Accepted Students’ Day gives students final chance to ‘inspect’ life at SUNY New Paltz

NEW PALTZ — More than 500 prospective freshmen students will converge on the State University of New York at New Paltz campus April 6 to “kick the tires” one more time as they prepare to make their decisions on which college they will attend.

After reviewing more than 10,000 freshman applications, New Paltz accepted fewer than 4,000, and anticipates 900 of those students will enroll at New Paltz. Accepted Students’ Day is a full day of tours, briefings and panel discussions to help potential students and parents decide where New Paltz fits on their list of schools that have accepted them.

“We look forward to welcoming our prospective students and helping them to get to know the people here . . . to get to know the campus beyond the rankings and program descriptions,” said Kimberly Lavoie, director of Freshman Admissions. “This is a day for them to gather information about New Paltz directly from faculty and students, and make an educated decision about where they want to be for the next four years.”

The day will begin at 10 a.m. in Elting Gymnasium with welcoming remarks from President Steven G. Poskanzer and Vice President L. David Eaton. After the welcome, parents will remain in Elting Gymnasium to listen to a panel of deans speak about academic expectations and Financial Aid support and benefits. In addition, the parents will hear briefings from the Student Health Center, Student Accounts and University Police.

While parents are busy with the academic and administrative officials, the prospective students will be in Studley Theatre to participate in panel discussions with current New Paltz students. The discussion will focus on campus life, and a group of orientation leaders will perform a skit on campus expectations. Following the panel discussions and skit, the prospective students will take part in academic information sessions related to their potential major.

“We’re here to answer any questions students might have about life at New Paltz,” said New Paltz senior, Diane Greenwald. “This is a huge decision in a young person’s life and we understand that, we were in their place once, too.”

Both parents and students will regroup in Elting Gymnasium for lunch, workshops, a student services fair, campus and Residence Life tours to gain full knowledge about the New Paltz community.

Note to Editors: Media are invited to cover Accepted Students’ Day. Events begin at 10 a.m. and run through 3 p.m. Contact Ken Ross at 257-3245 for more information or to arrange coverage.