By Arpan Josan and Celeste Arbelaez
The Adelphi University Office of Admissions will now be creating themed tours as a way to improve the visit experience of prospective families.
The office, located in the Nexus building, is responsible for guiding and supporting prospective students during their enrollment process. This includes giving tours throughout the weekdays, assisting with phone calls, answering emails and making sure to answer any questions that come up during the enrollment process.
With this in mind, they have now formed a specialization tour committee, which includes admission ambassadors Aani Mehta, Grace Wayar, Gabriella Baccari, Emilia Karpiel, Joanna Jordan and Rashmi Vankundre. Committee meetings are held in order to develop ideas that will enhance the tours given by Adelphi students. Typically, a regular tour consists of a current Adelphi student guiding the families throughout the campus. This committee aims to have more creative guidance that families won’t forget. Their first idea became the Spooky Halloween tours, which will be executed later this October. The date for this tour will not be revealed in order to maintain the surprise.
“The purpose of the specialized tour committee is to plan themed tours throughout the school year that will draw in prospective students and allow them to get a sense of the wonderful community we have at Adelphi,” said Baccari, a senior nursing major.
Regarding the Halloween campus tour, Wayar, a senior history major, said the committee thought it would be fun and engaging. “During our biweekly meeting in our Special Tours Committee, we brainstormed ideas to make this tour extra special and spooky to spark people’s interest in taking a tour with us.”
In order for this event to happen, the Admission’s team is preparing their event by decorating the front desk and dressing up in fun costumes.
Shannon Jones, the visit experience manager, said, “We are also finding out some of the many talents of our student ambassadors, such as our theater majors who will make fantastic scare actors, and some are make-up artists who are very excited to work on some SFX make-up effects for this tour.”
Vakundre, a graduate student and exercise science major, said to expect to see tour guides in costumes and makeup. “We want the whole experience to feel immersive so our guides will not only be in costume but also stay in character throughout the tour.”
Baccari added, “Even our own Paws the Panther will be participating. It is going to be a spookily great tour.”
Mehta, a junior psychology major, said, “I am the most excited to see everyone dressed up and see how the visitors will hopefully enjoy it. I'm also excited to see how current students at Adelphi may react to the special, Halloween-themed tour.”
Vakundre added that she is looking forward to seeing how the guests react to the spooky surprises that are planned. “There is something magical about creating an immersive experience where people can feel the thrill of Halloween while learning about our campus.”
Admissions is planning to create more fun events just like this for prospective students. “We are thrilled to be hosting tours like this throughout the school year. Next one up is our Winter Wonderland tour on Dec. 5, so please join us then,” Jones said.