Hey guys,
I’m sure someone has posted about this before but I’m just curious if anyone can tell me about their experience during admitted students day and what I should expect? How early should I arrive? Proper attire? etc.
Thanks
Definitely would like to hear and tips as well. Especially arrival timing.
`Is this the event on April 13, if so I recommend going early. The roads leading up to the event gets backed up as well as to the parking lot. We did the open house in Oct, got there around 45 min prior. We were dressed very casual, son had khakis and a hoodie.
Hi, we went to Admitted Students day and it was our first time visiting the campus. You start in Gampel Pavilion and while you wait for the official program to start, there are various student groups performing. It was a wonderful experience to be there and see the school spirit and diversity. The UConn women’s basketball team had just won the championship so they were there for a surprise visit. It was exciting! There was another area with tables set up representing various resources and clubs. Another area had housing and dining information. A tour of the campus was also included as an option. There was also a reception with light hor dourves The day and the program was really well organized and informative. That day was what convinced my child to want to attend UConn from out of state.
My tips based on attending last year and S is now a freshman. Get their early to avoid crowds. We parked in the South Garage which is across from Gampel but that is because we took an alternate route to Uconn via 384 and came in closer to that garage. PM if you want directions. They might route traffic and you could end up in the North Garage. Anyways, be prepared to walk! Visit the school your child is interested in and take it in. If there are professors there talk to them. If there are current students talk to them. Go to the bookstore and be sure to get the booklet from Gampel as I think they have a discount coupon in it. That’s when we got our swag. Head to the student union and the dairy bar. Go to Storrs center. Go to the fair they have in Gampel later in the day and go to tables that interest you. Go to the open dorm and find out about learning communities. If you think your child will choose the school learn where McMahon dorm is as that is where the student orientation is held. Finally take a family pic with the husky statue for good luck! Enjoy the day and hope you have great weather.
My son visited during the engineering open house in the fall and saw the big show then. This trip, I was thinking we would emphasize more things like the study abroad program, the learning communities tours that are in Werth including engineering house and looking at the rooms in Werth in general. I’m not sure if he’s going to get a room in werth, but if he does, Putnam is the dining hall he would be assigned to, correct? There’s so much going on during this one day you really have to plan everything to the minute.
If you registered for open house for this Saturday, they would’ve sent you an email with the subject header: plan your day for open house. If you have that email, it has all the events and their times and locations in there and you can plan your day out to the minute using that. If you didn’t receive the email or your student didn’t receive it, I would make sure that you’re registered and and that you get your hands on those links.
If anyone thinks that my son would be missing out by skipping some of the engineering specific events which is the school he’ll be entering next year please chime in. I really wanted to get a read on the study abroad and living situation which we haven’t thought too much about or had time to until now. Parents in the know, I read everything you post here!
Hope everyone has a great visit this Saturday!
I have a son in Engineering at Storrs, he is a junior. I may be able to help with questions. So far looks like you are interested in study abroad so my son did not apply to study abroad so I am no help there. Housing he was waitlisted for the engineering community that he wanted, they put him in McMahon which is traditionally a freshman dorm with many other Engineer students and he never looked back.
So McMahon was a good move for him even though he wanted engineering house? I’ve heard that from several other parents on here. And they said McMahon has the best dining hall.
@mrs806 I have another question for you. Can into nearing students really do a study abroad program? Or does it wrecked their sequence of courses that they need to take given all the pre-requisite’s and how jampacked there 4 to 5 years are anyway?
Yes McMahon is the best dining hall. They are small rooms but he loved it there. In fact he loved it so much that he would go back now. Best location too!! He met so many Engineers on his floor that it never really mattered about the Engineering House after all. He would not study abroad because exactly what you mentioned no time and yes he felt it would ruin everything. I will tell you this is no walk in the park being in Engineering and my son tells me everyday that they are just trying to survive!! I Would never discourage it but boy has it been a tough three years!
@mrs806 Sorry about my typos. But you got it — engineering. So psyched to hear about McMahon. Who knows where he’ll end up?
Good Luck !! It really is a wonderful place!!
Regarding the study abroad questions, don’t just think of going abroad for an entire semester or year. Even a spring break or winter break experience abroad can be meaningful. Some of the learning communities offer these types of experiences. In Werth Tower one learning community went to Brazil for spring break and there are other service trips available via the education abroad office.
I agree. May skip the study abroad presentation in favor of something more productive. Like visiting more dorms like McMahon. Also he/we are going back that week for Husky for a Day. Any suggestions for that? What can parents do while student is doing their shadow?
Another question: Did any of your engineering students on here do a year of co-op or a semester of co-op while a student in the Uconn engineering program? My son also got into Purdue and RIT, and their co-op programs really set them apart from other college experiences. Is it possible for my son to fashion something like that for himself as a student at Uconn even though that’s not a formal offering of Uconn? My guess is no since RIT and Purdue and other co-op programs count the co-op experience as credit. Maybe it wouldn’t be that way at Uconn but would he be allowed to leave the program for a semester or so, or is it not even worth considering because it would throw his sequencing off and actually add considerable time needed to graduate?
Honestly from myself and many other parents and students on my son’s floor and people we met throughout the few years it was not even a consideration to think about a work program. Because of the incredible workload and when I say incredible it really is. To even think about working and messing up the whole schedule would have caused my son and many to drop out of engineering. Many drop out without any of the extras to begin with. So for us I am grateful he is still in it because at least seven from his floor alone switched in sophomore year or failed out.