By ARJUN MEHTA Apr. 20, 2018

Liz Harper ’21 spent yesterday gearing up for the weekend by ordering a half-dozen ‘prospies’ on Amazon Prime. After the Class of 2022’s Open House, a weekend designed to give admitted students a glimpse into the lives of first-years without revealing too much about the Bowdoin experience, Harper was not sure how she could ever fill another weekend.

Harper, whose Prime Student free trial expires next week, enjoyed the Open House enough to actually request more prospies through the online marketplace. “The 2-day shipping really comes in handy— like, now I know they’ll definitely get here in time! I’m really getting the most out of this free-trial before it expires!”

Free shipping – and the fact that Amazon does not pay taxes – keep the price of individual prospective students low, Harper says. “Honestly, prospies are super affordable. That’s why I bought them in bulk; it’s simple economics.”

Harper, an only child, recalls begging her parents to get her pets when she was younger. That never happened, so she is excitedly awaiting the arrival of her order to fill an emotional void. “I wasn’t sure about it at first,” she admitted. “I mean, prospies ask so many questions, so it can be draining. But when I read ‘Only 6 left in stock – order soon’ I just had to get ‘em.”

When asked where she would store the six life-size prospies, Harper struggled to respond. “I guess they are pretty big, huh? Like normal people size,” she offered. “After I unpack them and walk them I’m sure they’ll be pretty tired. One review said I can just let them sleep on the floor with no pillows or anything, so I’m not too worried.”

Harper said she looks forward to training her prospies and added that she will leave food out for them if they get hungry. “The six of them will love it in our clean, spacious common room! And if they don’t, they’ll be gone within thirty-six hours so it’s really fine.”