This is the third year that the Apparel Design and Merchandising department has been declared impacted. On average, the ADM department has accepted 70 students out of roughly 110 applicants into the major every fall. Although the students who are turned away are disappointed, faculty and students in the department agree that impaction has been a good thing for them.

According to the Department of Consumer and Family Studies chair, Dr. Nancy Rabolt, limiting the number of students the department accepts each year enables the staff to accommodate the students who are in the program much better.

“I can control the numbers, and I have a budget. I can assure [accepted students] they can get the classes they need to graduate when they want to,” Rabolt said.

Before the department was declared impacted, the university was accepting everyone who applied to the major and completed the general prerequisite classes, according to Rabolt. During this time, lots of students were accepted into the ADM department, but would have to constantly battle to get into the classes they needed to graduate. Many times, class size would exceed the number of students allowed per classroom.

According to Rabolt, the department brought this to the university's attention a few years ago, and that’s when the department was granted impaction. Since it has been declared, students are required to fill out an additional application to be accepted into the department. Students must apply in the spring of their sophomore year for the approaching fall term.

To become impacted, the department must apply for through the chancellor's office, which is located in Long Beach. The department must be able to prove that it has more applicants than its capacity for at least three years prior to the request. Then the department must let the university know if they've been approved.

Other departments have been trying to declare impaction, but have not had the same luck as ADM.

Venise Wagner, chair of the journalism department, said she is very disappointed the department was not granted impaction. She wanted to create an application process for prospective majors like the one ADM has adopted. Instead, Wagner has decided to make the curriculum in the gateway classes more challenging, in order to make sure students are at the level that is expected of them.

The application is a three-step process that requires Kelly M. Vuong, academic office coordinator, to review all applicants, making sure the information presented is correct and presentable to the board that reviews the applicants. The review board includes Professor Susan Stark, Assistant Professor Connie Ulasewicz, Ph.D and chair Dr. Nancy Rabolt.

The application must include general information such as cumulative GPA, prerequisites, as well as the applicant's class schedule, a drawing sample and a personal statement. Then all three members score the applications and give them back to Vuong to be averaged out. Those with the highest marks make the final cut.

Alumna Julie Chiem graduated in May 2008 from the ADM program before it was declared impacted. She said the process was very frustrating because it was so hard to get the classes she needed to graduate. "It was very difficult at times, I knew what classes I needed, but couldn't get into them," said Cheim, who was in the department for five years.

Cheim said she didn't want what happened to her to continue happening to other students.

“The [impaction] application process is not fair, but that’s what has to be done in order for things to run smoothly. Otherwise it may take students forever to finish,” Chiem said. “This process gives all students a faster chance to graduate. It could be a lot worse."

Senior ADM design major Stephine Chansin shared a similar story.

"It took me seven semesters to get into ADM265, which is a [requirement] for most of our classes," Chansin said.

According to Chansin, approximately 30 girls couldn't get into the classes they needed to graduate last semester. The girls ended up walking with their class in May, but had to come back in the fall to take their last class, ADM560, "Textiles Apparel and the World Marketplace."

"It's hard to present yourself in [a two-page application]. I understand that [the people who go over the applications] are busy, but I think that an interview could help with the process, especially because this major is so creative," Chansin said.

Students who apply for the ADM major know that it is impacted and understand that many people may not be accepted. “I consider myself very lucky. This is a very impacted major,” said 24-year-old Lauren Valeros.

Student Khushi Patel thinks that the added application to get into the major is a good way to determine who gets in. “[The program] is very impacted and it’s a good thing that they pick the people that want to be here," Pate said.