The well-dressed college-aged fellow stood outside of the Admission Office, smiling and greeting passers-by. If they gave him a second glance or paused, he introduced himself and offered them coffee, doughnuts and candy from the fold-out plastic table he had set up on the sidewalk.
But Sean Flanagan isn't a student - at least not at Brown, anyway.
He held an umbrella to keep himself and his display as dry as possible in last Friday's drizzle, but in spite of his best efforts, the ink on his sign - which read "Free coffee, donuts and conversation with Brown's most hopeful transfer"- had already begun to drip.
Flanagan is in his second year studying political science at Northeastern University in Boston. Though he was rejected from Brown when he originally applied for regular admission to the class of 2010, his love for the University has only grown since then. He'll learn of the University's decision in May.
"A year ago, at the end of my freshman year, I knew that I wanted to transfer," Flanagan said. "I decided to stay another year (at Northeastern) because I wanted to be a polished candidate to maximize my chances (of being accepted)."
Shortly after deciding to apply, Flanagan decided he wanted to do something creative to show his passion and commitment to Brown and make his application stand out, but he did not finalize his plans until a few weeks ago.
"I wanted to make sure that what I did was passive, hands-off and not distracting to the staff," Flanagan said. "(The coffee, food and candy) was my hook to engage people. ... As I pour their coffee, I can talk to them and tell them about me and what I'm doing."
"My record really speaks to my achievements," Flanagan said. "It wasn't so much about bringing information as interest. ... I didn't feel I needed to prove anything."
Since Northeastern's curriculum is based on a co-op program, students divide their time between semesters of classes and internships. "After the first year you lose all sense of class identity because you are going back and forth between class and co-op," Flanagan said. "I want a cohesive, 'college-y' experience."
Brown's "passionate and engaged" students, open curriculum and diversity of extracurricular activities make it preferable to the "apathetic environment" of Northeastern, Flanagan said.
This semester, Flanagan is living in Washington, D.C., to work at the Defense Intelligence Agency in an "internship-plus" through the co-op program. This weekend was his last in the United States before he leaves to spend two months working in Asia and Europe.
Though Brown is his first choice, Flanagan also applied to the University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia and Georgetown University. "All (of those schools) are a better fit than where I'm at, but nowhere is a better fit than Brown," he said.
Flanagan will be in Paris when the transfer applicant decisions come out. "I'm debating whether to check at an Internet cafe," Flanagan said. "I want to hold the letter in my hands; it will be closure."
Flanagan left his home in Weymouth, Mass., around 6 a.m. on Friday morning. He asked for directions to the nearest Dunkin' Donuts when he discovered that the Thayer Street location had closed, got the donuts and then headed to Prospect Street around 7:45 a.m.
The rain, which was heaviest in the morning, was a minor setback, but Flanagan never considered giving up. "I had come this far and I wasn't going to let a little rain get in my way," he said. "If the weather was better there would have been more foot traffic."
After speaking with a few people, Flanagan had a "breakthrough" when students working in the admission office alerted members of the staff of his presence.
Associate Director of Admission Keith Light was among those that spoke to Flanagan. "I said 'hi' and just told him to keep warm," Light said. "There's a charming aspect to his approach, but when it comes to admitting people at Brown, we look at all the application materials."
"Through my years at admissions I've seen students who have found ways to try and grab the attention of admissions officers," Light said. "Sometimes it makes the staff smile; sometimes it induces a bit of eye-rolling."
Dean of Admission Jim Miller '73 agreed that attempts to get the attention of admissions staff have little bearing on admissions decisions. "It does happen at colleges and universities across the country periodically," Miller said. "It's nice that he very much wants to come to Brown but normally actions like this don't help."
"We admire his industry but we're not crazy about his taste in doughnuts," Miller added.
Prospective students and their parents taking campus tours constituted the majority of the movement in and out of the admissions office Friday morning.
"I didn't know what it was at first. I thought it was a fundraiser," said tour guide Robert Moore '11. "I'm not sure if it will get his application attention but it will get him attention."
Vinay Parameswaran '09, another tour guide, agreed that Flanagan's approach seemed a little "bizarre" and probably would not influence his admission decision, though he added that it shows his dedication to Brown. "It was a nice surprise to see a guy with free coffee in the morning," Parameswaran said.
Of the handful of admissions staff, students and prospective students that he spoke with, most seemed positive about his approach, Flanagan said. Students applauded his creativity, he said, while the staff wanted to know more about his purpose.
"I came with low expectations, and I definitely exceeded them," Flanagan said. "I didn't have some far-fetched fantasy of Ruth Simmons coming and magically granting me admissions."
