On April 15, approximately 400 students admitted to the Class of 2028 participated in the first session of Dimensions of Dartmouth — a one-day event during which potential freshmen visit the College to get a snapshot of life at the College, according to the admissions department website.
Additional admitted students will visit the College on April 29 for the second session of Dimensions. According to senior associate director of admissions Anna Dechert, more than half of the students who signed up for the first round opted to stay overnight with a Dartmouth student host. Other Dimensions participants stayed in hotels in the area.
This is the second year of Dimensions since the program’s post-pandemic return last year, according to past reporting by The Dartmouth.
Dechert wrote in an email statement that this year’s Dimensions program “built off successful programming from previous years” and looks similar to the 2023 schedule.
“Events included sessions with faculty, open houses to learn more about academic and student life opportunities and many informal opportunities for [admitted students] to connect with Dartmouth students through meals in [the Class of 1953] Commons, overnight hosting and student-sponsored events like open rehearsals or club meetings,” Dechert wrote.
Dechert added that prospective students’ questions about Dimensions ranged widely. Some had specific questions about arts on campus, community service and professional opportunities, while others were “just excited to live a ‘day in the life’ of Dartmouth students,” she wrote.
The financial aid office offered one-on-one appointments with visiting students and their families, according to the College website. Other event offerings included sitting in on a class, touring campus with student hosts and an interactive late night tour, according to the admissions office website.
Dimensions host Madeline Kim ’27, who attended Dimensions last year as an admitted student, said she was excited to welcome new students to campus.
“I loved my Dimensions experience,” Kim said. “I really wanted to welcome [the Class of 2028] because it’s an exciting thing to be accepted into Dartmouth.”
Kim added that Dimensions gives students who have not committed to Dartmouth the opportunity to “understand what it is like” to attend the College.
Dara Casey ’25, another Dimensions host, said the program can play an important role in admitted students’ college decision processes.
“It’s super exciting to see people who haven’t interacted with this space and see what people are excited about,” Casey said. “For students who are deciding [between colleges], this could really seal the deal.”
During the first Dimensions session, Casey said she hosted committed student Maire Crooks ’28 overnight in her Topliff Hall room.
“I think having the firsthand experience of being in the dorm and having that perspective is really valuable,” Crooks said.
Dimensions participant and committed student Matt Sullivan ’28 said there were social aspects of Dartmouth that surprised him, such as the campus’s community atmosphere.
“[The campus is] way busier than I expected it to be,” Sullivan said. “It feels like a city walking around the Green … Everyone knows each other. [At] a lot of the other colleges, people are kind of doing their own thing.”
Dimensions participant Oliver Smith, who is still undecided about where he will matriculate, said his father — who graduated from the Tuck School of Business — had emphasized the community aspect of the College in the past.
“My dad always talked about the alumni network,” Smith said. “He said, anytime, you can email someone and it won’t even take days to get back to you — they’ll get back to you in hours. But you’re not going to find that in a lot of other places.”
Katie Hoerdemann ’28, another Dimensions participant who has committed to Dartmouth, expressed her desire to familiarize herself with campus and make new friends before matriculating next fall.
“I wanted to get to know the campus better so that I’m more comfortable when I come in the fall,” Hoerdemann said.
Current students also represented their clubs at the student life open house on the first floor of Baker-Berry Library. Jack-O-Lantern president Lily Arrom ’25, who ran a club stand for the student comedy magazine, said club members organized a prank to introduce the prospective students to Keggy — an anthropomorphic keg and the unofficial mascot of the College.
“We brought [Keggy] out, and I basically went up and said ‘Keggy! You’re not supposed to be here!’ — then we had the whole security crew of other Jack-O members ready to escort him out,” Arrom said. “It’s fun if I can contribute to the silly side of Dartmouth that may interest people in going [to the College].”
Dechert wrote that Dimensions is an “important opportunity” for admitted students to experience the campus and community “in a deeper and more authentic way than they have previously.”
“We hope that when students leave Dimensions they feel like they know Dartmouth well and can see what makes this place special and why we think they belong here,” she wrote.
