Overnight Stay Participants Get Taste of Capitol Life

Accepted Student Overnights have become an increasingly popular way to give prospective students a taste of the college experience. During April, Capitol held its first-ever such event, inviting 33 successful applicants to the campus for an overnight stay.

The students attended classes, met the Capitol Student Ambassadors and representatives of student clubs, and participated in games and other activities,. Members of the admissions staff were on hand to answer any questions they had. After a pizza dinner, it was time to unroll the sleeping bags on the floor of the Student Center -- though many students stayed up late through the night, talking with newfound friends and potential future classmates.

"The idea is we bring all these accepted students to campus to really figure out if they want to be here or not," explained Director of Admissions Operations Meghan Young. "They immerse themselves at Capitol for 24 hours. It's our hope this will help them with their decisions on where to attend."

The impact of the April 7-8 event was noticeable, Young said. “Following their overnight stay, many students submitted deposits or signed up for housing. I think the event solidified the decision for many students who might have been on the fence. They came away knowing this school is where they want to be."

Participants took both a morning and afternoon class, selecting from courses in engineering, computer science and humanities. Activities organized for the group included a scavenger hunt and a trivia game. Prizes included Capitol spiritwear -- which proved to be in hot demand.

"When their parents came, the students who hadn't come away with a Capitol t-shirt or sweatpants wanted to go buy them from Student Life," Young said. "Although the event hadn't been designed as an opportunity to promote school merchandise, our inventory was going fast."

Plans to do it again next year? "Absolutely," she said. "It had a very positive effect."

Photo: Meghan Young