Wining and Dining the Class of '90

1990 may seem like a long time away.

But for three days earlier this week, that year--or rather the graduating class of that year--was Byerly Hall's number one priority, as about 330 high school seniors accepted under the Early Action Program were wined and dined by the Admissions Office.

Considering the college's new drinking policy and the culinary experience of the Freshman Union, however, it may be more accurate to say the prospective freshmen have had their fill of nonalcoholic cider and salad bars.

From a skating party in Bright Hockey Center to a private concert by five a capella singing groups in Dunster House, the Admissions Office every winter does its best to give incoming students their first "real" taste of life in the Ivy League.

The purpose of rolling out the red carpet, says admissions officer Carol M. Jackson, is not just to let some bright high school seniors have a good time. "The focus of the program is not to pressure the students, but to let them make a more informed choice of college, We want people to understand what Harvard is."

The program has gained in popularity in this, its fourth year. While less than 50 percent of those offered early admission last year came to Cambridge, the great majority of the 556 already accepted attended this year's event because of the well-established reputation of the program, and the word-of-mouth publicity from students who have attended in previous years, says Jackson.

The combination of fewer prospectives and a more concentrated program make the Early Action program superior to the Regular Action visiting days in April, the admissions officer says.

Myth vs. Reality

Most of the pre-freshmen, coming from all parts of the country, visit Cambridge to compare what they think the school will be like with what it actually is. Some high school students had only seen Harvard through glossy pamphlets or textbook descriptions.

David R. Priest, one of the two people from Minnesota to get an early offer of admission, would be the first person in his family to go east for college. "I'd never been to the East before. I had no prior exposure to Harvard except the alumni interview and the brochures," the 17-year old from Minneapolis says.

Priest gave another reason for attending the event. "I love being with people I don't know. We all have no connections to each other except that we were all accepted early."

Daphne A. Norton, 18, a Massachusetts resident who is a senior at Stoughton High School, says she wishes that Harvard was farther away from home, while many of her counterparts from the West Coast wished it was closer. Most of the students agreed, though, that they would matriculate in September, and just wanted to get a better glimpse of the campus, and see what life was like at the Big H.

The amount of contact these pre-freshmen had with their probable college of choice also differed greatly from student to student. Norton says she first visited the campus at age 13 and "somehow knew this was where I was going to end up." She has continued to visit frequently.

Horia V. Mocanu, a senior at St. Edward's High in Cleveland, Ohio, says he had never traveled to Massachusetts before in his life, although he got an impression of Camp Harvard from reading books about it. "I used this program to see what's real. My expectations were high, but I have not been disappointed," says Mocanu, who was born in Romania.

Most expectations people had all seemed to be high, but they were not all well founded in fact, as a few pre-freshmen soon found out. "I got a bit of a culture shock when I found that some of the people in Canaday got drunk Sunday night. It never hit me that it would be an everyday occurrence," says Norton of her first experiences in a college dormitory.

"I thought everyone would be a workaholic, but that has proved not to be true," says Yvonne L. Karanas, 18, of New York City and The Brearley School. "I also felt like everyone here was a genius, but at the faculty panel one of the questions asked was, `what is the worst thing about Harvard?' and the professor answered, `People who come here think they're stupid."' Karanas explains that this answer calmed her fears, letting her know that there were other early admits who also felt they would be less intelligent than the average Harvard student.

The three day event started Monday, as the students were introduced to their mostly freshmen hosts. Later, the whole group gathered at Bright Hockey Center for a skating party, followed by a cider-and-donut reception in Kirkland House.

Getting to Know You

But even with these exclusively pre-freshmen events, John I. Kwan, from South Korea and Phillips Exeter Academy, felt the only flaw in the otherwise informative program was that he wasn't able to meet enough of his future classmates. "I made a conscious effort to try to get to know the other people here, but I was only able to meet about 30 to 40."

Kwan pointed out that he already knew some people at Harvard, because they attended his prep school. "It helps coming from Exeter, because there are a lot of people who you can talk to and ask advice from," Kwan says. "Even if they're not [from Exeter], though, I've found people here are friendly and willing to help."

Other students also mention the many benefits of staying with a freshman in a Yard dormitory. Not only could they have someone to talk to, they also got a glimpse of their rooms for next year. "I like the way the rooms are done," says Washington D.C. native Jeremy C. Miller, who stayed in Massachusetts Hall. "There's plenty of room for me to do whatever I want, and the way it was decorated by my hosts, it gave it a comfortable, lived-in look."

A Class Act

On Tuesday, the second day of the event, the pre-freshmen were welcomed by President Derek C. Bok, Director of Admissions Laura G. Fisher, and Angeliki Laiou, Dumbarton Oaks Professor of Byzantine History. Afterwards they were invited to visit classes and lunch in the Union or the houses.

"Professor Laiou seemed really enthusiastic about her subject," says Kwan about the welcome in Paine Hall. "I also went to see a lecture on the American Revolution and Professor [Bernard] Bailyn was also very interesting."

Other pre-freshmen, though, did not seem as enthused with the classes they visited. "I've always considered myself to be a science person, so I went to neurobiology," says Priest. "I found it boring. A lot of the stuff I'd done before."

Priest did find the class experience useful in one aspect, though. "It was less intense that I thought it would be, but I was amazed by the sheer volume of notes."

Attending classes did not consume the whole day for Priest, though. "Tuesday night I saw Dr. Ruth [Westheimer] at the Law School. It wasn't a planned event by the Admissions Office, but I was interested in seeing her in real life."

Miller also took advantage of Harvard's resources in a way not specifically organized by Byerly Hall. All the participants in the program were given extended meal tickets, as well as special passes so that they could use Harvard's facilities for the three days they were here. "In the afternoon, I went down to Blodgett Pool and swam laps. I have access to a pool at home, and I expect to continue to swim laps at Harvard," Miller says. "I also swim on the school team, but I don't think I'll try out for it at Harvard."

By the time the program was over, most of the 340 of the nation's "best and brightest" had gained a deeper insight into the school which 95 percent of them are projected to attend.

Mocanu seemed to have gotten sense of school pride just in his three-day visit. "New Haven is smoggy--I can't live there no matter how much airconditioning they have--and Princeton is like party time in the wilderness. This is a serious school," says the Ohio resident. "It's probably the only university where people argue over lunch. They actually get upset over defending their beliefs. This is an important place."

Alleviating Anxiety

Judging by the responses of most pre-freshmen contacted, the Admissions Office seems to have succeeded in its attempt to acclimate these prospective students. "When I first arrived, I felt daunted," says Kwan. "This program has alleviated my anxiety to a large degree."

But perhaps Karanas gained the most important piece of pre-college knowledge. "[What am I going to say] on the rooming group questionnaire?" she starts. "I'm going to write `I want a bathroom in my room' all over it. Bathroom. Bathroom. Bathroom. I don't know how I could live without one."