What Goes Into A Campus Visit?

As December dawns, we find ourselves right in the heart of the admission season — still very much in the throes of interviewing prospective students, but with more and more application materials arriving daily. Since September we have welcomed over 500 families to campus, and look forward to hosting several hundred more before the application deadline in mid-January. A busy day in the Admissions Office brings as many as 24 families for a two-hour visit. A typical visit consists of a tour with two student guides, one for the student and one for the parents, and an interview with an admissions officer. For the admissions team, a campus visit is both what we do the most, and the most important thing we do. It is our first and perhaps only chance to show families what makes the Westminster School community special as we begin to build a relationship with prospective students and their families.

 

The planning for each visit begins long before a family arrives on campus. We understand that each visit is unique and special to each family. When a family calls to book an appointment, we ask about the prospective student’s interests so we can try to speak to those during the visit. When possible we tailor the tour guides to a certain focus or use guides from the same hometown or school. We also might schedule a faculty member to drop by and talk about activities a student is passionate about. This could be Mark de Kanter coming in to speak to a budding scientist about AP biology, A-men Rasheed stopping by to see a young thespian or Kelly Boudreau visiting with a girl who has dedicated countless hours to her soccer career. Each night, Siobhan Ulrich sends a list of visitors for the coming day to the entire community. This allows a current student to greet a friend from their old school, a faculty member to identify the younger sibling of a former advisee, or a program director to quickly connect with a student who has reached out for more information.

 

Westminster is one of the few schools that sends prospective students and parents on tour with separate tour guides. We feel that this allows students and parents to have their own distinct experience during tours. Parents can ask questions they might not ask with their children present: “Do you ever get homesick?” “How often do you call home?” etc.; and prospective students are able to connect with current students independently. This would not be possible without the help of more than 250 guides — more than half the school — who are coordinated by Whitney Powel ’11.

 

After the tour ends, we begin the interview with the prospective student. The goal of the interview is truly just to have a conversation. Some students open right up, others take some work. For those who are more reticent, we search for something they are comfortable talking about and build from there, once the student feels more at ease. In speaking with parents, we hope to learn a bit more about their child, and their hopes for their child were he or she to attend Westminster.  We also serve as a resource for parents, answering any remaining questions about the school, the admission process and financial aid.  

 

Over the course of the admissions process, we invite families back to campus to watch games, see Dramat performances and participate in admissions events. Additionally, the admissions team stays in touch with prospective students and families in a variety of ways long after they have visited campus.

 

As you can see, a lot goes into each visit to Westminster’s campus. We think that our office is a busy, warm and fun place to be. We love what we do, and we love introducing Westminster to the next generation of students and families. One of the best parts of what we do is the unknown. When a prospective student walks in our door, we do not usually know much about the student, and the possibilities are limitless. In the potential of the unknown and realization of the possibilities lies the joy in our work.