By David Cifarelli:
“Seeing a literal sea of faces looking up at you and telling them [that] you’re going to enjoy the next three or four years of your life here…I literally saw, like, lights twinkling in their eyes from so much hope.”
Senior Izzy Camasura shared her thoughts after welcoming a new group of perspective students and families to the second annual Accept Assumption. The Admissions Ambassador at Assumption College says the event is designed to help accepted students realize this major transition in their lives, as well as in their parents’ lives.
“Now that I’m older I can see from the family or parent perspective,” she commented, “like, ‘Oh, they’re letting go of their son or daughter,’ and seeing how hopeful they are that they find their home at Assumption here…it’s awesome to think [that] in the next generation of Assumption.”
Accept Assumption is one of Assumption College’s largest admissions events of the year. The college holds two Accepted Students Days during the spring semester, one in March and one in April. Between the two events, Assumption hosted hundreds of students.
The event is dedicated to integrating the incoming freshman class with current faculty and students and to finalizing their commitment to the college. In addition, Accept Assumption seeks to highlight the various academic departments on campus, with the spotlight being placed on the school’s larger majors including the sciences, business and psychology.
Assistant Director of Admissions, Erik Abramson, discussed his understanding of Accept Assumption and its purpose towards helping incoming freshman. “Accepted Students Day is a great chance for our accepted students to come to campus and not only get to interact with more community members, our current students, our professors, but also to meet one another, and I think that’s one of the most important pieces.”
Registration for Saturday’s event started at 9:30, and a light breakfast was offered until the welcoming ceremony at 11. Admissions Ambassadors and student volunteers helped with directions and gave some insight on their Assumption experiences while welcoming students and families.
Accept Assumption offered a number of activities to those who attended. An academic fair was held in the Tsotsis Family Academic Center. Faculty members and students from each department discussed courses, majors, minors, internships and potential career outcomes with inquiring perspective families.
Tours and lunch were offered simultaneously in Plourde Recreation Center. Families had the option of joining a dorm-only or campus wide tour. Student Ambassadors, who were ready to show-off Assumption’s campus, led these tours throughout the duration of the time block.
The day closed with the Hound Bound Hangout in Laska Gymnasium. Students played lawn games, took part in trivia and signed up to potentially join clubs during the fall semester. This was also the students’ opportunity to take a picture with Assumption’s mascot, Pierre. Most importantly, they interacted with one another and got to know their potential friends and classmates for the next four years.
Abby Turner came to Accept Assumption from Smithfield RI. She officially committed to Assumption by placing her deposit with the financial aid booth at the event. Turner also reflected on her experience during the day and hinted at what she is most looking forward to in the fall.
“I’m really excited to be part of the community and potentially study abroad. I learned about the SOPHIA program. I’m really excited to meet new people and gain an experience. I’m interested in studying actuarial science, I’m actually going in undecided but I met a few professors and it seems like everyone really wants me to do well…I’m just really excited.”
Turner’s mother, Shanyn, also shared her perspective on Accept Assumption. “Today we just toured Assumption and we really love the college. We’re excited for our daughter, Abby, to attend next year…We as her parents are excited to send her off to a beautiful campus [with] lots of security…[There were] a lot of amazing people we met today, everyone is friendly, every body said ‘Hi’ [and] it just seems like this is a…family school community and we’re really, really excited to send our daughter here.”
“This is our second Accept Assumption so we’ve really had, over, probably four, five hundred students who have been on campus for these events,” said Abramson. After examining the number of attendance at events like Accept Assumption, the admissions team notices a trend and realizes the impact the event has among perspective students.
“We find that these students who are attending these events are very, very interested students and at the end of the year, we go back and look at the data of students who have attended this event…we find that there is a really high affinity for students who are attending this on campus event and so really our goal is to be able to get as many students as possible on campus for these events and really show them what Assumption has to offer.”
Abramson’s said he hopes perspective students “walk away from [the event] really happy at the end of the day.”
Camasura hoped these students begin their college experience in the most positive way. “I think in terms of the remarks I was able to…touch upon that in a way that people became more comfortable and relaxed, and more at ease with the fact that this is a new chapter in their life that they’re starting.”
Hopefully the incoming Assumption college class of 2022 enjoyed the day and is looking forward towards making memories over their next four years. Welcome Hounds!
THE AC301 