The trains of prospective students touring campus have grown this year, according to Acting Director of Admissions Greg Grauman.
More prospective students have visited AU between January and October 2009 than during the same period in 2008, he said.
This year, the university switched from the typical Friday preview day event to Saturday Preview Day, aiming to increase attendance.
“We are always seeking ways to encourage students to visit campus,” Grauman said in an e-mail. “Students who visit campus are more likely to apply for admission, and if they are admitted, are more likely to enroll than a student who has not visited.”
Preview day participants have responded positively to the change in day, he said. In a post-event survey, 98 percent of attendees said they would be willing to attend a similar event if it were held on a Saturday, Grauman said.
Usually about 2,500 prospective students visit AU between September and November, and the university is expecting a similar number of students to visit this fall, he said.
Bridget Weisenreder, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, took a campus tour and attended an Honors Program overnight and a weekend preview day. Weisenreder said she went on general college tours before deciding which colleges to apply to and attend.
“If I didn’t like [AU] in person, I wouldn’t have applied,” she said.
Sara Norton, a freshman in CAS, attended preview day and an Honors Program overnight and took a campus tour. The tours and events helped her to decide which college to attend, she said. She especially recommended prospective students attend a preview day, even though all the events helped her decide to attend AU.
“At some schools, the tours were really boring and if people droned on and on about how good their school was, it was a bit of a turn-off,” Norton said.
A campus tour or preview day was not important to Gianluca la Manno, a sophomore in the School of International Service. He first visited AU during summer orientation because he was coming to AU for the SIS program. But tours could be helpful for applicants on the fence who need something else to help them make their college decision, he said.
Student applicant numbers this year are similar to last year, Grauman said, despite the addition of a $60 application fee.
Fall enrollments for freshman, transfer graduate and law school students are above the targets AU set during last year’s planning process, President Neil Kerwin said in a memo e-mailed to the campus community. Washington Semester and non-degree student enrollments are below the expected number. However, the combination of summer and fall enrollments indicates the university will meet the year’s revenue budget, Kerwin said.
The university’s retention for freshman and sophomore year has risen to 90.5 percent, the highest in AU history, Kerwin also said in the memo. Sophomore and junior year retention rose to 82 percent, the second highest in the university’s history, from 78.6 percent.
The university’s six-year graduation rate now stands at 77 percent, also an AU high.
You can reach this staff writer at landerson@theeagleonline.com.
