Saint Anselm is affectionately referred to as a second home for many students whether it’s because of; family legacy, the academic programs, or the food from Davison. No matter the reason the Saint Anselm College admissions team works to advertise our campus to prospective students. 

An important aspect of College admissions is the open house, where students can explore the campus and all that Saint A’s has to offer. The day includes speeches, tours, the opportunity to dine in Davison, and informational panels that cover a variety of topics and majors. These information sessions give students an idea of the courses, workload, and study techniques of classes on campus. 

Ambassadors Gina Gagliardi ‘22 and Zachary Castro ‘24 emphasized the importance of these events. Castro explained that he was involved in two sessions for undeclared students. “I had so much fun showing new families around, participating in the Nursing Panel, and chatting with prospective students at lunch,” said Gagliardi.

Prospective students are able to select events to attend based on their interests, so the experience can be more unique for an individual student than a traditional tour. Castro explained how the open houses for accepted students to see the school in a new way. “We know these students have an interest in the school, so they learn about classes, dorms, college living, and they’re even able to meet the president of the school,” said Castro. 

Matthew Provost, Admission Counselor and alum from 2021 explained how the team collaborates to tailor the events to prospective student needs. “We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the prospective students as they prepare to make a life-altering decision. Once we do that, the rest can fall into place,’ said Provost.

Open Houses are an opportunity for students and their families to get a better sense of what it is really like to be Anselmian. Director of Admissions, Julie Lanman, highlighted the importance of Open House and the success of the most recent events. “Families provided wonderful feedback about how welcomed they felt on our campus. They also included many stories about their positive interactions with our fabulous Saint Anselm students,” said Lanman. 

Senior admissions ambassador and nursing major Gina Gagliardi shared one of her memorable experiences from the recent open house. During a tour, one parent said to her, “You interviewed my daughter and gave her a tour, and then you sent her a postcard, and we just watched you on the Nursing Panel. After that, we were sold, and we just put down a deposit!” 

Moments like these may cause students working in admissions to feel nostalgic for their days of touring Saint Anselm for the first time, especially those watching the weeks fly by as commencement approaches. “That experience was such a full circle moment, and I remembered this student well from her interview,” said Gagliardi. “The reason I became an Admissions Ambassador is to show other students how much I love Saint A’s, and I was able to welcome a new student into the Saint A’s family that day,” she continued.

Many students on campus can recall their first time visiting the campus and the importance of admissions events in their decision-making process. “Open House, especially Early Admitted Open House, is a great time for students who are making their final decisions to experience campus life,” said Gagliardi. Castro reminisced on how open house helped him to choose Saint A’s. “When I came to my open house, I went to a forensic science panel, and we played a real-life game of Clue to show the work the students study,” he said. 

Matt Provost has a unique perspective on the transition from student to professional staff member. “When attending these events myself years ago, I did not fully understand the level of cooperation necessary for the events to go smoothly. It is truly a team effort,” said Provost.

 Covid presented new challenges for Admissions to balance, but in-person events such as Open House are a step towards normalcy. “As we transition into more in-person events, our open houses are immensely valuable to our prospective students,” said Provost. Even though the College has relaxed Covid mandates for students, precautions were taken to promote health and safety as large crowds arrived. “Due to COVID we split the event into two days over two different weekends. We hosted about 350 people on each day,” explained Lanman.

In addition to the February open house for early admitted students, Lanman explained that there was a general open house in the fall and there will be an Admitted Student Open House to welcome even more students to explore Saint Anselm College.