By Jessica Kelso
Elm Staff Writer
Class of 2028 is the largest Washington College has seen in a number of years. With nearly 300 freshmen, the College aims to keep increasing the numbers and reach a goal of 1,250-1,300 students in the years to come.
Vice President for Enrollment Johnnie Johnson says that the increase of students at WC is a result of many different strategies for marketing the College to future students.
His primary focus when marketing the institution is to streamline the application process, which involves integrating WC on college search engines like Niche so students can apply through one basic profile.
According to him, 30% of the incoming freshmen applied through a simple Google search without prior knowledge of WC.
Because of the accessibility of Google and third-party college research and application websites, students can conduct all of their college searches without opening each college’s individual website. This trend has pushed WC’s Admissions team to utilize these third-party websites to promote the College.
“Information has to be accessible all the time,” Johnson said.
As an institution, paying sites so prospective students can easily “search and click” is an investment Johnson believes is well worth it.
He also cites college fairs and regional recruiters as a way the College draws in more students. Counselors in Texas, Boston, and other areas of the country work with the admissions team to grow WC’s name recognition.
Freshman Grace Pitman discovered WC through a college fair. She then explored the College on her own and through multiple tours around campus. She was drawn in by the community aspect of WC and the degree of openness the campus held.
“Everyone was really nice and welcoming,” Pitman said. “[Plus] the campus is really pretty.”
Similarly, freshman Alexa Martinis says that she initially found out about WC through a college fair.
“My mom went to grab a WC sticker of Gus because we thought it was cute and we ended up talking to the guy at the table for a while,” Martinis said. “Learning about the environmental program here at WC really influenced me to start looking more.”
Practices like hands-on learning, research opportunities, and a close-knit community between faculty and students drive the WC experience in comparison to numbering students in large lecture halls.
According to Martinis, these benefits were a big factor in her decision to come to the College.
“Learning all about the Waterfront and RAFC campuses, as well as the internship and study abroad opportunities that WAC offers, were a big influence on my decision to come here,” Martinis said.
She also finds that WC’s admissions process was simple to navigate and not overwhelming for a student like herself — something that Johnson notes as an important part of advertising the College.
“It’s really fine tuning how to communicate about an application process,” Johnson said.
He also notes that, though WC is an educational institution, the enrollment process is a customer service-based business, and making sure that the customer feels comfortable throughout the process is a priority.
With the recent change in the College’s slogan from “Do you. Do it all. Do it here,” to “Think beyond,” Johnson hopes that the idea of a non-traditional learning environment will encourage more students to attend WC.
“‘Think’ beyond means owning your own education,” Johnson said.
Photo by Ella Humphreys.
Photo Caption: Members of Class of 2028 Marcella Ortiz, Lexi Kinsey, and Nicole Lockey.