Saint Mary's welcomed high school sophomores and juniors to campus Sunday for the annual Spring Day on Campus.
The program, which is directed by the Admissions Office, aims to teach prospective students about the College and the admissions process. Admissions administrator Valeria Efta said it is a great opportunity for the girls and their parents to learn about Saint Mary's together.
"I think it's great because not many of the rising juniors and seniors have done much with the college process yet, and this is some of their first experiences in thinking about college," Efta said.
Senior Katie Gutrich, a campus tour guide for the Spring Day, said the young students were in awe and struggling to process the many facets of college life.
"We're trying to make the best impression that we can," Gutrich said.
The day started with an information session led by members of the Admissions Office in O'Laughlin Auditorium. Admissions administrator Anne Reagan said many visitors appreciated the opportunity to ask questions alongside their parents.
"The students were able to learn about the admissions process and play our 'GPA game,' where each girl participating had a designated GPA," Reagan said. "We then went through and looked at each one and showed how a student with a 4.0 is not necessarily a better candidate than the rest."
A panel of current Saint Mary's students in various disciplines then took the stage to answer questions.
"We got a lot of questions about how we study in college, about going out on the weekends and then some questions about job placement after college and about the various majors," Gutrich said."
After the panel, students ate lunch in Noble Family Dining Hall with their parents and then were able to venture to the different buildings and dorms on campus. Efta said this enables students to tour the buildings that most interest them.
"If you're not an athlete, you don't have to go to Angela Athletic Facility but instead can go to the Science Hall if that better relates to your future focus," Efta said.
Later in the afternoon, prospective students and their parents had the opportunity to attend information sessions on studying abroad, financial aid and athletics, Reagan said.
"There is a short reception with the coaches in the athletic department so that the girls can meet and speak with them," Reagan said.
The prospective students and parents ended the day with an optional mass in Regina Chapel.
High school junior Natalie Woodley and her mother Lisa Woodley, from Michigan, said they are particularly interested in the golf team.
"I have a cousin that graduated from here, and we came down last fall to check out the golf team because Natalie is a golfer, and we are maybe looking to play some golf," Lisa Woodley said.
Natalie Woodley said she enjoyed seeing the school and learning about college life.
"I don't mind that it's an all-girls college since Notre Dame is right across the street," she said. "I have really liked it so far."
High school junior Grace Frantz, from Sidney, Ohio, said her sister graduated from Saint Mary's, and she holds the school in high esteem.
"She loved it here, and I liked it each time I visited her, so now it's really about my experience and if I will keep on liking it," she said.
Frantz said touring Saint Mary's felt different than the other colleges she had visited.
"I like how everybody here says the community gives them so much confidence and how they feel so empowered," she said.
