Exeter Admissions Department Hosts Fall Events
By JUNE KOH, LILY RAMPE, MARVIN SHIM, and FORREST ZENG
On Sunday, Nov. 2, the Exeter Admissions Office hosted an Open House event called “Explore Exeter.” Prospective students from around the world came to Exeter to listen to a student panel, meet the admissions officers, and have a tour of campus by Exeter’s numerous student tour guides.
Julia McPhee, the Senior Associate Director of Admission, stressed the value of the Open House for prospective students. “The purpose of the Open House is to invite prospective students and families to campus to have a more in-depth look at Exeter beyond the standard tour and interview. It is an opportunity to explore different parts of campus and meet some of the students and faculty that make Exeter special.”
For head tour guide and upper Liv Lang, the Open House was not sugar-coating the Exeter experience. Instead, it was about being genuine about Exeter. “I’m not claiming that Exeter is Disneyland or anything like that,” Lang said. “But I hope that students get the full experience and that they can see the elements of our school that appeal to them most.”
McPhee also emphasized a new program that the admissions department is conducting this year. “This is the first year we are hosting an Open House as well as a Fly-In program for underrepresented students applying for financial aid,” McPhee said. As part of the program, the admissions office has paid in full for a dozen families to visit the campus.”
“They pay for their hotels, plane tickets, and food to come see Exeter,” described Lang. “It was awesome to hear about the program.”
Many of the admissions officers enjoy their jobs and meeting new people. McPhee said, “I grew up on Exeter’s campus as a faculty child and then attended Exeter in the late 90’s. My professional career originally took me into collegiate coaching where one of my favorite aspects of the job was recruiting student-athletes to highly selective liberal arts institutions. When the opportunity arose to return “home” to Exeter and be part of the admissions team it was an easy decision. I love meeting prospective students, helping them understand the opportunities at Exeter, and seeing our students grow during their time on campus.”
The Admissions Office, however, does not operate without its challenges. “One challenge the Admissions Office faces is having an admissions space that we are outgrowing. We have some operational colleagues who work remotely or in a different part of campus because Bissell House cannot accommodate our entire department,” said McPhee.
Throughout this year, the Admissions Department is hosting many virtual and on-campus events. McPhee said, “Our virtual events include a campus tour, financial aid information sessions, and sessions about various aspects of campus life such as academics, arts, residential life, and athletics. For on-campus events, we host the ‘Explore Exeter’ Open House for prospective students and four different “Experience Exeter” revisit days for admitted students in the spring. We also travel to various cities throughout the world and host ‘Exeter Evening’ events which aim to help prospective families learn about the Exeter difference.”
For the rest of the year, student tour guides and admissions faculty will be busy at work introducing prospective students to the campus. “Fall is the main season for applicants, and winter will be a lot of touring too,” Lang concluded. “There’ll also be virtual webinars for parents and prospective students, and finally, our Experience Exeter days.”