STONY BROOK – Students newly admitted into Stony Brook University’s Educational Opportunity Program gained valuable insight about college life from an online chat on Monday night.

The annual EOP Admitted Student Chat is hosted by the Admissions Office to allow prospective students a chance to learn about what they can expect if they were to choose Stony Brook as their college. One of the best features is that new students can speak with current students who share their experiences firsthand.

“You can provide the students with a real perspective,” Kelly Bollhofer, the EOP Admissions Assistant Director, told the volunteers.

Bollhofer and EOP Coordinator Michelle Curtis-Bailey teamed together with current EOP students to greet the newcomers on the chat. Though it was a student led chat, they were there to provide more technical information about the university that the regular students may not know.

As expected, the chat was filled with a constant stream of questions about the upcoming EOP pre-freshman summer program.

The summer program happens every summer for admitted EOP students. In order to be guaranteed a full spot for the fall semester the students will have a to take and pass four classes, earning them a maximum of six credits.

“Why can’t we bring cell phones?”

That question constantly echoed throughout the chat, with students genuinely perplexed by EOP’s stringent summer program rule.

The purpose of the ban is to keep students focused on their work, with minimal distractions present. Most students cannot fathom the idea of being without their phones, but EOP students had to endure that for the full 5 week program.

Aside from inquiring about the lack of cell phones, students wanted to know if the pre-freshman summer program truly helped.

“I have benefitted from the Summer Academy because it allowed me to acclimate to the university before the semester started,” said Isaiah Mann, a current EOP freshman student. “If it wasn’t for EOP, I would have had a pretty bad first year.”

This years rigorous program will run from July 8th to August 11th.