CSUMB welcomes its Admitted Otters

Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) welcomed nearly 4,000 newly admitted students on Saturday, April 6. The students, as well as many parents, came for CSUMB’s annual Admitted Otter Day.

“Admitted Otter Day is an opportunity to showcase what sets Cal State Monterey Bay apart from other universities and to drive home that we are one of the few top-ranked, mid-sized residential public campuses in the West,” said CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones.

Prospective students from across the country came to tour the university, visiting tables and booths set up across campus by the university’s clubs, organizations and academic programs. 

“[CSUMB] hadn’t really been on my radar, but after this it’s pretty high on my list,” said Niamh Carol, a recently admitted student from Wisconsin. “I really like it here. I like how small it is and how the sense of community is really nice here,” he said, after touring some of the different booths.

“I already committed to coming here but today has helped me realize that this was the right decision for me. It’s small and it feels very personal,” said Zoe Rebecky, an incoming student from Santa Rosa.

This sense of community was a feeling echoed by many newly admitted students present on Saturday and was a key part of CSUMB’s messaging to new students. “The overarching theme is to make sure that students and their families feel like they belong here at [CSUMB],” said Reuban Rodriguez, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students. 

Current students involved in the campus’ many clubs and organizations used Admitted Otter Day as an opportunity to find new recruits. “When we get new waves of students, it’s always a world of opportunity,” said Jojo Cook, fourth-year Creative Writing and Social Action major and president of In the Ords. 

For incoming students, Admitted Otter Day is all about “[finding] that comfy niche in the CSUMB community,” said Cook. 

“These clubs and the people that I’ve met from various clubs are very gung-ho about getting people to be included on campus and feel like they’re a part of something bigger, which is really cool,” said Lucas McCormick, 2021 CSUMB alumni, from the company Intervarsity.

Erin Doren, a first-year biology major summed up the messaging CSUMB had for admitted students, saying, “You can find your people here and you’ll be supported.”