Students participated in a virtual open house Zoom held by Geneseo, where they learned about the various opportunities available if they choose to attend this college.
This week, Geneseo held their first ever virtual open house for prospective students of the class of 2025. This event was executed online to maintain social-distancing and quarantine policies that have been implemented because of COVID-19.
The virtual open house integrated many of the aspects of a regular open house that Geneseo has offered in the past with some new opportunities for prospective students, in placement of some of the opportunities that cannot currently be offered on campus.
While Geneseo's open house in years past has been presented as a day of tours, workshops and other hands-on opportunities for students on campus, the Office of Admissions has expanded this experience to a week of interactive experiences that students can access from home.
“We've been really trying to replicate that [hand-on experience] in a lot of ways this year,” Admissions Intern senior Madison Folley said.
One way in which the college is adapting to this year's circumstances is through offering virtual campus tours in addition to socially distanced on-campus tours.
"It's a live, virtual tour, so [students] actually get to talk face-to-face with a tour guide … as we show them pictures around our normal tour route," Folley said.
Prospective students have access to other online resources, such as webinars and question & answer sessions with admissions counselors and current students, to give them a feel for what life is like on campus.
The college launched a webinar series in March for students. Folley explained that this webinar runs for 30 to 45 minutes. The session includes a counselor talking about a decided topic, followed by a 15 to 20 minute period for questions and answers, with both current students and admissions counselors present.
In addition to these resources, which have been offered in-person in years past, students from the class of 2025 will have access to opportunities that have not been offered before. According to the Office of Admissions, students this year will have the opportunity to sit in on sample Zoom classes—an experience that applicants in years past have not had access to, as a result of the number of prospective students that would be on campus for open houses.
"The students log onto Zoom, and the professor teaches so that they can see what an actual Geneseo class would feel like, what level of material we're working with and kind of get that first-hand experience of, 'this is college!'" Folley said.
These differences in the visitation process are not the only changes that applicants will experience this year. Because of test cancellations due to the pandemic, all SUNY schools have switched to test-optional applications.
"We're really excited about [optional tests],” Folley said. “That's something that we really wanted, even before COVID hit."
Additionally, the deadline for applications has been extended from Jan. 1, 2021 to Feb. 1, 2021.
"We're trying to give people as many opportunities to interact with us [and] get to know us before we ask them to decide to submit an application to us," Folley said.
Though COVID-19 has presented this year's prospective students and admissions officers with many potential obstacles, the Office of Admissions staff, Folley and colleagues are driven to bring as many students as possible to campus in the upcoming academic year.