a preview of fall (and maybe winter)

This weekend is the GSB’s Fall Preview. It is an opportunity for those with a strong interest in the school to visit and meet with current students and staff to see if the school is a good fit. It is a structured program with tours, mini-classes, and info sessions about things like financial aid and study abroad – essentially lots of information, hand shaking and business card exchanging. It is also when many applicants choose to do their interview.

B attended the program last year and felt like it really helped him both in his decision and in formulating his story for his applications. This year he will be participating on the other side. For the most part he will be directing traffic (when he told me this I thought he meant they were going to give him an orange vest and literally have him out on the corner). This means he will be at one corner of the Winter Garden helping lost souls find their way to the next activity. He picked this job as he thinks it will give him an opportunity to also talk informally with potential students and answer any questions they might have (although they warned all of them that they shouldn’t be surprised if they find themselves stumped). B confided in one of the second year students (whom B met at last year’s event) that there are a few potentials who have found his blog and who he plans on trying to meet. The second year was impressed but also a bit confused over the notion of meeting someone who your only contact has been online.

I was kind of hoping that B would get to be a tour guide (he would be so cute). They actually gave him an outline of the order of the tour, as well as ideas for how to fill the time there (i.e., points to discuss). At the end of the handout there were actually fun facts about the construction of the new building. Everything from how many light bulbs to how many gallons of water had to be removed during inclement weather. He still may get his chance, but probably not this weekend, although given the weather forecast, you never know.

According to the weather report snow flurries are expected sometime late Friday/early Saturday. Weather like this is one thing people like deans and directors of admission dread. It really can turn people off. Snow in October? Not good. I suspect there may be a sacrifice (or two) made to the weather gods to keep this from happening. If it is sunny and in the mid-60’s this weekend, you know why.