As the final months of the school year come and go, seniors are preparing for their next steps beyond the Academy in the form of college. Although some have already committed and decided where they will spend the next four years of their lives, many haven’t. With all of our decisions finally in our hands, it’s now time for us to make one of the most important decisions thus far.
But… how?
What many seniors will do is tour the colleges they’ve been accepted to and are interested in attending to get a feel for the campus and its environment. But what if you want a bit more information?
For one day a year, many colleges will host their version of an admitted student day, giving these students a chance to gain as much information as they need to make an informed decision about their future. Beyond just a campus tour, many of these admitted student days also host housing tours, presentations, open houses, and booths on a wide variety of topics and subjects.
Madison Lising ‘24 recently attended UC Santa Cruz’s Admissions Day, and she agreed on the importance of visiting the campus of a potential college: “I loved getting to be on the campus, seeing the different residential colleges, and looking at their facilities. It seems like they have a lot of activities around campus and a lot of cool things to do like martial arts, kayaking, and more. It definitely made me want to go to UCSC, so I think I am going to commit soon. I think that it was worth going up north because it really makes a difference being on the actual campus and seeing the area around the school. I would recommend going to an admitted day or just touring colleges so you can get a sense of the life on campus.”
Another person who had a positive experience at an admitted student day is Makayla Palos Rodriguez ‘24 at NYU: “I had a really awesome experience at the NYU Admitted Student Day I attended recently! I think it was a great way to not only experience the campus and lifestyle of the university but also to meet and talk to current and future students! Personally, I’d really recommend anyone who is highly considering attending a college to go to one of these types of events if you can!”
I also find admit days to be extremely useful. This past weekend, I attended UCLA’s Bruin Day, their version of an admitted student day. I was almost certain that I would commit to UCLA, but I wanted to visit campus first before I sent in my deposit.
Overall, it was an incredible experience. Not only was I able to fully explore campus, but I was able to tour what a potential dorm would look like, talk to a possible future advisor for my major, and simply meet and discover all of the amazing opportunities on campus. My only gripe with UCLA’s Bruin Day was how crowded it was and how there were so many events, yet so many people, that it became overwhelming very fast.
For any junior reading, or anyone who is still in the college process, I would highly recommend going to an admitted student day after being accepted. The opportunities and activities are plentiful, and the ability to learn as much as one needs to before committing is something to take advantage of. However, if I were to give any other advice, I would also say to tour the campus either before or after an admitted student day, especially if it is a large campus with a large student population.
Admitted student days can be a great way to figure out where you want to go, so I would take advantage of them when you can!
