Admitted students day comes around once a year but there is a lot of preparation that goes into it. The Admissions Office is responsible for the event, creating a welcoming atmosphere that shows the very best of California Lutheran University to the many students that are admitted and considering committing. According to Presidential Host Paige Pensivy, there were over 500 admitted students registered to visit campus on Saturday, April 11.

Many current students may remember visiting campus on a beautiful Saturday morning the spring before they started classes, enjoying endless amounts of breakfast snacks, collecting free Cal Lutheran apparel, walking under balloon arches from event to event and taking information from the many different academic departments, clubs and athletic teams.

All of the decorations and accommodations don’t just magically appear when the day comes around every year. Presidential Hosts and student volunteers in the Admissions Office begin setting up for the day early on.

“We get up at three in the morning and we go to Denny’s and then we are working from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. or whenever we finish cleaning up,” Pensivy said. “We are basically setting up signs everywhere and showing people where to go and we have to set up a whole balloon arch.”

The agenda for the day started with a reception by Presidents Kimball, welcoming all of the admitted students to campus. Following the reception, students attended sessions where they could participate in mock lectures by the various departments, as well as sessions based around Cal Lutheran’s academic support initiatives.

“Every academic section on campus will be out and promoting what they do and promoting the opportunities that they have,” Pensivy said. “They also do a club fair so any club that wants to come out can talk about what they are doing.”

The day only lasted from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. for admitted students, but presidential hosts had a goal to convince prospective students that Cal Lutheran was the right choice.

“How close you can get to your teachers is one of the biggest draws to Cal Lutheran,” said Henry Bulmer, sophomore Presidential Host. “It’s that kind of personal care that you get from your professors that I stress to admitted students.”

Karly Loberg, junior presidential host participating in her first admitted students day, saw the day as having high stakes.

“We want to give them a taste of campus because a lot of people have never actually been to the campus even though they applied. So they applied and they don’t know what it’s like. This could make or break their decision,” Loberg said.

Pensivy said, “We really stress community and the diversity in the community that we have so just all of the different events we have going on.”

After a lunch catered by Sodexo and the Involvement and Academic Fair, Presidential Hosts worked with resident assistants to give admitted students tours of the first-year residence halls. Students could also attend a session showcasing Cal Lutheran’s athletic programs.

“The athletic facility is open all day and I know that the coaches are around and they are definitely talking to people that are interested,” Pensivy said. “The day walks through every walk of campus, so not just academics but extra-curricular activities – all of our clubs, intramurals, and athletics. The most important thing is stressing that when they come here they are not only going to find a school but a home away from home,” Pensivy said.

Kevin Repich
Staff Writer
Published March 15th, 2015