Time For "Prospie Season"

It’s getting to be time for something I like to call “prospie season.” As college application deadlines approach, a steady stream of high school seniors interested in running at Vassar are going to be visiting campus and meeting the team. Some of them might even be lucky enough to spend a night with one of us, and get to sit in on a couple classes. I didn’t take part in this experience when I was a high school senior, instead, I waited until I had been accepted to schools to visit with cross-country coaches, and I never met any of my future teammates before I arrived on campus in the fall of 2006. That said, I’ve seen a lot of prospies visit practice, tour the facilities, and waste a couple hours in the library at night, and even hosted a couple of them. I’d like to offer a bit of advice to any prospies out there who are thinking about visiting Vassar (or any other school) as a potential runner.

#1) If you’re going to come, don’t come empty-handed. Bring some homework, or at least a book. Vassar isn’t an easy school, and yes, we do a good amount of homework. So if you’re going to be staying with one of us, we’re probably going to have to spend a couple hours doing work. Since a good amount of the team congregates at the library at night, it’s likely you’ll go there, partially so your host can get some work done, and partially so you can meet some other runners. One of my prospies went to the bookstore, bought a copy of Machiavelli’s “The Prince,” and read it cover to cover. He ended up coming to Vassar, is now on the team, and is nicknamed “The Prince,” for obvious reasons.

#2) Be social with the team and ask them questions. We don’t know what you’re making your college decision based on, but we can probably answer your questions about your potential Vassar life better than a student who works in Admissions can. Your life is going to be more structured than most Vassar students, with practices and classes, and you’re going to spend a significant amount of time around us. We can offer perspective on both athletics and academics. Finally, we know it’s intimidating to be around a bunch of people you don’t know at a place you don’t know, but at the same time, we’re judging you as a potential teammate, and you have a golden opportunity to make a great first impression. There are some prospies who stand out in my mind for being particularly pleasant; they didn’t even decide to come here, and I still remember their visit fairly well.

#3) Don’t ask to sleep in our bed. This is probably the best way to irk your host, and I’ve heard of it happening multiple times in the last few years. Your host may even take the floor and let you have the bed, but it’s not going to score any points.

#4) (optional) Bring us a present. I once had a prospie who brought me a huge cookie he bought at Grand Central on his way to Vassar. Nothing says “thanks” like a huge cookie.