More than 11,000 admitted students were called and emailed by current Utah State University (USU) students to congratulate them on their admission and answer questions. The 188 USU students were made up of USU Ambassadors, A-Team members, and ambassadors of individual colleges. In a few computer labs on campus, these students signed up for three-hour time slots to get trained, complete a calling list, and report on the admitted students’ intentions.

“We have been doing this for almost 10 years. It’s a massive effort that requires collaboration of multiple offices,” said Lisa Simmons, director of Student Orientation & Transition Services. “This generation of students prefers personalized contact and efforts were made to match students making the calls with incoming students from the same area, or in the same college or major.”

The event allows admitted students to connect with current USU students to receive advice and assistance from a more relatable perspective. While at the computer lab, USU staff were there to answer any questions that came up during the phone calls, ensure all technology ran smoothly, and help organize the students and their calling lists.

“During the blitz, we have a live feed of responses from prospective students to show how many are coming to USU, are going to defer, or are undecided,” said Katie Jo North, Director of the Office of Admissions. “As the responses come in, they are displayed for all to see. In recent years, these numbers have matched yield rates pretty consistently.”

Whether or not an admitted student was reached via phone, all were sent personal emails congratulating them on their acceptance to USU, discussing some reasons why they should choose USU, and what their next steps are to officially become Aggies.