Home Has A Name: Point Loma

For many prospective PLNU students, preview day is the final push toward committing. On Thursday, Jan. 23, the first preview day of the spring semester, the Office of Student Admissions invited 237 accepted students to campus to see if Loma would be their future home.

“This is an awesome experience where we can show off the school and give an inside look to what life is like as a student,” says Becca Shulert, preview day ambassador. This “inside look” includes meetings with professors, class-sit ins, and fun activities the students can enjoy.

Only freshman PLNU students host overnight preview students for preview days, even though freshman still feel pretty new to Loma themselves.

“I think it’s good they pair preview students with freshman because we are in the same place they will be next year,” Shulert continues. “The transition is still very clear in our minds to us, allowing for us to give pretty relevant advice to prospective students.”  

The Office of Student Admissions said they consider preview days to be full of excitement and fun. The office recognizes preview days as more than just evidence for statistics.

“On behalf the admission staff, we believe that these days aren’t about numbers,” says Ashley Nielson, admission ambassador. “Our end goal is for the students to feel welcomed at Loma and so they can understand what the PLNU community is really about. They can really see how adaptable and approachable our students are here. Yes, we want them to commit and of course we want them to come here but we want them to feel comfortable here and find ways we can make feel like Loma can be home.”

The promises of preview day are matched with some pitfalls too. For example, the Admissions staff is trying to improve on finding more events for students.

“We are trying to find something that’s adaptable for everyone, something for all majors and all types of interests” Neilson says.

By leaving pressure and statistics at the door, preview days serve PLNU well during college decision season. And when someone does commit to Loma, the Office of Student Admissions throws confetti in the air and gifts them with stickers and t-shirts, because finding a home is worth celebrating about.