We've all been there. We've all struggled with college applications, patiently awaiting that acceptance letter and finally toiling over the decision of what school to attend.
Now the new crop has arrived. On four consecutive Mondays and Fridays throughout the month of April, over a thousand accepted students travel to the University in search of a sign that will ease their decision-making process. Days on the Lawn is here to provide the assurance that will bring them to the University.
Groups of intent listeners gather around University Guides as they describe the differences between old and new dorms, the quality of the dining halls and what students do on the weekends.
One distraught mother stops to ask, "Isn't there a place around here where all the students live and there are a bunch of restaurants?"
The guide points her toward the Lawn.
Day of decision
According to Laurie Koehler, the assistant dean of admissions who oversees Days on the Lawn, the program was established to ease the decision-making process for accepted students and to familiarize them with Grounds and the academic and social life unique to the University.
"Our goal is to help differentiate what U.Va. has to offer," Koehler said emphatically.
For many, the program accomplishes just that.
"I knew U.Va. was a really good school academically, but Days on the Lawn has really given me an idea of student life and also more specific things like about my major," said Can Baysan of McLean, Va.
Melissa Kostic came to Days on the Lawn in search of the same hands-on perspective of student life.
Kostic hails from Wilton, Conn., and has never seen the University before.
"You get the literature, you read it, and you're like, 'whatever,'" Kostic said. "But if you actually come down and meet the kids on the panel discussion or if someone stops and gives you directions, it really gives you a good feel for the type of people you will be going to school with."
The dark-haired young woman seemed more confident and well-spoken than your typical senior in high school, but she admitted that she is undecided about where to attend college. She said she has been struggling with choosing between the University and Colgate University but that after attending Days on the Lawn, she is leaning toward the University.
Kostic certainly is not the only student who has been swayed by the allure of the program.
According to last year's evaluation of the program, 35 percent of students surveyed were planning to accept their admission to the University before Days on the Lawn. After Days on the Lawn, that number jumped to 48 percent.
Koehler admitted that even after attending the program, many students still walk away undecided. However, no students decided to decline officially because they didn't like what they saw at Days on the Lawn.
"Of all the evaluations received, we didn't have a single student who decided, 'No, I'm not coming,'" Koehler said.
Parent trap
For some University hopefuls, a visit to Days on the Lawn is less about reaching their own decision and more about convincing their parents of a decision the student had made much earlier.
Samantha Friedman said she is fairly sure she will be a part of the incoming Class of 2005.
"I'm in the parent-convincing process," Friedman said with a roll of her eyes.
Baysan agreed that one of the main purposes for his trip to the University was to show his mom around Grounds.
"She's never seen the campus, so it gives her a chance to see what I will be doing next fall," Baysan said.
His mother nodded approvingly.
Second-year College student Sara Hendon participates in Days on the Lawn as a guide. She agreed that in her experience, parents really seem to enjoy the chance to see the University and ask questions.
Other parents see room for improvement, though. Ezi Akamiro and her mother traveled from Virginia Beach to attend the series of open houses. Although both thought the programs were helpful in explaining student activities and financial aid, they said it was disappointing not to have had better directions.
"My only problem was that we were just wandering from corner to corner like 'Where are we going?'" Akamiro said with a somewhat frustrated smile.
Behind the scenes
Koehler explains that because the program is fairly new, it is somewhat of a work in progress.
"We will again see what we can do to improve after this year," Koehler said.
Koehler reveals that the major complaints are typically that there was too much to do.
"Part of me just feels like that is what it's like to be a student here," she said of University student's busy schedules.
Koehler seems to take pride in the abundant variety of the program. She defended it and said she would rather hear the complaint of too much to do rather than hear that people were bored. She attributes the major successes of the program to the student volunteers.
"The people who make it work are the students," Koehler said. "They are here at 7 a.m. putting up signs, they are registering students and answering questions, they are working the panel discussions, and some of the same students are still here at 3:30 taking down the signs."
Hendon said she enjoys selling the University and watching students become excited about attending.
"We've actually had a lot of people say, 'Can I just give you my check and my acceptance form now?'" Hendon said as her eyes lit up.
Like Hendon, all of the guides convey this sort of magic appeal to the accepted students through their passion for the University.
The first test
The guides field questions ranging from those about the Greek system to the dorms to the quality of the dining halls without batting an eye.
One student asked how important it is to have a car your first year.
Guru Raj, a first-year College student and a guide, explained that in his first month of having a car at school, he racked up $127 in parking fees and had to retrieve his car twice. Not only is it not necessary to have a car, he recommended, but sometimes it is just a pain.
Dressed in a polo and coordinating tie even on one of the warmest spring days yet at the University, Raj explained that the tours the University Guide Service gives for Days on the Lawn differ from its typical tours because students have already been accepted.
"On a lot of regular tours, people are much more concerned with whether or not they will get in," Raj said. "The students here know about the academic standing of the University, so they want to know more about the social life."
Friedman, who hopes to sway her parents after the program, thought the tours were probably the most helpful, but the improvisation comedy group performances were also really funny.
"It just made the whole place seem really fun," Friedman said.
Weather or not
With all the dedication of the students and faculty, can the weather be the deciding factor in what makes or breaks a student's impression of the University?
Days on the Lawn volunteer Philip Balwin hopes the weather does not come into play too much.
"I think most people look past the weather," Baldwin, a first-year Engineering student, said sarcastically.
Hendon asserted that if it is raining, a lot of people will comment on the weather.
"They ask, 'Is it always like this?' You just make a joke about Charlottesville weather being temperamental," Hendon said.
Koehler said that rain or shine, Days on the Lawn is a long-awaited event that brings with it many rewards, not just for the students, but for the program staff as well. She continued that it is an incredible high for the faculty members who spend months pouring over applications to finally get to meet and talk to the admitted students.
"You feel good about the class that you've tried to shape, but to be standing there talking to a student and realize that you read his or her application is truly amazing," Koehler said.
Read More
Breaking my silence
By Cecy Juárez | YesterdayI, Cecy Juárez, am one of the three “squirrels of U.Va.” running the @thesquirrelsofuva page.
Lending a hand during the finals push
By Abby Snowdon | 2 days agoThe race to the end of the year has begun, and University groups have set up pit stops along the course to help students get to the finish line.
The spring fashion trend for you based on your college lifestyle
By Malone Morchower | 3 days agoIn 2024, decades of different styles have come back, culminating in a casual yet exciting fashion.
