Senior Bucket List: Host a Prospie

Another entry is checked off on the Senior Bucket List compiled by Jennifer Kwon and Charlotte Duong.

14 April 2017 Posted In:
Jenny Nguyen ‘17 (Monterey Park, Calif.) and Trixie Dao ‘18 (St. Paul, Minn.)
Jenny Nguyen ‘17 (Monterey Park, Calif.) and Trixie Dao ‘18 (St. Paul, Minn.)Photo: Charlotte Duong '17

To call the Carleton campus diverse is an understatement! There is always so much going on, with a wide range of activities and events designed to engage students of all interests. There are also many College traditions that every Carl should try in order to enjoy the full Carleton experience. 

But with so many options—not to mention classes and homework—it can be a challenge to fit everything in. To make it easier for Carls to choose from so many experiences, two seniors—Charlotte Duong and Jennifer Kwon—have compiled a “Senior Bucket List”—not-to-be-missed events and traditions all Carls should complete before graduation.

Next on their list: Hosting a prospie.

Since her freshman year, Jenny Nguyen ’17 (Art History/Medieval & Renaissance Studies/Women’s and Gender Studies) has hosted quite a few prospective students. Among the prospies, Nguyen discovered many similarities with Trixie Dao ’18 (Cognitive Science/French and Francophone Studies).

Their friendship began when, driving Dao back to her house in St. Paul (Minnesota) following Dao’s overnight stay at Carleton, Nguyen learned that her phone password was the same as Dao’s birthday. An amazing coincidence!

                         Jenny Nguyen ‘17 (Monterey Park, Calif.) and Trixie Dao ‘18 (St. Paul, Minn.)

                         Jenny Nguyen ‘17 (Monterey Park, Calif.) hosted Trixie Dao ‘18 (St. Paul, Minn.)

                         as a prospie three years ago and now they’re good friends.

“She also met my mom and my grandma. Now my mom will bring food for me to give to Jenny, and she will bring food from California or Vietnam for me to give to my mom,” Dao shares about her relationship with Nguyen.

She was not certain about attending Carleton until she stayed with Nguyen for two nights in Musser Hall. They are now good friends and constantly find time to see each other.

“It is a very unique host-and-prospie bond because I don’t hear anything like that from anyone else,” said Nguyen.

Hosting prospective students has long been a favorite ttradition at Carleton. For many years, the College has offered a program where admitted students stay overnight with current Carleton students in their residence halls. During the stay, prospies can take part in different activities on campus prepared by the Admissions Office: going on tours, attending classes, eating in the dining halls, and many others.

“The thing I appreciated the most was that everyone was very honest with me about their experiences,” said Allen Miles, a prospective student from Chicago, Ill., about his stay on April 6, 2017.

“I think that’s very important because in the process, it’s hard to get a handle [on] colleges from pamphlets and websites. Coming here and really getting an honest, sincere idea from the students of what the place is like was really helpful. I could actually make a personal connection to the school.”

As of last year, Carleton students can choose the option of hosting a prospective student for only one night instead of two. Additionally, as a token of their appreciation, the Office of Admissions now thanks students that sign up to host a prospective students with a $5 gift certificate for the campus bookstore.

                         Jaime Anthony ‘06, Holly Buttrey ‘14, and Kaelie Lund from the Admissions Office.

                        Jaime Anthony ’06, Holly Buttrey ’14, and Kaelie Lund from the Admissions

                        Office think that seniors can be great hosts for the admitted students.

“We’re not paying them by the hour; this is not babysitting. You’re just doing this out of the goodness of your heart and because you want to get to know somebody new,” Kaelie Lund, Admissions Officer, explains about the program’s monetary incentive. “You just want to give back to the journey that has brought people to where they are today.”

During their last term at Carleton, seniors are often busy with comps, extracurricular activities, and job applications. There is also a stigma that hosting prospies is only for the underclassmen.

However, Jaime Anthony ’06, Associate Dean of Admissions, believes that more seniors should consider hosting admitted students since they can offer prospies valuable perspective and experience.

“Seniors have a lot to offer in terms of perspective, experience, and knowledge about how this place works beyond their own individual experience,” says Anthony. “It really taps into the notion of being connected to Carleton once you leave Carleton.” 

Current seniors still have a chance to help accepted students have an amazing Carleton experience by signing up to be hosts for the next program taking place on April 20, 2017, using this form. It is definitely not too late for seniors to make some new friends and give back to Carleton before they depart from campus in June.