In a normal year, admissions counselors from UC Riverside would be travelling around the world to host presentations and meet with prospective freshman and transfer students ahead of the Nov. 30 fall admissions application deadline. This is no normal year. Because of the global coronavirus pandemic, travel and in-person presentations have been canceled, so members of the Undergraduate Admissions (UGA) team have had to find new ways to reach out to students interested in applying to UCR.

"The team has to come up with new interactive and creative ways to continue connecting with students," Mandy Loh, assistant director of international and out-of-state recruitment and evaluation, shares. "One thing our team has adopted that has worked exceptionally well for us is to allow students to schedule an available time with us one-on-one through a Calendly appointment scheduler on our Admissions website."

As well as scheduling these one-on-one appointments with prospective students, admissions counselors are also hosting webinars and presenting at virtual college fairs. Student employees in Undergraduate Admissions are playing an important role in these virtual recruitment efforts, participating in virtual panels and webinars to share their experiences with prospective students.

"We are hosting regular virtual admission presentations throughout October and November as well as transfer application workshops throughout the month of November," Jessica Verazas, assistant director of transfer recruitment and evaluation, shares. "In addition, we host monthly transfer student panels where prospective students can hear first-hand what it’s like to be a transfer student at UCR."

UGA is hosting the Discover UCR Virtual Fall Preview through Nov. 6, featuring webinar sessions on topics including the admissions process, financial aid, academic programs, and campus resources. UCR admissions counselors will also be taking part in the NACAC Virtual College Fairs on Oct. 12 and Nov. 8. UGA is also hosting webinars and chats through November.