The Open House is still going, but it’s starting to wind down.  Quite a few people have already stopped in to say goodbye and ask about getting to the airport.  One of the final events of the day is the Student Clubs Fair, which is bustling.

For the second year, I regret that I never attended a roundtable — not even the one I helped to organize!  Attending a class is great, but we know that classes aren’t the only forum for sharing the collective knowledge of the School, and Open House roundtables allow us to extend the options for the day.  Roundtables this year included discussions of:

• Development and Humanitarian Assistance
• Veterans at Tufts University
• Students in Security Studies
• International Environment and Resource Policy
• Diplomacy and Practice
• Law at Fletcher
• Business in Practice at Fletcher
• Fletcher Writers (the panel I helped put together)

The Open House is our annual opportunity to turn paper applicants into real people.  Tomorrow will be just another day in the office while we learn which of today’s visitors will be joining us for Orientation in August.

I’m back with my next Open House Report.  Since my first dispatch, I kicked off my personal Open House activities by working the registration table, one of my favorite places to hang out.  (I love being busy.)  I left my post for just a minute to take this picture.

Then, I heard some words of welcome, including from first-year MALD student Juanita.

From there, I left the Hall of Flags to sit in on the panel for admitted PhD students.  Panel is perhaps a bit of an overstatement since we had two Fletcher staffers, two current students, and two admitted students.  (So it goes with a very small PhD program.)

Much more panel-like were the presentations for MALD/MA and MIB students.  Alas, I don’t know what happened there, beyond the sharing of information.

Then, back to the office for walk-in office hours.  It’s always nice to be asked a challenging question.  I’ve worked in Admissions for a long time, but there’s no shortage of topics on which I can be stumped.  Today’s meetings included two conversations on complicated topics.

Everyone is off at lunch now, and I’m minding the shop.  I’m due to be here for more office hours later, but I’ll try to take a minute to drift over to lunch, at least for the presentation by Career Services.

But perhaps you’d like an overall view of what’s happening today.  Allow me to share the email that Liz, our Open House guru, sent to the staff on Friday.

A final update before our event kicks off this weekend! We will be welcoming 122 admitted students and six guests Sunday evening, and 134 admitted students and nine guests on Monday.

We will be hosting eight topical roundtables, 22 class visits options, three sets of walk in hours, three student panels, four programmatic sessions, plus tours and the student club fair (where we have 30 clubs participating)!  It should be quite a day!

I’m sure Liz would join me as I close with a word of thanks to the weather for cooperating today.  It’s sunny and mild — perfect for a busy visit.

If I can file a late-afternoon report, I’ll do so.  Let’s see how the next rounds of walk-in office hours go!

We’re revving up for today’s Admitted Students Open House (OH).  Admissions staff here early?  Check.  Muffins and coffee ready?  Check.  “Fletcher Orange” jelly beans available for snacking?  Multi-check.

I’m going to try to report back throughout the day, whenever I have a free minute in the office.  That minute may not come until everyone goes to lunch, when I’m going to hang back and staff the office to take questions.  More soon, I hope!

I arrived at 51 Winthrop Street just as the Office of Career Services was getting set for their panel.  While Phillip was organizing, I grabbed a photo of Liz, Jeff, and Kristen.

And then a quick snap of the other OCS staffers who were standing by:

Finally, the presentation began:

Anyone not currently listening to Phillip might be attending a class or visiting with friends.  There are more classes at 3:20, as well as several special Roundtable Discussions.  Unfortunately for blogging purposes, I’ll be here in Admissions taking questions.  I’ll try to take a minute to grab a photo of the Roundtables.

Another quick photo update.  Open House visitors are at lunch now.  I’ve stayed back in the office to answer questions from anyone who might wander in, but I asked Jeff to take some pix for me.  Here’s one that gives you a good sense of the scene:

There aren’t many sites at the University that can accommodate 200 people for lunch.  For the last few years, we have been using the multipurpose space that Tufts created a while back at an old church building.  After lunch, the Office of Career Services staff will do their own presentation.  I’m going to take a minute to wander over.  If it’s worth another photo update, I’ll be back with another post.

Today we’re holding the Open House for admitted students.  A good-sized crowd is in the building and we arranged for good weather, putting us all in a sunny frame of mind.  I have a brief minute to post a few pictures for you.  A longer minute would have allowed me to crop the photos and otherwise make them presentable.  Timeliness or quality?  Today I’ll go for timeliness.

The day started off with mingling over coffee.

Then Dean Bosworth welcomed everyone.

Followed by Barbara, a PhD candidate from Brazil who previously completed the MALD program.  She’s amazing!

Then everyone headed off — to either the degree-program specific panel presentations, or to one of the classes that starts at 9:40.  Here’s the MALD panel, in the library reading room.  (I’m taking the picture through a window.)

I’ll try to post again later today.  If I never make it back to my computer, I’ll share a recap tomorrow.