Students walking through campus lately may have noticed that tours are a popular sight to see, especially since fall has officially arrived and the time period to turn in applications has begun. This is a busy time for the Admissions Office as they prepare themselves for what the application period may have in store for them this year. 

To apply to any CSU there is an online application that is required to be considered for enrollment, which can be completed through the website CSUmentor.org. The opening day to submit applications began Oct. 1 and ends Nov. 30. Anyone who is interested in applying to a CSU in general is required to meet this deadline or the application will not be reviewed. 

Admissions, which is on the other side of the process, is able to see the number of applicants and determine the differences in statistics from year to year. Which brings the question, will SSU see more applications this year due to the newly added Student Center? 

The university attracts the students for a variety of reasons. 

“Personally I found Sonoma attractive because of the nice dorms, small classes, and beautiful campus,” said junior Katie Rudd. 

There are many reasons why students are attracted to the campus, mostly for their own personal reasons. 

However some choose to attend based on facts; for example, it is ranked second in the CSU system for the highest graduation rates. 

This means that it has faculty, services, and resources that are committed to the success of their students. Whatever the reasoning behind students deciding to apply, the numbers prove that the word is out about SSU.

It is too early for admissions to accurately determine the number of students applying this year, but in past years the number of applicants has increased. In 2012 the number of applications they received was 13,144, and in 2013 the number increased to 14,276. 

This conveys the growth in applicants, between all the campus has to offer combined with the new Green Music Center, the interest in the campus has sparked within one year. With the addition of the Student Center, it is possible that numbers will continue to rise. 

“I anticipate an increased number of applicants this year,” said Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management Gustavo Flores. 

Flores explained that with the increased number of applicants comes a higher admissions criteria, meaning the more applicants the university receives, the more selective admissions has to be, and the more competitive the university becomes. The university can only admit a certain number of applicants to ensure that they maintain a manageable population in order to best provide for the students. 

The Student Center will play a role if indeed admission numbers are to increase. 

“The Student Center will bring something new and big to campus, and will create a different life,” said Flores. Prospective students touring the campus are being introduced to this new sense of life that will be brought to campus once the Student Center opens. 

The future of the campus in unknown, however it is projected that the number of applicants will to continue to grow.