attended the Pomona reception last week that was held at an alum's house in a Boston suburb. The head of admissions was there as were several local alumni from different decades, one as recent as 2004. D wore nice pants and top, one girl wore a dress, others wore khakis, etc. There were platters of fresh fruit and cheese and crackers, and a bundt cake, plus soda, water, and coffee. The head of admissions summarized how the admissions decisions were made, the alumni introduced themselves, and they all answered questions from the group. As folks left, students created small groups among themselves to chat and exchange e-mail addresses. We all felt we got a lot out of it, and since it was ED for D, got some insight into what will happen in August and beyond.</p>
<p>We attended the Dartmouth reception a couple weeks ago in NYC at the Grand Central Station Hiat. It was a very chi-chi affairfinger-food a-plenty, open bars. The president of the university spoke at length, honoring the parents of ED admits with applause and a standing ovation for the kids themselves.
I would highly recommend attending! It was nice to get a look at not only the kids but the parents of the kids. Smiles everywhere and a good laugh to be heard in every corner.
After the President's speech he took questions from the audience--many of them were very pointed and controversial from race relations to campus politics to the quality of the dorms/food.
It was very warm and engaging and our family had a wonderful night on the first warm evening of the year in NYC.
The dress was semi-formal.</p>
<p>Although they are primarily sales pitches, I still think they're good to attend if you can. They're an opportunity to meet a bunch of almuni as well as fellow admitted students, and they'd be valuable for that reason alone. Even if your mind is already made up, it's a great thing to get advice from alumni and current undergrads with a wide range of experience, and it's impossible to know too many of your future classmates IMHO.</p>
<p>Attended the Middlebury reception held at the president of the Houston alumni chapter's house. Check your invitation - ours said dress casual, and my daughter wore jeans and a button down shirt. She fit right in. We had sandwiches, chips and dips, fruit, etc. The nice thing was to meet others from the area that were accepted, and get a feel for the kids that will be going There. There was a video set up of the college, and one of the adcoms was there to answer specific questions. This was a school we weren't really considering because of FA. WE came away feeling accepted, and with lots of good info on how to deal with the FA office. The school went up on our list because of the fact that so many alums showed up (the school is in the northeast) from the Houston area, and how they were still so very involved. That says so much for the school!</p>