The start of spring term means many things for students — friends return from off-terms, ski season is largely over and now that big, furry boots are no longer necessary for students, L.L. Bean’s stock probably dips 50 points. For much of campus, spring also comes with a good deal of excitement about Dimensions of Dartmouth. Whether involved with the show or hosting prospective students, Dimensions affects most of us in one way or another. It impacts prospective students as well — most who went to Dimensions have a story about an amazing experience with older students or other prospective students who would later become their classmates.
As influential as this program is, one of its few shortcomings is that it excludes hundreds of students and puts them at a disadvantage when they matriculate. The College invites accepted students to visit Hanover and covers two meals and housing — but only if they apply through the regular decision process. Students who are accepted early decision are not only not invited, but explicitly asked not to attend. This makes some sense — Dimensions was created to give accepted students a taste of the Dartmouth experience in the hope that they will choose the College over other schools. People accepted through early decision do not need to be convinced to attend the College, so it may seem illogical to fund a Dimensions visit for them. This policy, however, puts the early decision students at an disadvantage when they arrive in Hanover in the fall. The College, therefore, should extend the offer to come to Dimensions to all accepted students — regular decision or otherwise.
Through Dimensions, prospective students can make meaningful connections to those who already attend the College, particularly given that all prospective students are hosted by current students. By volunteering to be a host, these students demonstrate their desire to help younger students and often prove to be a useful resource once freshmen arrive on campus. Adjusting to a new home can be daunting, and being able to approach a familiar older peer with questions or concerns is comforting. Unfortunately, the first-year students accepted through early decision do not have the luxury of having met a host — and likely several other upperclassmen — over Dimensions. While other students like Dartmouth Outing Club First-Year Trips leaders can also be great resources, someone coming to a completely new place can use as many mentors as they can get. Also, in attending some of the performances and programming offered during Dimensions, prospective students can familiarize themselves with the different groups and come into their first term with an idea of in what they are interested, while early decision students cannot.
Another significant advantage afforded to students who go to Dimensions is the opportunity to meet and spend time with many of those people who will ultimately be members of their class. A lot of connections are made during Dimensions, and those friends are likely among the first that a student is going to contact upon returning from Trips and starting the fall term. Of course, a prospective student isn’t going to meet everyone who goes to Dimensions with them — but it is still a widely shared, enjoyable experience that can serve as a foundation for friendships. Students admitted through early decision do not get to share in that experience, and their social net is that much smaller when they arrive on campus.
This is not to say that a student who does not go to Dimensions will not excel. Having been on campus for a few days and having met a good deal of people both older and in their class, however, does make the transition to college life that much easier. About 40 percent of each incoming class is admitted through early decision, and it is unfair that they are not afforded the same advantages that most other students are. There is no one aspect of Dimensions that is going to make or break someone’s experience at the College, but as a whole it does make the often difficult transition a little smoother — and every student deserves that.
