What to Expect at Days on the Lawn

I can't believe the first Days on the Lawn is coming on Monday! We are at capacity for the first two days, so we should have nice sized crowds.

The happiest greeter!

What is Days on the Lawn?
By now, you probably know this, but Days on the Lawn (DOTL) are open house days for admitted students. You don't have to attend, but many undecided students find it helpful to spend a full day on Grounds since they might not have visited before or their last visit was before they applied.

What happens at Days on the Lawn?
 The first think you need to know is that while there is a full schedule of events for each DOTL, you decide what you want to do.

The opening session is at 9 AM in the amphitheater. There will be signs and volunteers to direct you after you park. After a welcome from administrators, a student will offer some advice for incoming students.  The student talk is usually my favorite part!

After this, you'll be off on the academic part of the day.  Each school and college has an information session or faculty panel (some also offer a tour of their facilities).  The students will break away from the parents to head to classes at some point. 

Throughout the day, representatives from different offices will be available for questions.  There's a resource fair and the Financial Aid staff will be around as well (they are usually able to talk one-on-one with people after the give out some general information, so feel free to bring some questions). 

In the afternoon, you can go on residence hall tours, an activity showcase, and various panel discussions. The formal part of the day ends with a student social. Of course, you are welcome to stay longer if you wish!

What should I wear?
Wear comfortable clothes and shoes you can walk in. You'll be able to wander all over the Grounds and you don't want your attire to slow you down or make you not want to walk over to the residence halls or to the building of the department that interests you.


What if I can't come to a DOTL?
You can do a lot of the same things on another day, but you'll just have to do a little planning. Our "Plan a Visit" page has links to an open class list, the Monroe Society (overnight visit hosts), and other resources for visitors. If you scroll down on the tour page, you'll see that there are department tours offered in addition to the general tour.

If you have questions, feel free to post them in the comments!