More than a hundred prospective freshmen wandered around campus Monday, looking a little lost and trying to find the essence of Duke at the second of five Blue Devil Days - a series of programs designed by the admissions office to entice admitted freshmen to choose Duke.
Panels and tours throughout the day, as well as scheduled overnight visits, introduced high school seniors and their parents to academic and social life on campus.
Many visitors here yesterday had already seen Duke, but now that they are deciding which college to attend, they wanted to understand how Duke differentiates itself from other institutions.
"I'm just trying to see who the people are here," said Sonia Rogers, a high school senior from Los Altos, Calif., who is deciding between Duke, Stanford University and Brown University. "I think it's definitely been a positive experience." She added that she has not yet attended student weekends at other schools and was still unsure about her impressions of Duke.
Daniel Fenjves from Caracas, Venezuela, came here over the summer but said he did not get a good sense of the campus. "There was nothing going on," he said. "There were a bunch of little kids around."
Fenjves, who recently visited Georgetown University, said he was more attracted to Duke after yesterday, and his decision between the two schools will be difficult because he truly enjoyed both.
Not every perspective freshman found the University appealing though, despite yesterday's perfect weather.
"Visiting kind of actually made me less definite about coming here," said Westchester, Penn. resident Emily Shenkin, who said she will now consider the University of Pennsylvania more seriously. "I sort of want to check out the diversity elsewhere."
Jess Taylor from Marblehead, Mass., however, has already sent her deposit to Duke. She came primarily to visit friends from high school and get a preview of what her life will be like next year.
"I absolutely love Duke," Taylor said as she walked to a FOCUS information session. "I've already decided to come so I'm here for fun." She said she chose Duke because it has "good academics but also a fun atmosphere."
The day's programming, which included discussions on multi-culturalism, advising and specific majors, is designed to showcase the University's strengths, admissions officials said.
"It's important for students to come here and to get a better sense of what the entire campus is like rather than just doing a tertiary visit," said Stephen Wilkins, a senior admissions officer and coordinator of Blue Devil Days.
This year, current Duke students were a minimal part of official activities, serving as tour guides and representatives on two student life panels. Wilkins said undergraduates played only a small role in the recruitment activities because in past years they have failed to show up.
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