2 weeks and counting...

It is hard to believe freshman orientation is just around the corner. The orientation programs kick off two weeks from today with an extended orientation for international students and the full orientation beginning two weeks from Sunday. Whats even harder to believe is that classes begin three weeks from today!!




We've been welcoming dozens of visitors to campus each day checking out WPI for the first time, but we haven't forgotten about the Class of 2014!! We've seen some of you on campus taking a peek at your residence hall, buying books, and just checking things out for one last time. In addition to these "unofficial" visits we've been happy to partner with the Alumni office to sponsor a number of BBQs for incoming students over the last couple of weeks. Several events were held across the Northeast, with the final event held last evening in Worcester. We had about 100 people in attendance. Over 25 incoming students attended, along with a number of parents and family members. It was great to see so many people in attendance and a great time was had by all!!





Enjoy the rest of the summer...we'll see you on campus soon.



Ed

What to eat in Worcester

A question we often get is how is the food on campus? I'll have to say it's great. Lots of options in the dining halls, an on-campus pub, Dunkin Donuts, Quiznos and more!! But if that's not enough you don't have to wander far from campus to find great seafood at the Sole Proprietor, great pizza at Tech Pizza, and solid burgers at the Boynton, great sandwiches at New England Roast Beef, and for those venturing a bit further, classic hot dogs at Coney Island Hot Dogs right here in Worcester!!.

As you might guess from some of my favorites I am not a vegan or even a vegetarian, but for those of you who are take a closer look at Worcester...Earlier this month PETA named Worcester a top 10 veg-friendly small city in the US. Now I will have to admit I haven't been to many of the restaurants mentioned in the article, but it certainly is another testament to the great food one can find all over the city!!

Next time you visit campus just ask the Admissions Office for culinary suggestions...we'll be happy to help!!

Ed

Academic Visit Days

This year's academic visit days started off with a bang!! We welcomed close to 50 families to campus today. In addition to touring the campus and learning about the admissions process, the families had a chance to attend a general engineering overview and to learn more about our Global Perspective Program through special presentations offered during the day. These programs are a great way for families to enhance their visits to campus. If you are thinking of visiting campus soon check out the offerings over the next two weeks.

Ed

Videos, Videos, Videos

Over the last several months the admissions office has been upgrading our video content and we are on the cusp of several new releases. We wrapped up a 10 minute overview video in the spring. So far we've shared that with some of our admitted students back in April and a group of visiting guidance counselors last week. This video is typically shown at open houses and off- campus receptions, but it will be up on our YouTube channel soon.

We are also putting the finishing touches on our new virtual tour, "Eye on WPI". If all goes well this should be launched in early August!! We are very excited about this new feature which will allow students to choose from 15 short videos or create their own video by picking the topics that they are most interested in learning more about.

Last but not least Adam Epstein is working with the Academic Technology Center here at WPI to create a ton of new video content for our YouTube channel. This will include interview with faculty, staff and students.

Be sure to check out the web site for all this new content in August!!

Ed

Frontiers at WPI

It's hard to believe that the WPI's Frontiers summer program has been going strong for 27 years!! This years program kicked off on Sunday and we welcomed over 180 students to campus from around the US and from around the globe. The program continues to expand each year, with this year being the biggest program yet. Last year we added a second session specifically for our Robotics Engineering students. As you might imagine that program filled quickly and we are expecting another great group of students for that program in 10 days.

I had the chance to meet some of the students and many of the family members during move in day on Sunday. I realize for some families this may be a stressful couple of weeks as their son or daughter is away from home for the first name ever...and still others may be enjoying the quiet:)
Overall I can assure you the students are having a great time in and out of the classroom. We have some great activities planned over the coming days and will get to know many of them a bit better as they may choose to schedule an interview with our office over the next few days.

Looking forward to Session II...

Ed

Summer break and new rankings

The summer break is flying by...almost 2 months since classes ended and new students will be arriving on campus in just over 6 weeks. Visitors to campus have been increasing day by day and July and August always prove to be a couple of our busiest months of the year.

If you are planning a visit to campus consider one of our academic visit days later in July and early August. They are a great way to learn more about the undergraduate programs and opportunities on campus.

Also keep an eye out on the WPI website for more news about our latest ranking...#14 in the country for return on investment. The ranking looked at the return on investment of graduates over the past 30 years and it came as no surprise that WPI shined. Check our the Business Week article for more details. (Also check out the tables for more complete rankings.)

Hope to see you on campus this summer...

Ed

Time Flies

Wow I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since my last post. April is a traditionally busy month in the admissions world and things typically quiet down a bit in May...but not this year!!

While the office was fairly quiet in May, my family and I moved at the end of the month. We'd been in the same place for 8 years and it is amazing how much stuff one can gather it 8 years!!

So what else happened at WPI since my last post? Here's a top ten list of sorts....in no particular order:)

We held two very popular Closer Look Programs for Admitted Students

Our 2010 Commencement which included Curt Schilling as the Commencement Speaker

The ground breaking for WPI's new Sports and Recreation Center

The release of WPI's new Admissions Video...look for it on the web soon!!

The 2010 Reunion at WPI...taking place this weekend

The WPI academic plan celebrates its 40th year!

New project sites in Japan and Santa Fe, NM offered for the 2010/11 academic year

We welcomed a group of Russian university officials to campus interested in learning more about the unique nature of WPI's programs

WPI won the Worcester Cup for the second straight year. It recognizes the college athletic program in Worcester with the highest winning percentage over the entire year.

The May 1st enrollment deadline passed and we saw over 900 students choose to enroll at WPI as part of the Class of 2014!! (We expect an incoming class in the upper 800s come August.)

That's all for now....I promise to be back soon!!

Ed