By Cynthia Moberly, Staff Writer
Last Thursday and Friday, 113 prospective students and their families flooded campus for what one might say was the most successful Winter ACCESS event thus far. Two-hundred reserved Chapel seats, Caf plates littering the Gray Room at lunch and many, many milkshakes from the HICCUP later, high-school students went home after an experience at Asbury which was much different than a typical visit.
ACCESS events give students the chance to experience Asbury alongside many other students from various places and meet people who are interested in the same academic program as they are.
Mallary Wiley, Asbury’s visit coordinator, handles the planning and carrying out of these events. “These kinds of events are very important for enrollment because students are much more likely to choose to attend a school they have visited and seen in person,” Wiley said.
Prospective students had the opportunity to meet with their admissions counselors, other prospective students from their area and the Alumni Board. They were also able to sit in on classes and experience campus life in the residence hall.
Senior and Aldersgate resident Elizabeth Kenyon hosted prospective student Future Brown, a high-school senior from Chicago. Both agreed that they had the most fun bonding over stories and riddles in their off-time. “Our favorite part was spending time together in the apartment,” Kenyon said.
For many visitors the Asbury experience is something that is only achieved once they have participated in something like an ACCESS event.
“Once people see our campus, meet our students and professors and feel the moving of the Father at Asbury, they are more likely to choose Asbury as their college home,” Wiley said.
Photo Submitted by Bayly Shelley