We used to just have an overnight program for students, but then we realized that we needed to get the parents involved. It's a family issue. The student response to these open house weekends has also been very positive. Over 70 percent of students who attended the 1999 GAAP open houses chose to matriculate at Georgetown. This year, the 200 GAAP members from all 50 states and many countries have also written letters to prospective students and have presented programs at their respective high schools over holiday breaks.
Deacon attributes much of the successful recruiting to students and alumni.
There are only a dozen or so of us in the admissions office. We do what we can, but student groups such as the Blue and Gray Society, the GAAP program and alumni programs offer a more personal side which we feel is very important. Parents and prospective students continually say how especially impressed they are by student involvement. The welcoming of new Georgetown students is not limited to on-campus efforts. Alumni receptions for accepted students are also important.