Accepted Students Weekend—or in other words, the weekend when the CofC campus doesn’t belong to us, the students, but rather belongs to families from all over the country. The weekend where the entire student body and faculty band together in order to show off our school, and what makes it so great. The weekend of chaos, the weekend of excitement. The weekend that, more than likely, determines who will make up the College of Charleston Class of 2017.
Whew, that makes me feel old. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been a student here for almost two years, and this will be the second Accepted Students Weekend I’ve worked. Last year I was just a student volunteer, answering questions and guiding prospective students and families along. This year, as part of the Charleston 40 tour guide association, I will instead be doing what we do best—giving tours, all day for two days straight. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to impact the lives of so many high schoolers in their endeavor to decide where they are going to spend their college years.
This year is going to be bigger and better than ever. While around 3000 parents and students were expected last year, this year the number’s gone up to over 3500. From Mt. Pleasent to New Mexico, we will have students representing every part of the country. We have transfer students coming, international students coming, and the list goes on and on. The planning of Accepted Students Weekend is such an important endeavor that this semester the school offered a Hospitality and Tourism Management course which focused solely on the planning of this weekend. Students enrolled in Events Practicum: Accepted Students Weekend have been planning and organizing the weekend since January, guaranteeing an incredible and highly interactive Accepted Students Weekend for all.
For those who might not know the specific details and workings of ASW, let me break it down for you: Friday is essentially a free for all. Arriving families are encouraged to get out into the city, walk around our historic district, and fall in love with the city we’ve long since fallen for. There are continuous tours and student-run question and answer panels as well, where parents and students can ask a panel of diverse CofC students any question their heart desires. There will also be a reception in the late afternoon in the Cistern for everyone to mingle and get to know their potential fellow classmates!
Saturday is the long day. Students will gather in the TD Arena at 9AM, and begin their journey inside the College of Charleston. They will have an authentic meal at Liberty Fresh Foods, meet and greets in their potential schools of major and departments, and will explore an organization fair set up on George St. to really see what we have to offer in terms of student involvement.
To me, there is nothing more exciting than seeing students fall in love with our school. It’s so exciting to watch these kids discover the beauty of Charleston, and the unique, amazing things about our school that make us great. So yes, I am willing to sacrifice a typical laidback weekend in Charleston to shepherd these kiddos and their families around, because with luck, I will be helping them make the best decision of their lives.