Admission office prepares remote experiences for prospective students

Chapman’s Office of Admission established new virtual programs in order to reach and interact with prospective students across the globe during the pandemic. Photo courtesy of Chapman University

High school students probably expected their senior year to contain heaps of assignments, bittersweet goodbyes and of course, a tall stack of college applications. So why not throw in a worldwide pandemic as well? 

Not only does COVID-19 add new amounts of stress and uncertainty to current Chapman programs and student workloads, but the remote format is also affecting the university’s admission office’s interactions with prospective students. 

While other programs can communicate a similar amount of information in a remote format, Assistant Vice President of Admission Marcela Mejia-Martinez told The Panther that the Office of Admission’s virtual operation could dilute the ambience and spirit of Chapman that they pitch to visiting high schoolers. 

“The vibe of Chapman is something that, if I could bottle and sell, would be awesome because there’s just the magic about the happiness of our students,” Mejia-Martinez said. “You can’t show that online. We can talk about our community and most people walk on campus and know that it feels right – so that’s one piece that is totally missing right now.”

Despite this challenge, Mejia-Martinez and the admission office personnel strive to make the experience as similar as possible to in-person programs for prospective students. They were able to set up a chat feature called “Unibuddy” when the campus was submersed into quarantine in March, which allows prospective students to chat with current students at Chapman. It also provides live events for new students to log on and connect one-on-one with as many people as possible.

The office has also hosted virtual campus tours, admitted student information sessions and high school visits from all across the world via Zoom. But the office is having difficulty planning the “Panther for a Day” program, where admitted students come to campus, live a day in the life of a student and attend a college class. Since the program would not normally commence until the spring, the Admission Office suspended it March 2020 and it is still up in the air for this spring as to whether it will be in person, online or a hybrid mix of the two.

Normally Panther for a Day sees around 500 visitors each year, and about 60% of the attendees enroll at Chapman, admission staff told The Panther. Having the chance to step on the grounds of campus via Panther for a Day is how Adriana Ferrari, a senior public relations and advertising major, made her decision to enroll at Chapman. 

“I was between three schools and the moment I had my Panther for a Day, it just totally made me fall in love with Chapman,” Ferrari said. “It was pretty much my deciding factor.”

Ferrari is hopeful the Chapman community can create a virtual alternative to Panther for a Day that enlightens high school students and provides a light at the end of the tunnel to the never-ending hurdles of senior year. 

“Chapman is a creative school and it would be a shame if Panther for a Day wouldn’t be able to happen,” Ferrari said. “But I am so confident in the school, the administration and the students working in admissions that we will be able to have some sort of meaningful alternative, even if it’s not as unique and as special as Panther for a Day.”