Owl Days dates to change

By Seth Brown     1/28/10 6:00pm

Come mid-April, prospective students will descend on campus in greater numbers than ever before. Rice's Student Admission Council and the Office of Undergraduate Admission set this year's Owl Days and Admit Days in the final two weeks of classes, giving admitted students the opportunity to visit Rice and get a taste of campus life. This year's Owl Days are scheduled for April 15-16. As in previous years, prospective students will stay overnight with student volunteers. The two Admit Days will occur the next week, on Friday, April 23 and Monday, April 26 - the final day of classes and the first day of dead week, respectively.

Owl Days will be held on a Thursday and Friday this year in order to accommodate student workloads at the beginning of the week. Two years ago, three sets of Monday- Tuesday Owl Days were held, and last year, Owl Days were held on a pair of Wednesday-Thursday sets.

For Owl Days, student volunteers host prospective students overnight and take them to classes. On Admit Days, the students attend several panels and take a tour of campus, but do not stay overnight with a host.

---

---

The cap for Owl Days attendees is currently set at 600 prospective students - 100 more than last year's number. However, it may be possible to increase this number if enough students volunteer, according to SAC Overnight Hosting Chair Alex Wyatt, who said he hopes that after SAC gets a volunteer registration Web site up and running, there will be at least 450 student volunteers.

Wyatt, a Lovett College junior, said anyone interested in introducing a new class of prospective students to Rice should consider volunteering, though those busy with tests may not have the time necessary to serve as good hosts. However, even given enough volunteers due to a high level of interest, the number of visitors staying in McMurtry and Duncan Colleges may be limited due to the space constraints of single rooms.

"It's a little bit crazy and chaotic, but there should be order so long as there are enough volunteers," Wyatt said.

This year's Admit Days fall on the last day of classes, coinciding with the College Nights of Hanszen College and Wiess Colleges and on the following Monday. SAC Event Volunteer Recruitment Chair Wharton Wang said 100 prospective students are expected to attend the Friday session, and 60-70 are anticipated the following Monday.

"We didn't want to have it right after Owl Days," Wang, a Brown College junior, said. "This way, people will have more flexibility."

Although Wang says he doesn't believe the coincidence with the College Nights will be an issue, especially given that students will only be staying on campus until 5 p.m., others expressed concern.

"I think it will skew the perspective of Rice, even if they only stay until 5 p.m.," Hanszen College sophomore Stephanie Herkes said.

Wiess College Master Mike Gustin said he was surprised at the choice of days.

"During the last day of classes, on which there is a College Night, the activities on campus are not going to be typical," Gustin said. "It might not give them a representative view."

But even if it is not entirely representative, that does not necessarily mean it will be in vain. Associate Director of Admission Laura Villafranca said Owl Days and Admit Days are important because they give prospective students the opportunity to craft a better idea of what Rice is like.

"College is a long-term investment, and it's important to visit," Villafranca said.

She said the Rice community does a good job of going out of its way to sell itself to visitors, with professors often being especially accommodating on visiting days and students showing themselves to be unpretentious, approachable people.

As for the possibility of extending Owl Days in the future, Villafranca said it would be difficult given the large number of attendees.

"It's hard to get undergrads to give up two nights, and we need good hosts," she said.

---