There has been a large influx of student applications and number of tours at Castleton State College in the past couple of years. Although construction has posed several problems, and the admissions office has had to make some slight changes to help keep incoming students informed about the Castleton experience, numbers have been continuously increasing. Along with the soft rock music playing, the welcoming old fashioned couches and rug and marble table, the admissions office contains the future of Castleton. With more than 2,000 visitors flowing into the admissions office throughout the year, it is crucial that these students are able to see at least a virtual image of the future Castleton. And through the screen of a simple laptop constantly flashing scenes of the virtual future Castleton, they can.

“It’s hard to know what it looked liked before. We are in the middle of campus construction,” said Maurice Ouimet, dean of enrollment at Castleton.

The virtual tour allows students to visualize what the campus they just toured will look like within the next few years.

This is extremely important because it’s now prime touring season, a time when students have to decide where they are going to spend the next four years of their lives, and the admissions office has been booming more than ever.

“Our number of applications has tripled in the past years,” said Gary Rogers, the campus visits coordinator.

Compared to last year, the admissions office has seen a 5 to 7 percent increase in applications, said Ouimet, which is record breaking. The school recruits heavily in the Northeast, and promotes the school through college fairs, its Web presence and high school counselors.

“I have certainly noticed more people on the tours,” said sophomore Bart Kalgren, who has been giving tours for the past two years. “Even though it’s hard with the construction [my route changes every day] there were record numbers of people at the first two open houses this year.”

The admissions office has received more than 3,000 applications this year alone, said Ouimet. The average class size at Castleton currently consists of 600 students, which includes approximately 475 first-year students and about 150 transfers.

“It’s definitely becoming more selective. It’s a small college and we want to keep that environment. But we also don’t want to close the door on people we deny,” said Ouimet.

As the virtual image of Castleton continues to become more of a reality for students, the admissions office, in its niche behind Leavenworth, is currently working hard to coordinate “accepted student days,” giving tours, planning one more open house and finishing the selection process in hopes to find the best suited class of 2013.