This year’s Fall Open House drew a record number of prospective students, with red folders in hand and parents at heel, to Dickinson on Monday, Oct. 14.

According to the Office of Admissions, the 2013 Fall Open House brought more than 650 people to campus. This signals more than a 60% increase from last year’s largest fall open house, which was held on Nov. 10. According to an article published on the Dickinson website on Nov. 14 2012, that event drew just under 400 attendees.

“Monday was special because we were running two programs consecutively,” said Dean of Admissions Stephanie Balmer. “We had both Discover Dickinson and the normal Day visit program, and there was great energy in both ATS – where the event was centered – and in the Admissions house.”

Monday’s event allowed prospective students to take tours of the campus, attend classes, have an admissions interview, eat lunch in the dining hall and meet with faculty, staff and senior administrators. The event was met with positive reception from current and prospective students alike.

“We were so excited to have lively perspective students on campus,“ said Sara Pattiz ’16, a member of the Liberty Caps Society executive board. “It was great to see them in classes and on tours, and overall I think it was very well organized and fun, even if it was chaotic at times.”

Prospective students were impressed with the event.

“During my interview I was more relaxed than I thought I would be because we got to sit around and just talk about college. It made Dickinson feel like home, even though I’m still just a high school senior,” said Luke Decker, a prospective student from Flemington, NJ. “After today, though, I might go all out for Dickinson. I’m not sure yet.”

“We found out about Dickinson through our college counselors. What surprised us about Dickinson was that it was very pretty—we’re not used to seeing the old architecture on the outside and the spacious rooms on the inside,” said Samantha Battle, who came with her friend Ayaana Sabb for the day from Trinity High School in New York City.

“The natural science lecture was really informative, and I liked the talk. The tours are always the same at colleges but I liked the forum,” said Sabb.

Though enthusiastic, some students still had some criticism on the day’s programs, specifically the “Dickinson Experience” talk, which was meant to expose prospective students to social and extracurricular life on campus.

“We didn’t get a good feel of the social life on campus, past the names of extracurriculars. I wanted to know more and [Dickinson Experience] made it seem like it wasn’t present,” admitted Battle.

Overall, the high volume and energy of the event signaled success for all involved.

“This is our biggest open house of the fall semester, and it has been the biggest in my four years,” said Liberty Cap Society intern Andrew Bell ’14. “The enthusiasm for Dickinson is clearly evident by the amount of people attending our open houses. Yesterday is an example of that enthusiasm, and everyone from student volunteers – including the Liberty Caps Society and the Tritons – to professors and administrators stepped up to help make the day possible. It was a great day for Dickinson.”