After 'YES!' pre-frosh explore campus for answer

Prospective students were ubiquitous on campus this weekend. Whether they were attending lectures on University life, enjoying a barbecue outside the Frist Campus Center or congesting pedestrian traffic along McCosh Walk, Class of 2005 potentials explored what it is like to be a real Princeton student.

Dean of Admission Fred Hargadon said in an e-mail that more than 300 pre-frosh were on campus this weekend, in addition to the many parents and siblings that accompanied them. More than 200 current undergraduate students hosted these high school seniors from Friday afternoon until yesterday morning.

The pre-frosh schedule filled the weekend with 48 hours of activities including a lecture on Dante, an orchestra and glee club concert and the two-hour-long Tiger Nite, which showcased many campus performing arts groups.

The pre-frosh also learned about campus life while listening to a discussion panel consisting of both University students and faculty. Student organizations held open houses and information sessions as well.

"We should be so lucky to find a 48-hour period of time in late April every year that has as many different kinds of already scheduled activities around which to build a pre-frosh program," Hargadon said.

But the best part of the weekend, according to the pre-frosh, was simply soaking up the campus atmosphere. Caroline James from Bethesda, Md., who also was accepted to Cornell and Columbia universities, said, "The weekend has been awesome. I was in the line for the Airporter and already met 10 pre-frosh."

Hargadon noted, "I think the pre-frosh particularly enjoyed meeting each other and meeting our undergraduates."

Many of the pre-frosh arrived on campus with preconceived notions about Princeton life and students. "All my friends told me everyone was snobby," Skip Perry of Atlanta said, "that I wouldn't like anyone here."

Lillian Tomaskovich of Detroit agreed, noting that she heard Princeton students are all "straight-laced and conservative." But Princeton's application seemed to change her mind.

"The application didn't seem like that at all," she said. "I read the application, and I fell in love with the school. [The questions on the application] are likeable questions."

Though many pre-frosh seemed to have already decided on Princeton for their university of choice, for others the pre-frosh weekend was the clincher.

Lauren Lyons from Los Angeles said she is almost definitely changing her first choice from the University of Pennsylvania to Princeton.

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"The other choice, Penn . . . I've been hearing not-so-good things about them," she said. "Plus, I really like it here."

Perry said he was still choosing between Princeton and Yale University on Friday afternoon. However, 24 hours later, surprising even his undergraduate hosts, he said, "I'm pretty sure [I want to come to Princeton]. I was very undecided yesterday."

Others, however, are not so sure about their future education. Erin Kappeler of Iowa, who was also accepted to Stanford, Duke and Cornell universities said "I'm still deciding between here and Duke."

Nevertheless, Hargadon seemed enthusiastic about the success of the weekend. "We will know in the next few days just how much these 48 hours affected the decisions of those attending," he said. "My hunch overall is that the effect was very positive."

And it seems that the goal of pre-frosh weekend has been accomplished: the Princeton atmosphere seems to have gotten through to prospectives. "I think they are really fostering a community here," James said.