I hope that all is going smoothly this winter quarter and that the new year has gotten off to a good start for you. With spring approaching, I wanted to remind you that we’ll again see a number of visitors to the campus in March and April, many of whom will be our newly admitted frosh and transfer students, along with their family members. In the admissions process, spring is an important time of year as students make decisions about where to enroll next fall. You may have seen that UCSC received over 40,000 applications for fall 2012 – a record for our campus! This is a testament to our entire campus community and the exciting opportunities that are available to our undergraduate students.
To support admitted students in their university decision-making process, the Admissions Office is again inviting admitted students and their families to learn more about the campus during the annual UCSC Spring Spotlight from April 6 to 14, including specific sessions for transfer students on April 6 and April 9. Additionally, students can schedule a campus tour through the online registration system; admitted students can reserve a spot during Spring Spotlight and other prospective students can reserve a regular tour.
We continue to expand yield efforts with on-campus and online activities. Again this year, Admissions is hosting Virtual Spring Spotlight on April 25 through a web-based college fair at CollegeWeekLive. Newly admitted students in California and beyond will have the opportunity to learn more about our academic, campus, and student life programs through live online text and video chats. Admissions is also continuing to partner with student-initiated outreach efforts; student organizations play an important role in reaching out to admitted students and welcoming them to the campus.
We expect over 6,000 visitors in the next couple of months, including many who will travel from outside of California, and many of these visitors will be curious about university life and academic opportunities and may ask you questions as they tour the campus. It is truly an exciting time for these students and their families, and your helpfulness (and patience) will affirm the positive qualities and character of the UCSC community. Also, if you notice individuals or groups that seem lost, please help them find their way around campus. If you have questions or see areas around campus that need attention, please contact Assistant Director Beatrice Atkinson-Myers in Admissions (beatrice@ucsc.edu or 459-2352) and she will work with the appropriate unit(s) to help create the best possible experience for visitors. Finally, all campus web sites will see increased traffic in the coming months; please take a moment to consider the online presence of your department or unit and find ways to ensure an interesting, accurate, and current presentation of our campus and programs.
