Revamping Admissions

The LIU Post Admissions Office has recently been revamped to put more focus on school programs and the campus environment, as well as to reach greater numbers of prospective students with new methods of recruitment in order to increase enrollment.

“Recruiting college students has never been more challenging. The number of graduating high school students is declining in the northeast, and there is enormous competition among colleges and universities,” said Jackie Nealon, Chief of Staff and Vice President for Enrollment, Campus Life and Communications.

With competition rising, Post not only reaches out to high school administrations in the local neighborhoods, but also extends recruitment outside of the metropolitan area. “We have added targeted staff members with extensive recruitment experience in order to efficiently bring in new students,” Nealon continued. The Admissions Office is currently looking to fill the position for Dean of Admissions, which was previously held by Angela Delcid, and has been open since Aug. 5. Nealon is currently the acting Dean of Admissions.

Post’s admissions process allows prospective students to apply in different ways, other than the traditional application process of submitting an application online or by mail. One example is the on-site decision, where LIU visits local community colleges and high schools to provide information and applications for on-site declaration. One of the upcoming on-the-spot decision events will be taking place on Dec. 4 at Nassau Community College.

Post not only offers on-the-spot admissions when visiting other schools, but also holds similar events on campus as well. On Nov. 11, prospective Pioneers came to Humanities Hall to apply on-the-spot for admission. This event, more commonly known as Walk-In Admissions or Freshman Preview Day, takes place several times throughout the semester. Preview days will also be held on Nov. 22 and Dec. 6 in the Great Hall, and on Dec. 20 in Mullarkey Hall. “We invite all prospective students—first-year, transfer, graduate, adult, and visiting students— to meet an admissions counselor and learn more about the many opportunities available at LIU. We will waive your application fee. Afterwards, take a campus tour with an admissions ambassador and see first-hand how everyone at LIU Post is dedicated to helping you maximize your full potential,” states LIU’s website.

The Admissions Office has also increased the number of Open Houses in the fall. These open houses show prospective students LIU’s different programs, clubs, majors, and the overall environment of the school. “One of our events coincided with homecoming so that incoming students could feel the excitement of campus life and school spirit as they learned about our dynamic programs,” Nealon said.

Having one of the open houses during homecoming allowed the university to display Post’s unique and vibrant campus life. In addition to the open house held during homecoming, the second fall Open House was held on Sunday, Nov. 9. Admissions has also become active on social media outlets, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Prospective, current, or graduated students can simply look up the school and get an instant connection to campus life.

Applying to college is a very stressful process, and continuing the transition after being accepted can be overwhelming as well. “We provide a hands-on, personalized approach for students from the point [when an applicant] inquires about Post, through the application process to acceptance, and of course to enrollment,” Nealon said.

“My admission process was stressful, to say the least,” said Chanel Powell, a freshman Political Science major said. “No one recruited me, and the admissions department was not very useful in helping me figure out what I was supposed to be doing, or what I was supposed to have done. My success coach is the only reason I’m here this semester. The school waited until the week before move-in day to tell me via e-mail and my LIU account that ‘I was not in good financial standing’, and I ended up having to come up with the amount out of pocket or else I wouldn’t have been able to dorm.”