After spending hours in the catacombs of White-Gravenor Hall over the past four years, typing away mindlessly in the data entry room of Undergraduate Admissions, I have developed a wholehearted respect for the behind-the-scenes work that goes into the selection and recruitment of each year’s first-year class.
In addition to Blue and Gray’s daily tours, high school visits by admissions officers and an alumni interviewing network that includes 4,500 individuals in over 70 countries, there are also 555 students on campus who strive to offer pre-frosh a realistic image of life at Georgetown through the Georgetown Admissions Ambassador Program. The second 2005 weekend begins tomorrow.
While GAAP brought overnight stays back last year, they remain separate from the open houses, unlike at other universities. According to GAAP Co-President Caroline Mock (CAS ‘05), the University does not want to be responsible for “liability issues” associated with weekend stays. Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Charles Deacon argued that the overnights are not necessary because the purpose is to introduce students to the academic and extracurricular, not necessarily the social experience here.
However, the success of the two-day program held once in February and three times in April is apparent by the yield rate, higher than in any previous year. According to Admissions Officer and co-GAAP advisor Rey Santos, of the third of accepted students who attended a GAAP open house last year, 73 percent ultimately chose Georgetown. Students have the opportunity to attend classes and faculty lectures, meet the deans of each school and even tour the Medical Center.
Deacon agreed that these weekends provide the best way to expose the largest number of students to Georgetown.
“GAAP weekends, probably more than any other activity, sway the undecided students,” he said.
Visitors attend a convocation in Gaston Hall, where campus notables like Government professor Tony Arend and College Assistant Dean Ryan Maher share their Georgetown roles and anecdotes.
“The most important thing that ties students into the day is Convocation, which encompasses all aspects of being part of the Georgetown community,” Santos said. “It seems to hit a string with the parents to really get a feel for Georgetown.”
Visiting parents convene at a session moderated by representatives from Housing Services and University Information Services, as well as Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson and Center for Minority Educational Affairs Director Dennis Williams. They ask the questions they were likely hesitant to broach in the presence of their soon to be collegiate children.
Classes and clubs are important, but so are parties and plays. No pre-frosh can gain a truly well rounded understanding of the real Georgetown unless he or she is permitted to see all sides. We do a good job of bringing parents into the process; let’s make sure our potential new students don’t miss out on anything either.
