This past weekend, high school students who received their acceptance letter from Waynesburg University got a taste of what campus life would have in store for them should they decide to come to Waynesburg. Students had this opportunity through an overnight visitation which turned into “Accepted Students Day.” The event started early Friday evening and ran through the next day.

For Admissions Counselor Kyle Digiandomenico, the event is an opportunity for students who are still undecided on where to go to college to get familiar with what they would be experiencing should they choose to go to Waynesburg.

“This day is really important because it allows students to come to campus for a day that may not have made a decision yet, or they’re maybe borderline making a decision and allow them to really see what Waynesburg has to offer,” Digiandomenico said.

After the overnight, which included a Coffeehouse later in the evening, Saturday started with the students and their families checking in and getting a brief introduction, followed by breakfast. After that, the students went to department meetings to be introduced to their potential professors, while the parents could choose between two
sessions which each had two sub sessions. In total, there were eight sessions that parents had the option to attend. They had to choose between four of them—two for each session. The options included housing, financial aid, student services and campus resources.

The sessions were followed by lunch and an opportunity to visit the on-campus dorms. Finally, for athletes, there was a session in the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse in which they had the chance to meet their potential future coaches, and non-athletes also had the chance to attend a session with community being the topic.

Digiandomenico said that Accepted Student Day was different from a regular visitation because it gave students more on an “inside look” at the university.

“So, they’re able to meet with their faculty, they’re able to create a four-year plan for their time here at Waynesburg,” he said. “So, that gives them a little bit of comfort knowing [their class schedule], and seeing ‘here’s what my four years at Waynesburg look like.’”

Despite poor weather conditions, 152 out of 172 registered families participated in the visitation. Overall, Digiandomenico was pleased with how everything turned out.

“Everything went extremely well,” he said. “There was a lot of great feedback from families, a lot of positive feedback [saying] that they just enjoyed their day, and that they were really confident now in their decision and they’re really happy.”

As for possible improvements for the future, Digiandomenico said that students and their families having more time to spend with their departments is something that could be adjusted.

“I think we did hear some families that would want to spend a little bit more time with some of the departments, which is understandable… so maybe in the future we’re going to look to a little bit more time with the departments just so they can feel be a little bit more confident with their decision on their major as well.”

Digiandomenico worked with Waynesburg Student Ambassadors to help set up the day.

According to Digiandomenico, who graduated from Waynesburg in 2015, about five years ago, the university decided to combine two separate days—one for interviews, and one for visitations— to save students and their families an extra trip.

Over the years, Accepted Students Day has experienced several name changes, but the fundamental idea has stayed the same. For Digiandomenico, the day is essential not only for prospective students but for current faculty as well.

“The departments encourage all of their staff to be there,” he said. “This is an important day for them too because this is a chance for them to meet the students that are going to be coming into their departments in the Fall. So, for them, it’s a nice thing and they want to be there.”

Digiandomenico hopes that the event continues in the future and gives students who haven’t seen Waynesburg, yet the chance to figure out if it’s the right place.

“The hope is that as we do these events more and more throughout the years,” he said. “Students are able to really get an inside look at Waynesburg and really [ask themselves] ‘is this the right school for me? Is this the place where I want to spend the next four years?’”