Phoning Pre-Frosh

Few of us ever remember that chunk of time between the joyous opening of the Harvard acceptance email and the awkward and uninhibited arrival of pre-frosh weekend. But Flyby can recall getting a certain uncomfortable congratulatory/inquisitive phone call one ripe April afternoon that went a little something like this.

Flyby: "Hello?"

Random Harvard Undergrad: "Hi!  Congratulations on getting into Harvard!"

Flyby: "Oh...thanks!"

Random Harvard Undergrad: "Do you have any questions about academics, extracurricular activities, or life at Harvard in general?!"

Flyby: "Uh...no?"

Come to find out, that was the work of the Undergraduate Admissions Council, which holds a phone-a-thon—staffed by volunteers—every year. Today, Flyby  jumped at the chance to chat up some pre-frosh and answer the pressing questions of the next generation of the brightest and best students in the nation.

As everyone settled down at the phones, one girl squealed, “I’m scared to call!”  Flyby wonders why she volunteered to take part in a phone-a-thon.

Vanessa Duran, who was in charge of the event, reassured her, saying, “They’re probably more scared of you than you are of them.”

Most of the pre-frosh were nice but didn't have anything interesting to say.  Occasionally, parents picked up and didn’t give Flyby a chance to say much:

Flyby: “Hi, this is—”

Irritated Parent: “Who?”

Eventually, Flyby started eavesdropping on other people’s conversations.

One guy told a pre-frosh that the “dining hall food is really tasty.”  Well, if your idea of “tasty” is various types of rice pilaf

mass-produced for over a thousand freshmen.

Another girl explained “All the freshmen live in the yard…Harvard takes the time to match you up with a good roommate, so you’ll get along really well…no matter where you get assigned, you’ll love it!” That’s right, don’t tell them about the Union dorms yet.  They’ll find out soon enough in August, when they rip open their dorm assignments and wonder what ‘Hurlbut’ means.

Later, Flyby asked Duran and other members of the Undergraduate Admissions Council about the kinds of responses they have gotten from pre-frosh. Here’s a sampling:

“Is there a strong population that enjoys medieval music?”

“Do Harvard students have fun?”

“Are you getting paid for this?”

“I’m coming next week. You’re going to give me a tour.”

“Tell me about Harvard Medical (or Law) School. How can I increase my chances of getting in?”

“Convince my child!” (from a parent)

“Where’s the nearest bowling alley?”

“I got in? I got in? Haha, just kidding, I already knew.”

Photo courtesy Michelle L. Quach