Rebecca Dixon, associate provost for university enrollment, said she was “praying to the gods of rain” for good weather this weekend.

The gods weren’t listening, but at least the rain held off until evening.

And about 700 prospective students and their parents who arrived at Northwestern for the annual Day at NU got to experience a little bit of the unpredictable Chicago weather.

Students and parents spent most of Sunday at Norris University Center in information sessions. Prospies could then spend the night with current NU students and attend classes today.

“It’s the time students have to decide if their image of Northwestern is the same as the reality,” Dixon said. “They might have been reading our literature for a year or more but now is really when they find things out.”

Brendon Desroches, a prospie who also is considering Brown University and Boston University, said he finds NU’s campus size appealing.

“Northwestern is bigger than most other campuses,” said Desroches, who hails from Cranston, R.I. “The buildings are well-packaged, and everything is so close to the lake.”

Desroches’s father, Donald, said he was impressed with the cleanliness of the campus and the attitudes of the students.

“All the students have been so honest about everything,” he said.

Prospies toured the campus Sunday and attended financial aid sessions and academic forums hosted by each of NU’s six undergraduate schools.

Prospies expressed varying concerns about coming to NU — from the social atmosphere to Greek life to finances.

Erik Kersten, who was accepted to the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said he was impressed with the balance of fun and academics at NU.

“Northwestern’s engineering program is a lot better than most schools,” said Kersten, who is from a suburb of Milwaukee. “And I’m looking for a campus where everyone’s interactive. Northwestern has the best of both worlds.”

Prospective student Lauren Hayes said she also was impressed by the social atmosphere of the school.

“I’ve seen that people can have fun at Northwestern,” she said. “At some other schools, students just lock themselves in their rooms and study all the time.”

Many students from Greek houses also helped out with Day at NU and answered questions about Greek life.

“I like how the Greek groups aren’t as separated from the other students, something I’ve noticed at a lot of other schools,” said Becky Lehotzky, a prospective student from Perry, Mich.

Lehotzky’s parents said they were impressed with the university but are a little worried about the financial implications.

“The government says we can afford it, so I’m going to let them figure out our budget,” said her mother, Becky.