By Nalee Praseutsack
The Lawrence University Admissions staff and students brought more than 100 admitted students from 20 states across the country and overseas to Lawrence for Admitted Students Day on Monday, April 13. These prospective students arrived on Sunday evening for some scavenger hunt fun and an overnight stay, before embarking on a packed schedule with classes, presentations and campus tours.
Admitted Students Day is one of the biggest events of the year for Admissions and serious preparations have been in full swing since January. Many different groups of current students are involved in the process, including student workers at Admissions, tour guides, overnight hosts and scavenger hunt group leaders. It was no ordinary task coordinating such a large group.
“The hardest part for me was to find enough overnight hosts with interests that match those of our prospective students,” said Admissions Counselor Gaelyn Rose. “But we always manage to make it happen; our student supervisors have been doing an incredible job matching the students up and always [ensuring] that the admitted students are safe and happy.”
However difficult the job is, Rose believes in maintaining the personal touch throughout the admission process—from the start of the application to even beyond matriculation.
“Our staff is well equipped to reach out to prospective students on a very personal level […] with many calls, emails and notecards that we send out when they are still considering Lawrence,” said Rose. “I am sure current students know this very well.”
Junior and Admissions Intern Xue Yan was excited to share her thoughts after a couple of years working at the office.
“One of the best part of the job for me is to see that the students can benefit from my work,” said Yan. “It is a long process helping students at different stages of their applications […] but the most exciting thing is to finally see [them] coming in, having fun and be happy on campus.”
This focus on personal interactions appears to be effective in making prospective students feel welcomed at Lawrence. Freshman Emma Arnesen, a regular overnight host to prospective students, shared her reason to choose Lawrence.
“I chose Lawrence, actually, after staying with a host,” said Arnesen. “I know I was interested in tennis so I was able to stay with someone on the team. Getting to know my host better and seeing more of the campus from an actual student’s point of view was helpful.”
Beyond a glimpse into a day in the life of a Lawrentian going between classes and activities, Admitted Students Day programs also allowed prospective students to have fun bonding with peers who could be their classmates in the coming year. The scavenger hunt was on a more light-hearted note, encouraging prospective students to explore the campus themselves with some current Lawrentians as group leaders. Meanwhile, there were also programs intended for parents, such as the Freshman Studies Mini Session.
As the May 1 deadline for admitted students draws near, the Admissions staff and Lawrentians in general are certainly excited for the incoming Class of 2019. For now, Admissions is rebooting and gearing up for another Admitted Students Day on April 26, promising a lot of excitement in store for prospective and current Lawrentians alike.