Admitted Student Day to ‘seal deal’

The university will be hosting an admitted students day Saturday, Feb. 23, to give over 170 accepted students the opportunity to ask questions, learn more about various college-related topics and potentially officially commit to attending.

Though the day will focus on Waynesburg University,  it’s mission and resources for students, Admissions Counselor Emily Smelley, who has been heavily involved in planning the event, recognizes other potential benefits for those who attend.

“They’re going to be surrounded by other admitted students,” Smelley said. “They could be potential classmates, roommates, best friends and teammates. I just think it is really cool.”

The main goal of the event, says Smelley, is to invite students back to campus to answer any questions that may not have been resolved yet. To assist in this goal, an event schedule has been individually tailored for each attendee based on their personal interests and curiosities about Waynesburg. . This customized touch was to ensure every student learns everything possible about the campus.

“This is gonna be their temporary home. They’re just passing through. This is gonna be the building blocks for their future,” she said.

Over the course of eight months, the office of admissions has orchestrated the flow of the event, which will begin in Roberts Chapel and features sessions covering topics such as housing, academic success and financial aid.

Other sessions include student activities to cover campus events, and  JoshSumpter, assistant chaplain, will discuss faith at the university. The office of admissions does everything possible to make students feel comfortable at the university before they even enroll says Smelley.

“If you can’t be with your parents or in your hometown find a place that feels like you’re home,” Smelley said.

A notable alumna will return to her alma mater to speak to the students about Waynesburg’s impact on their professional career, which Smelley believes will help students grasp the impact that an education from the university can have once they enter the job field.

“She will come back to discuss the foundation that was laid here for her and how that prepared her for the next step,” Smelley said.

Career services will also be focusing on the professional futures of the students by discussing how Waynesburg works with them throughout their four years of education to prepare them for the real world, says Smelley.

Most students who are expected to attend the admitted students day have already visited the university on tours, Smelley said.

“Now they’re coming back maybe to see the university at a different time of year or to see it at its full peak since everyone is on campus,” Smelley said.

In years past, the office of admissions has seen a good turnaround of students submitting their deposits and officially enrolling at the university immediately following the admitted student day if they hadn’t already, she said.

“A good amount of these students have already committed and some of them are kind of on the fence,” Smelley said. “So, I’m looking for them to feel like ‘Okay, this is gonna seal the deal for me.’”

In her position, Smelley has the opportunity to interact and build a relationship with many of the students of the incoming class, which only emphasizes her goal of making them feel comfortable on campus.

“We hope that students come and they can see themselves growing here and they can envision their four years,” she said. “…we try to show them Waynesburg as home.”