Two colleges, one choice. Would the seductions of WesFest be strong enough to pull Sergei away from the C-U?

By Sergei Pourmal
Gargoyle co-editor-in-chief
Posted Friday, April 28, 2006, The OG, features

It was well over a year since this whole college debacle started, and I was coming to the end of it. Despite countless hours of work in crafting my applications, I found myself with only two admissions — Wesleyan (not the one in Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Texas or Virginia — the liberal arts one in Connecticut) and the ever-inviting U of I.

I was more or less hopeful for some of my waitlists, but the final decisions on those would only come sometime in May or June. Before then, I had to make my own choice. Either sign up for another four years in the C-U, or head out to a private school out east.

Had this been any other New England school that I applied to, it wouldn't have even been a question. It just so happened that I threw in Wesleyan at the last minute before applications were do just to give myself another option should I need it.

What I knew about Wesleyan was limited to info from publications and college guides, so I at least owed them a visit before I made my choice. After all, college admissions officers spend hours selecting each applicant, and the least you could do is pay them a visit.

It takes numerous weeks to meticulously cut and paste individual silhouettes of applicants onto poster boards. Weaker applicants are on the outside, stronger are closer together in the middle. Each participant gets multiple dart throws. Green ones count as admissions, yellow as waitlists, and red darts correspond to denials. Seniors on work-study scholarships record which darts hit whom, and letters are sent out within a few days.

Or perhaps they do actually read through applicant files for a couple of weeks. Feel free to speculate.

What made my trip to New England different than the one I took junior year was the fact that colleges are currently in the stages of throwing themselves at accepted students. Due to qualified applicants applying to more schools and receiving multiple acceptances, colleges are finding it necessary to persuade accepted students into enrolling in the weeks and days before the nationally accepted decision deadline of May 1.

Unlike some of the other “prefroshes” I met while I was out east, I wasn't entitled to the burden of choosing between numerous colleges. All I was there to decide was whether or not Wesleyan fit better than the U of I. Compared to one particular girl I ran into who traveled from Idaho to choose among Wesleyan, Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, and one or two other schools, I had it easy.

The Wesleyan folks certainly did their part in selling themselves — they set aside three days, aptly named WesFest, for prospective students to participate in practically nonstop activities from morning till night.

The schedule of events was enough to fill a thick booklet, packed with meeting times with professors and more barbeques than even the heartiest of meat-cravers could stomach.

While it certainly wasn't as quirky as the indoor soccer game with the deans over at Swarthmore or as exciting as the surprise 50 Cent & G-Unit concert that Columbia threw, it was pretty clear that things had come full circle, and now I was the one scrutinizing Wesleyan.

My day started around 7 a.m., when our hotel (recommended to us by none other than the university in question) offered continental breakfast for any perspective students. Still in my pajamas and flip-flops, the flattering had begun.

I made my way to the admission office by 8:30 to sign in. At check-in, the dean of admissions handed out a stylish Wesleyan University gym sack, which all day long evoked envious moans from current students.

I was privileged to attend presentations by the biology and chemistry departments, chapel concerts, and numerous question-and-answer panels. The film studies department ran multiple movies throughout the day in the impressive on-campus theater. The school's high-powered telescope opened its doors to after-hour visitors.

All day long the admissions office provided drinks, coffee, and a variety of foods for anyone passing through. Although most of the attractions were academically orientated, Wesleyan seemed to bare all in its attempt to get admitted students to seal the deal.

I only visited a single college on my trip, but it certainly fit into the trend described recently by The New York Times. The atmosphere seemed much more festive than the school would normally be, despite reminders from event organizers that Wesleyan was equally as busy on regular weekends.

In the end, Wesleyan's attempts to seduce me proved futile. As great a school as it was, nothing stood out strongly enough to convince me to attend next year. Others, I'm sure, were swayed by WesFest.

For me, it just felt good to be the one choosing for once.