Telescope, a program intended to attract minorities to apply to Tufts, brought approximately 200 potential applicants to campus on Nov. 9 and 10.
Associate Director of Admissions Darryl Tiggle said that about 250 applicants pre-registered to attend Telescope, but only 210 came. Of these 210, he predicted that somewhere from 25 to 36 of the students will end up enrolled at Tufts.
On Thursday and Friday, Telescope attendees toured the cultural houses, listened to a student panel, attended classes and watched a "super show" featuring student organizations such as BlackOut and Spirit of Color.
The potential applicants were also interviewed by Tufts seniors. "The interviews determine whether [the students] have people skills," said Assistant Director of Admissions Kathleen Cho Seldow. They also give applicants "a personal and memorable experience of Tufts."
This year, for the first time, Telescope worked hand-in-hand with a new program to increase student turnout. The program, called the Synthesis program, invited high school guidance counselors to Tufts from all over the country and asked that they each bring up to five of their students with them.
"This brought about another 50 students to the program," Tiggle said. "One counselor from Washington D.C. brought 12 kids, which definitely fits with my mantra of more."
The program costs about $50,000 each year. "It's funding 200 kids on campus for two days with four meals, car service and printing Tufts literature," Tiggle said.
He said that the only direct monetary returns are the application fees the university receives from interested students who apply to Tufts. "The return on it might be a negative return," he said. "It's the cost of doing business."
Whether Telescope was successful or not is still up in the air. Victoria George, a Tufts admissions counselor, said that success can only be gauged later, when applications start coming in from Telescope attendees.
But George is already optimistic about the potential success of the program. "When it was time for them to go, they didn't want to leave. They bonded, they enjoyed themselves and their parents were appreciative," she said.
- Stephanie Sguigna
