MC Admissions Staff Steps Up Recruiting in 2021

Once early January 2021 rolls around, Mississippi College admissions staffers will step up the pace with plans to recruit students virtually and in person.

The new year's activities will include tours of the Clinton campus, virtual meetings, and special events like the 2021 Spring Preview Day.

Among university leaders to stay busy will be MC Honors College director Erin Norcross. She will help recruit the third class of freshmen qualifying for full academic scholarships and enroll in August 2021. There are now 29 Honors College students enrolled at the 195-year-old university.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MC admissions recruiters were unable to visit high schools. But with healthcare workers, patients, and others receiving the COVID-19 vaccine starting in December, Americans hope the health crisis disappears in 2021.

Admissions director Kyle Brantley announced there will be a Spring Preview Day on March 20. That Saturday, prospective students will be invited to meet MC leaders, including President Blake Thompson, faculty, and staff. It’s a convenient way for students to learn about academic programs, school organizations and attend classes. An MC Choctaws baseball game is also on the schedule for visitors and parents.

Usually, the MC admissions team sponsors multiple area receptions for prospective students in Birmingham, Alabama, Memphis, Tennessee, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and Hattiesburg.

That approach will be tweaked in the new year. “I think we’re doing smaller events/dinner nights instead,” Brantley said.

As is the case with schools, businesses, and many other organizations nationwide, much depends on the situation with COVID-19.

Also on the schedule for Mississippi College admissions staffers will be MC Select Scholar interviews. Set for late January and the first two weeks in February, it’s the time for prospective students to be evaluated for college scholarships. The first interviews occur on January 28-29. The final interviews will be from February 11-12.

Entering freshmen with a 27 or higher score on the ACT or 1260 or greater on the SAT are considered MC Select Scholars. There is more information at mc.edu/selectscholars.

Michael Wright, director of freshman recruitment, anticipates there will be numerous opportunities for admissions staffers to communicate remotely with prospective students during the next few months.

It was a big part of the Christian university’s recruitment practices since the Spring and should stay that way in early 2021, Wright said. “We’ll continue to have bi-weekly virtual content for prospects to log on and learn about different aspects of life at MC.”

For additional details, go to admissions@mc.edu