Prospective high school students from all around the country were exploring EMU’s campus last week for one of the first large in-person open house events since COVID-19 restrictions prohibited campus visits last year. As recruiting traditions begin to return to normal, the admissions office has a close eye on enrollment.
Every major open house is a team effort between the Admissions Office, Assistant Director of Student Programs Tyler Goss, and current students, and last week’s event was no exception. When Admissions alerts Goss that prospective students will be on campus, he begins brainstorming with CAC about what kinds of events are possible. “We think about what prospective students want: they want to be able to mix and mingle, they want to have something that stands out to them, something they’ll remember EMU by, something that is accessible to everyone,” explained Goss. This time around, the product of this brainstorming included campfires, candy bars, kittens, badminton, bubble tea, and bracelets.
Prospective students also got a chance to explore campus club opportunities and meet EMU students. “The students that are currently here did such a great job of making the prospective students feel welcome, so that was just really encouraging to see,” Goss reflected. Club leaders on campus offered ultimate frisbee, hymn sings ISO gatherings and more as opportunities to connect.
As an enrollment-driven university, along with the joy of connecting with potential students, there is an underlying curiosity during these open houses: will EMU have enough students next year? Particularly after this year and a half of COVID-19, this question does not only prevail at EMU. According to NPR, the number of undergraduate students enrolling in university has been on a national decline, by 3.4% in the fall of 2020 and 3.2% in the fall of 2021.
Director of Undergraduate Admissions Matt Ruth is well aware of this national decline. Although EMU’s incoming student enrollment was lower this year, Ruth is optimistic. “The first-year class this year was slightly less than what it would have been the year before, but the fact that it was only slightly less we count as a pretty big win,” explained Ruth. In the context of COVID-19 last year, EMU Admissions was unable to participate in major recruitment activities, such as attending college fairs at high schools or hosting on-campus visits. Because of this, EMU prepared a budget that could handle slightly lower numbers.
As far as looking ahead to the 2022-2023 school year goes, it is too soon to tell. Throughout the fall, Ruth explained, the numbers ebb and flow, and a clear picture of the state of enrollment doesn’t come until the spring. One thing is for sure, though: recruitment is able to go much smoother this year.
In-person visits to high schools by admissions counselors and to EMU’s campus by current high school students are finally happening again, and according to Ruth, the Admissions Office is able to do about 75% of what they did pre-COVID-19. Of course, it is important to consider that in-person recruitment is also for high school juniors, putting the recruiting process one year behind for many of the seniors this year.
Although EMU faces a national decline in undergraduate enrollment, the admissions team is working hard to counteract the effects of COVID-19. For this, EMU is grateful; “A big shout out to Admissions for all the work that they do to make prospective students feel welcome,” said Goss, “to work out all the logistics and send out all the emails is a big production, and they’ve done a wonderful job.”
