facebook icon facebook icon facebook icon
  • About
  • ADS
  • Masthead
    • Editorial Board
  • Submission
  • Subscribe
The Wellesley News -
  • News
    • Contract ratified by Wellesley’s Maintenance and Service Employees Union
      Contract ratified by Wellesley’s Maintenance and Service Employees Union
    • News in Brief
      News in Brief
    • Wellesley adapts to end of race conscious admissions
      Wellesley adapts to end of race conscious admissions
    • Senate Report
    • News in Brief
  • Features
    • Professor Spotlight: Dr. Faisal Ahmed
      Professor Spotlight: Dr. Faisal Ahmed
    • Spotlight: New Professor Kathryn Winner
      Spotlight: New Professor Kathryn Winner
    • Spotlight: New Professor Lucia Nhamo ’11
      Spotlight: New Professor Lucia Nhamo ’11
    • Humans of Wellesley
    • Archives
  • Opinions
    • France’s Abaya Ban Unveils Its Own Misogyny
      France’s Abaya Ban Unveils Its Own Misogyny
    • Editorial: In defense of affirmative action
      Editorial: In defense of affirmative action
    • I am an NCAA champion: we should end college recruiting
      I am an NCAA champion: we should end college recruiting
    • Editorials
    • Letters to Editors
  • Arts
    • The SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes: What’s happening in Hollywood?
      The SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes: What’s happening in Hollywood?
    • Digging into Hozier’s Unreal Unearth: “De Selby (Part 1)” and the Population of Loss
      Digging into Hozier’s Unreal Unearth: “De Selby (Part 1)” and the Population of Loss
    • Summer Releases to Help Usher in Fall
      Summer Releases to Help Usher in Fall
  • Sports
    • Gauff and Richardson Shatter Expectations
      Gauff and Richardson Shatter Expectations
    • Student Athlete of the Month: Kennedy Mayo
      Student Athlete of the Month: Kennedy Mayo
    • No image
      What even is a BORG and why does it matter?
  • Multimedia
    • Photo of the Week
      Photo of the Week
    • “Stronger Together” Rally with Chelsea Clinton
      “Stronger Together” Rally with Chelsea Clinton
    • College Government Vice President 2016 End of the Year Report
      College Government Vice President 2016 End of the Year Report
    • Podcasts
    • The Wellesley Snooze
  • Projects
      • The News in Conversation
    • About
      • Contact
      • Join the News
      • Masthead
      • Editorial Board
    By Mary Meisenzahl News, News and FeaturesApril 13, 2016

    Spring Open Campus attracts a record number of prospective students

    Spring Open Campus 2016 brought over 700 prospective students to campus for the two-day event Photo courtesy of imfirst.org

    Spring Open Campus (SOC), Wellesley’s yearly event when admitted students are invited to visit Wellesley, stay overnight and get a feeling of the campus, is known for its tremendous influx of prospective students. Typically, between 300 and 500 prospective students attend SOC. According to Lauren K. Dennis, Associate Director of Admissions, this year had between 700 and 800 prospective students.

    “This year we’ve had a very strong response and it  looks like this will be among the top five largest Spring Open Campus events in Wellesley history,” Dennis said, noting that this includes students from 40 states, as well as international students.

    To meet the need of this historically sized event, the Admissions Office has continued to rely on student volunteers. According to Dennis, over 350 students are volunteering in some capacity with this event, with roles including “airport greeter, lunch buddy, registration support, overnight hostess” and more. Some students are taking on even larger roles: Emily Carey ’19 and her roommates will be hosting three prospective students in their triple.

    Many admissions volunteers are involved beyond just SOC in other recruiting events throughout the year. These events, which also rely on student volunteers in order to run properly, include a lunch visit program throughout the fall semester and overnight programs in fall and April.

    “We rely heavily on word of mouth and spam around campus, and there are a number of students organizations that help us to recruit volunteers to help with admission events,” Dennis said. She mentioned that all April events have had higher than usual attendance.

    “Just last week we had about 80 people show up for our very first information session, which is about double what we usually see in early April for a presentation,” Dennis said.

    The class of 2020 received more applications than any previous Wellesley class, numbering 4,888 applications. The admissions rate was 28 percent. For comparison, the admissions rates for the classes of 2018 and 2019 were 30 percent each.

    Dennis mentioned that student applicants often cite a positive experience with a current Wellesley student as a reason for applying.

    “I do feel like I am influencing students’ choices. My goal is to show them how great Wellesley is and, from what I have heard from the prospies I have hosted, they are definitely applying, if not attending Wellesley in the upcoming years,” Carey said.

    “Getting to spend time with […] bright, fun, enthusiastic students is usually the most powerful tool we have for helping prospies to appreciate what Wellesley is all about,” Dennis continued.

    “It’s really welcoming and accessible and it makes Wellesley easy to navigate,” said Amy Hai Li, a prospective student. She mentioned that she knew when she applied to Wellesley that she liked it, but she had never visited before, so SOC was her chance to find Wellesley’s “soul.”

    When prospective students consistently demonstrate the importance of dedicated student volunteers in their choice to apply and enroll, the Admissions Office has an incentive to seek out this type of volunteer.

    Many volunteers with the Admissions office share this mentality and are eager to talk about their own Wellesley experience.

    “When I went on my first tour of Wellesley, my tour guide was so enthusiastic and she was the main reason I became interested in attending Wellesley. Ever since coming here, I have wanted to have that same influence on prospective students and hosting them gives me this opportunity. I love Wellesley and being able to share my passion for it to others is so rewarding,” Carey said.

    Photo courtesy of imfirst.org

    Share on

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Google +
    • LinkedIn
    • Email
    Previous articleAsk Me Anything campaign fosters mental health dialogue
    Next articleWellesley student discovers new angle from which to Instagram Tower

    You may also like

    Contract ratified by Wellesley’s Maintenance and Service Employees Union

    News in Brief

    Wellesley adapts to end of race conscious admissions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    The Wellesley News

      SECTIONS

    • News
    • Features
    • Opinions
    • Arts
    • Sports
    • Multimedia
    • Projects
    • About

      ABOUT

    • Contact
    • Join the News
    • Masthead
    • Editorial Board

      RESOURCES

    • Advertising
    • Submission
    • Subscribe

      CONTACT US

    • Contact
    COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS