On November 11, select high school students will have the opportunity to experience life at WPI for a day. The Discover overnight program is designed to give students a more intimate look at campus life than a typical tour. According to the WPI Office of Undergraduate Admissions, the program is intended for students who are “African American, Latino, Native American [or] interested in diversity.” Participants will eat in the dining hall, sleep in a dorm room and attend an open house.
One past participant, Ayna Ramseur-Moore, can attest to the value of the Discover overnight. Before the overnight, she only planned to apply to WPI “because [her] college counselor told [her] to”, but “the overnight made [her] love WPI way more than [she] expected.” She especially recommends the program for “students that aren’t sure whether they are considering WPI”, but also notes that “if they are highly considering WPI it is still a good experience”. After the overnight, she decided to apply early action instead regular decision. Ramseur-Moore is now a freshman at WPI.
Although the participants won’t know the final schedule until they arrive, it’s expected to be similar to last year’s schedule. After check-in, they’ll attend an information session regarding admissions, financial aid and diversity at WPI. Participants will then meet their hosts— current WPI students. They’ll eat dinner with their hosts and have some free time, followed by social activities and dessert.
The next morning, participants will grab breakfast with their hosts in WPI’s dining hall. After breakfast, they’ll go to the Sports & Recreation Center for a welcome reception. At 9:30 a.m., the open house will begin. The open house on November 12 isn’t limited to participants in the Discover program; it’s intended for all prospective students and their families. A variety of events will be available, including campus tours, academic sessions, and information sessions about residential life.
Students needed to apply for the Discover overnight program by September 28, but there will be more overnights in spring. Some sections of the spring overnight are aimed at diversity, while others are specifically for women. The final details of the spring overnight won’t be released until it gets closer, but it’s expected to be similar to the Discover overnight. Interested students should consider doing a fall overnight to help them decide if they want to apply to WPI, while the spring overnight is an opportunity determine if they want to attend. Both programs have limited travel scholarships available.
For current WPI students, volunteers are needed to host the visiting students. Students who are interested in hosting the Discover overnight should email discoverovernight@wpi.edu. Hosts must live on campus and attend a mandatory training session. Training will be offered at various times on November 1 and November 7, but accomodations can be made for students unable to make any of the scheduled training sessions. The training sessions should take less than half an hour, and qualify students to host again in the spring. More information about hosting the spring overnight should be available in March.
Photo credit: Lindsey Fletcher
