Must support Owl Days and Admit Days for strong student enrollment

By Ashley Pelton     3/20/13 7:00pm

 

Once again, April has approached us from out of nowhere. In the upcoming days and weeks, Rice students will experience some of the best times during Beer Bike and some of the worst times during finals and sad goodbyes at the end of the semester. In the chaos of all these events, it is important to remember the reason many of us chose to attend this university. In addition to bringing the end of classes, April is widely known for the Office of Admission's most exciting events of the year: Owl Days and Admit Days. 

Let it not be mistaken that there is no time more cheerful and sensational than when accepted students come to campus to visit. When April arrives, the university will shift into heavy recruitment gear, and the tables will finally turn for some lucky applicants. Rice students play an unbelievably significant role in wooing prospective students to matriculate here. Without students' willingness to volunteer, host prospective students overnight, and show genuine friendliness during Owl Days and Admit Days, accepted students and their parents will not have a fully memorable and valuable experience during their campus visits. 

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In an attempt to increase students' length and quality of exposure to the university, the Office of Admission has extended Owl Days to two nights this year. The yield rate from Owl Days has always been very high, and with these new improvements, it will hopefully be even higher. Not only will it alleviate congestion during the check-in process that was traditionally on Thursday morning, but it will also help prospies become acclimated to the campus the night before all of the major programming begins. After they check in on Wednesday night, visiting students will have the opportunity to meet their peers and attend activities planned by the Student Admission Council and other organizations. 

Previously, prospies would meet their hosts after a long, somewhat socially awkward day of programming on Thursday. This year, however, hosts will greet them as they arrive Wednesday afternoon. The extension of Owl Days provides current students with a greater opportunity to share Rice traditions and their day-to-day life with the prospies they are hosting. For some hosts, it may mean taking their prospies to the organizations they are involved in and eating meals with them in the servery, and for others, it may even involve taking them to their favorite spots off campus. What has always made staying overnight so special are the personal connections and interactions between hosts and their prospective students. For prospies, these holistic visits set staying overnight apart from just visiting for the day. 

However, many accepted students will still choose to attend the Admit Days programs. It is our duty to help them have just as impactful and memorable experiences during their visits as those who attend Owl Days. Rice students must offer an extra helping hand to students who attend these day events. Often, it is difficult for prospies to get a true feel for the university during this short period of time. Whereas students visiting during Owl Days will now have almost three days on campus, most visiting for Admit Days will still only have one. They deserve to walk away from Admit Days with just as wonderful memories as they might from attending Owl Days. 

Even more critical to the success of Owl Days and Admit Days are the students who volunteer to help with the logistics. Though the Student Admission Council and Office of Admission have been planning for these events since last summer, these events would still not be possible without the work of the volunteers. From the time students check in until the moment they leave, countless volunteers are working to make everything run as smoothly as possible. Whether they are escorting students and their parents to different locations on campus, speaking on panels or even riding the shuttle bus around the loop 25 times, all of those who offer even just one hour of their time to the Office of Admission are playing a key role in the recruitment process. 

Feedback from prospective students and their families has consistently shown that even very small interactions and experiences can have a positive or negative influence on their recollection of the university. Give back to prospective students what alumni once gave to you. Show them your love and passion for all facets of the Rice experience. Show them what it really means to be an Owl. 

Ashley Pelton is a Wiess College junior. 

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