The Office of Admissions relaunched the Leopard for a Day program on March 27, welcoming prospective, accepted and enrolled students to campus to experience a day in the life of a Lafayette student.
Associate Director of Admissions Sue Newquist said that the college is excited about the return of the program, which was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Leopard for a Day is a program that gives students an opportunity to see what it’s like to be a Lafayette student,” Newquist said.
Potential and future Leopards are assigned to classes according to their academic interests. The Office of Admissions invites current Lafayette students, typically those it employs, to assist in the Leopard for a Day program by taking prospective students to lunch.
“This time of year, only accepted or enrolled students can participate in the program,” Newquist said. “When we get to fall, we allow seniors in high school and potential transfer students to participate in the program.”
“I think Lafayette has a very specific vibe,” Newquist said. “We have our intimate classes … being able to physically sit in a classroom … gets students excited, and helps them to understand what their classes would truly be like.”
So far, the program has seen success. The Office of Admissions hosts three Leopards for a Day every Monday through Thursday. Since its relaunch in March, nearly every slot has been filled through the end of April.
Not every student that participates in Leopard for a Day eventually attends the college. However, the Office of Admissions does not measure the success of the program by how many enrollments it creates.
“Just because [potential students] don’t apply or enroll doesn’t mean the program wasn’t successful … if they did, that’s great. But if they didn’t, it means that the student found what [information] they needed,” Newquist said. “I think it’s going well [and] the students seem to enjoy it … that’s the real success in this.”
