Prefrosh preview JHU life - Hosts give prospective students the facts of Hopkins experience

"See, the word 'prefrosh' comes from 'pre' meaning 'before' and 'frosh' being an abbreviation for 'freshmen'" said sophomore Dan Paulson.

That's right, we've all seen them ? the students walking around campus in awe, followed by parents and a younger sibling or two. It seems like they're everywhere ? in classes, in your friend's dorm room and in the bookstore with their parents buying them sweatshirts that you're too broke to afford. The prefrosh, the young, tender minds who have yet to experience what college is really like. But thanks to Hopkins Hosting Society, they'll have a chance to see a few sides of student life at Johns Hopkins by staying overnight with a Hopkins student.

So what is the experience of hosting a prefrosh like? What do they do? Where do they eat? And what is against the rules? The process begins when the prefrosh calls and makes an appointment via voice mail, at 410-516-2379, or e-mail, athhs@jhu.edu , to confirm their stay. Then, Hopkins Hosting Society finds them a host of the same gender.

Sophomore Scott Spencer, a coordinator for Hopkins Hosting Society said, "If we're feeling ambitious, and it's possible, we'll try to put them with someone of the same major or extracurricular interests. But usually it's just someone of the same sex."

When the prefrosh arrives, the student host comes to pick them up and is then responsible for them until the next day. Hopkins Hosting Society rarely sets up organized activities for the prefrosh (except for very large groups, for which they organize movies, ice cream or pizza,) but they do encourage them to take a tour and have an interview, as well as attend any classes or events they may be interested in.

What do coordinators suggest the hosts do with their prefrosh? Pretty much anything, as long as it isn't against University policy. One of the Head Coordinators, senior Mollie Barnes, said, "The program obviously reflects on the Admissions Office and ultimately the school, so we want for our prefrosh to have a good time, but we also want for it to be realistic. All of the hosts are freshmen and sophomores, and we know and expect that they are busy with extras and class and homework. We want for the prefrosh to see what a typical student can do on and off campus."

Barnes also added, "Since the prefrosh is most definitely underage, they are not allowed to be brought to any frat parties, clubs or bars. The host must know where the prefrosh is at all times and the host also must make sure the prefrosh knows where the host is, if they have to leave them with someone else. We do not host on Friday and Saturday nights to avoid the risks of prefrosh ending up at parties, but all of our hosts have done a great job at keeping the prospective students safe and happy."

Sophomore Andy Lamperski, a coordinator for Hopkins Hosting Society, said, "The idea isn't for us to do special stuff with them, but more to just give them a place to stay and show them what Hopkins is really like. If the hosts have work to do, we tell them to get it done and do what they usually do because we want the hosting experience to be an accurate depiction to the prefrosh and don't want it to be intrusive to the host."

Once the prefrosh is here, his host can take them to classes, to eat and to any meetings or events they might have. Some, like Lamperski, like to make their prefrosh feel extra-special.

"We like to give our prefrosh new names," said Lamperski. "Like 'J-Money,' 'Jazzy J' and 'Easy A.' And this one time we called this one kid Jonathan even though his name was Peter."

Freshman Morgan MacDonald said, "I took my prefrosh out and put up 150 fliers for the 'Live from Death Row' forum that ACLU, the NAACP, Amnesty International and the Campaign to End the Death Penalty were putting on, because that's what I had to do that night. He told me that it was interesting and that he learned a lot about progressive clubs at Hopkins. Then we went to sleep."

Sophomore Sarah Berkson said, "I took them to MSE Symposium lectures, classes and to eat. I don't think any of them ever came here, though, so I guess I did a good job."

Hosts are required to abide by University policy, so anything off-limits to the Johns Hopkins students is off-limits to the prefrosh. Spencer said, "We don't want you to get the prefrosh trashed and give them back to their parents with a hangover."

However, some ignore that rule and show the prefrosh all sides of Johns Hopkins life. An anonymous sophomore said, "We got him drunk and stoned and then he almost missed his engineering meeting."

What are the benefits of the prefrosh experience to students who are still deciding where to apply or matriculate? Sophomore Helena Orbach, a coordinator, said, "I did not have a prefrosh experience myself - at least not at Hopkins. I did have a prefrosh experience at other Universities before I chose Hopkins. Staying overnight gave me a greater perception of the school and its atmosphere. It's important that the prefrosh see if Hopkins is right for him or her. Staying overnight can sometimes sway decisions either way... but no matter what, the prefrosh will feel better about the decision they made."

Everyone has a funny prefrosh story to tell, and prefrosh experiences range from the mundane to the ridiculous. Lamperski said, "One guy slept on our floor for five days. He just wouldn't leave."

Freshman Jared Hierman said, "I came as a prefrosh twice. One time we walked around the dorms and wrote stuff on peoples' doors. The other time I had a broken leg so we didn't really do too much. It was also a Wednesday."

Does hosting a prefrosh sound interesting to you? If you want your own funny prefrosh stories to tell, you're in luck. Spencer said, "We need more hosts! A whole lot more hosts! This semester we're only hosting for five days in April, with 50 kids coming on each of those days."

If you would like to host a prefrosh, you can e-mail Hopkins Hosting Society at hopkinshostingsociety@yahoo.com or stop by the admissions office in Garland Hall to fill out a contact form.