Every year, the Admissions Office invites approximately 150 accepted students from diverse backgrounds to spend a weekend at Lehigh and learn about campus life. This year, the office will host Diversity Life Weekend from April 10-12.
D-Life weekend is used to showcase social life at Lehigh with the goal of encouraging diverse students to enroll at the university.
“If you ever speak to past D-Life attendees, they will say without a doubt their positive experience at D-Life contributed to their decision to matriculate,” said Guylendy Dormevil, ’16, a diversity intern for the Admissions Office.
Prospective students stay with current students at their on-campus residence halls or off-campus houses to experience what it is like to be a student at Lehigh.
In past years, D-Life weekend has offered a schedule of pre-planned events. This year, group leaders hope to allow prospective students the opportunity to create their own schedules. Students will choose which events to attend in their free time, while also attending certain required events like Lehigh Candidate’s Day and a Saturday afternoon barbecue.
According to Dormevil, her favorite thing about D-Life Weekend is the one-on-one interaction.
“As a past D-Life attendee myself, I love when this weekend happens every year,” she said. “I really enjoyed being on campus for a weekend and interacting with students directly. Being able to speak to various students who live the Lehigh life is such a unique experience because a student can tell you their direct experience, which differs depending on the student. That is something you definitely cannot get from an admission’s counselor.”
The students invited to D-Life come from many backgrounds.
“These students are among our brightest applicants” said Maria Asayag, the director of diversity recruitment.
Freddy Coleman, ’17, an intern for the D-Life program, said students interested in all three colleges are invited. Often, the students come from far away. These students may not have otherwise had the chance to visit Lehigh before making their final college choices.
The importance of Lehigh’s Diversity Life Weekend lies in the opportunity it gives prospective students to involve themselves in campus life. This way, high school seniors who have been accepted to Lehigh can learn about campus life, from the dorms to the dining halls to the social life. It allows students to picture themselves at Lehigh, and understand what it would be like to attend school here.
At the end of the weekend, Asayag said she often finds that students don’t want to leave.
Every year, the events and schedules are rearranged by Asayag and her team.
“We keep what works,” Asayag said.
The schedule is restructured to fit the needs and wants of prospective students, allowing for a personalized campus experience, much like actual campus living.
“Our hope is by the end of the weekend is to leave the prospective student choosing Lehigh to be the place to challenge, educate, and better them over the next four years,” Dormevil said.
Current Lehigh students are strongly encouraged to interact with the prospective students, and to talk to them openly about campus life.
Comment policy
Comments posted to The Brown and White website are reviewed by a moderator before being approved. Incendiary speech or harassing language, including comments targeted at individuals, may be deemed unacceptable and not published. Spam and other soliciting will also be declined.
The Brown and White also reserves the right to not publish entirely anonymous comments.