Open House for early admits

EN Open House – that’s “early notification,” for those not versed in admissions lingo – is always a fun day. It’s the first organized occasion of the admissions year that allows us to meet some of our admitted students, but still a relatively small and relaxed affair: 25-30 visitors, rather than the 150+ we’ll welcome in April for our spring Open House. So far, so good today. While it wouldn’t be accurate to describe today’s weather as “nice,” it’s warm enough that there’s no threat of the current rain turning to snow or sleet. We’ve had at least one occasion in past years in which the entire day was scuttled by a huge blizzard, so we’ll take our wins where we can get them.

Our visitors will get a chance to experience much of what Fletcher has to offer in a single day, and they’ll largely be able to pick and choose how they’d like to spend their time. Most opt for a mix of some of our scheduled sessions – a faculty panel, Career Services presentation, and financial aid session, among others – with visiting classes, meeting individually with admissions staff and current students, and just generally hanging out to get a feel for the place. The schedule has dovetailed nicely today, too, by pure coincidence: it just so happens that Fletcher alumnus Ambassador Thomas Pickering – he of the eponymous fellowship – will be here this afternoon for a lecture and reception, which will surely be of interest to some of our admitted candidates. Suffice to say there will be plenty going on throughout the day, and we’ll be busily scurrying about making sure it all goes smoothly. Speaking of, it’s probably time to grab all the registration table accoutrements and get things set up!