The admissions process for accepting prospective eighth grade students comes with stress, and LOTAs sometimes do not notice the people behind all of it. Out of the many applicants, admissions officers need to file through and make their decisions, but what has come along with this process for them?
The Admissions process is lengthy, and Barbara Murray, the AHC Director of Admissions, sometimes feels the pressure of the deadlines. There have been many events throughout the year, such as the Open House, Tartan for a Day, Performing Arts Night, Stem-O-Ween (an event for prospective STEM students), and Sports Nights. As the admissions team has worked through many different events, Murray began to feel the stress from these months of work.
“The physical side of things is intense,” Murray stated. “We cannot be tired, no matter what. We are always running around and on the road.”
On the other side of the admissions process, Accepted Students Night is growing close, and Nancy Salmeron, the Assistant Director of Admissions, is preparing for a large and influential event. Accepted Students Night is an event to show prospective students the excitement and positivity that the AHC community is. She has been consistently working as the day in early March comes closer. Approximately 160-200 people attend Accepted Students Night each year. It is a major event and very important to encourage prospective students to register.
“Accepted students night is the most attended,” Salmeron expanded. ”It’s just supposed to show the future students the spirit of AHC, and they are simply surrounded by other students that were accepted.”
Current students are also able to be involved in this process. Addison Ruszkowski, a sophomore at Holy Cross, has been a Student Ambassador for two years and has worked at many admissions events. The amount of people, prospective students, and parents that come throughout the admissions season can be quite overwhelming, but for students, there may be one factor that is more stressful than others. Students give tours during the Open House, and they have many fun facts and trivia that they share with the prospective families.
“Sometimes giving tours can be really stressful. I don’t want to forget any of the details, and I just want to make a good impression on people who want to come to AHC,” Ruszkowski said.
As the anticipation builds for acceptances to come out, after the Open House and the many tours Holy Cross students gave, there is just a little time before Accepted Students Night. Murray and Salmeron, being the planners of the event, have been busy preparing and have started to become excited for what comes next.
“I anticipate that it will go as well as always it does, the current students get to be very involved, and it truly helps people to make their final decision,” Murray remarked.
