Alex Nathanson, Features Editor
As the process of Senior I.S. comes to its annual end, the final segment of the academic year has arrived, and with it comes the preparation for next year. While there are many signifiers that the end of the year brings with it, including the return to outdoor activities and performances, any attentive member of the College community will notice the influx of tours and prospective students. For many students, these events appear to simply sprout up over the weekend with no explanation before just as quietly disappearing again, but how much work goes into arranging these receptions?
According to Sarah Ozar, Associate Director of Admissions, the workflow for the Admissions staff comes in annual cycles, with April being one of the busiest months of the year. At this time of year, not only are many high school seniors preparing to make their official commitments by the daunting May 1 deadline, but juniors are beginning their searches as well. Each weekend with an event for prospective students sees an average of 100 prospective students.
Sarah explained that the experience is similar from year to year, yet the ever-changing student body keeps her engaged, “I think what’s cool about it is that even though we know what to expect calendar-wise, it’s really fun to get to know each family and each student every year.” Brian Luck, another Associate Director, corroborated this statement, mentioning that reaching out to students and counselors from a plethora of states and backgrounds during the fall season ended up being his favorite part of his first year working in Admissions. “The students that are the most memorable to me are the ones whose interests I remember – I’ve met them multiple times, I’ve met their families and we have a relationship now and I can be like ‘Oh, did you enjoy this class you went to?’ and ‘you’re in your high school play and I remember what it was, how is that going?’ and not just seeing them as a number, but real people who could really thrive at Wooster.”
These get-togethers for admitted and prospective students are the result of collaboration between hundreds of people: Admissions staff – both faculty and student employees, student volunteers, departmental staff who let high schoolers sit in on their classes, caterers and members of specific student organizations to name a few. The broad range of interests represented at Wooster is put on display at the Academic and Resource Fair hosted in the mornings of these day-long events and their focus on interdepartmental collaboration showcases how much outreach is involved across campus.
Another key point of the year for Admissions is the October-November period, when many initial applications are submitted. “I always love reading the applications,” said Sarah. “The things that these students are doing are so impressive – academically of course, but also in their community and the excitement they have for college. I always feel very hopeful when we start reading every year.” Coupled with tours for early action students and visits to schools and students across the country, Sarah mentioned that this was another busy time of the year for Admissions.
The final event for admitted students takes place this weekend with an estimated number of over 200 students. Being many students’ last opportunity to visit campus before they make their decision, the Admissions office is in full swing for the season, ready to welcome another generation of Fighting Scots.
The Wooster Voice 