2023 is well underway, and we are heading into the time of the year when we most rely on our enthusiastic cadre of APAP parent volunteers. The active involvement of APAP parent volunteers is critical during this season—first in encouraging admitted students to choose Wash U and then once they do commit to WashU, to be a resource to ease their transition to St. Louis and the WashU college experience.
This spring, we are planning to have an initial round of parent welcome calls in early April for newly admitted Regular Decision students’ families. This first round of calls will congratulate these families, encourage them to choose WashU, and answer any questions that they may have. This program is officially called the Congratulations Calling Program (CCP). You should have heard from the APAP staff with more details about this program, and we encourage you to update your willingness to participate by visiting the Volunteer Portal to “Edit Activities.” Then later this spring, the APAP staff will be contacting you to ask for your participation in a second round of Parent-to-Parent Calling to welcome matriculating students’ families to WashU and to answer their practical questions about moving to St. Louis and life in the dorms.
In addition to the two calling programs, the APAP office also invited you to be included on the Parents Resource List/International Resource List (PRL/IRL). By participating in the PRL/IRL you are agreeing to welcome questions from newly admitted students and families.
If you have any questions about these volunteer opportunities, please contact APAP at (314 or 800) 935-4826 or apap@wustl.edu.
We are also excited that we will be bringing back a limited number of in-person Admitted Student Receptions this spring. If a reception for admitted students will be held in your area, you will receive an invitation, and we encourage you to attend to welcome newly admitted families to the WashU community in person.
It is with some bitter sweetness that this year our youngest child will graduate from WashU, so we will not be as closely tied to the rhythms of the school year. Both our children had wonderful experiences at WashU and our involvement as APAP volunteers greatly enhanced these college years for us. We hope that you will continue to participate in all available volunteer opportunities. Your participation will provide a key avenue for welcoming these new families and making them feel a part of the community. This tradition of warmly welcoming families to WashU is one of the things that makes our university so special.