It’s April, and seniors are thinking about where they’ll go to college. Early decision I and II students have known where they’re headed as early as December. Students who were awaiting regular decision schools may have already committed by now. However, there are students who still have to decide where to go.
Colleges offer admitted student days to help students get a feel for life at their university. Senior Toby Subiela is still deciding whether to attend the University of Maryland at College Park or the University of Virginia. “I attended UMD Admitted Student Open House on March 10 and plan to attend UVA’s Days on the Lawn on April 11,” Subiela said.
Admitted student days often have creative names based on their mascots that promote school spirit in an effort to attract new students. The University of Georgia Bulldogs offer Dawg Days, the Rice University Owls offer Owl Days, and Vanderbilt University, whose rallying cry is “Anchor Down,” hosts Anchor Days.
Admitted student day schedules can range from a couple hours to an entire day and vary in content by school. Senior Ashi Stanislaus attended both the University of California, Santa Barbara Admitted Student Presentation and Guided Tour and the University of Pittsburgh Admitted Student Day. Stanislaus said, “For Pitt, we got there and we were given a presentation about what Pitt offered and then we got to listen to professors from different departments for the College of Letters and Sciences talk about the different types of classes and expectations and what they teach. They got to ask questions and we interacted with them and I got to talk to other students. Then, we went on a guided tour and an activities fair and got to talk to new people. And for UCSB, it was kind of similar. It was like a big presentation about teaching us what the next steps are and then we went on a tour with other students.”
However, Stanislaus still hasn’t decided which school to attend. “I do have another admitted students day on April 11 for Emory University, which I’m really excited about as well. From what I know, at Emory, I’m going to be able to listen to a student panel, talk to professors, and go on a tour,” Stanislaus said.
Senior Emma Yuan is still deciding between schools, too. Yuan said, “I plan on attending a Rice University Owl Day in Houston, Texas, on April 11.”
Admitted student days may not change students’ minds about where to attend school. After attending the UMD Admitted Student Open House on Mar. 10, Yuan said, “I think the open house did not overall affect my decision too much, it just reaffirmed it. Many of the things I learned about throughout the day were mainly things that I already knew about the school. For example, different resources or activities. However, I’m still glad I went because I got to talk to some students who shared more about their personal experiences.”
Subiela had a different experience. “The admitted students day gave me a closer look into what the school truly has to offer and overall had a positive effect on my opinion of the school,” Subiela said.
With busy schedules and accumulating travel costs, students can’t go to every admitted student day. Subiela intends only to attend the UMD and UVA admitted student days. “I didn’t go to any other admitted student days because I narrowed these two schools down to my top two choices,” Subiela said.
