Do the parents stay with the students? What is the structure of the day generally like? About how long is it? What are some goals we should have for the day?
Thanks for any feedback.
It can vary from college to college. Most schools list out a schedule of activities .
U Mass Amherst and University of Delaware are the 2 she’s considering
Like happy1 said, it varies…for specifics check the website for a schedule:
But generally most schools will have sessions on things like general requirements, study abroad, financial aid. They’ll have campus tours and/or dorm tours. Departments might present their requirements or have an open house so you can meet faculty. There’s probably an open house/fair of some type for clubs and organizations. Probably panels of various types: student, residential life, maybe even an parent panel. If it’s an overnight event for the students, they will likely have some entertainment for the kids or ice breakers to meet current students. If it’s during the week they may have classroom visits for the students to sit in on the classes.
Again, depends on the school, but in general I think parents have their own sessions separate from the students (though there is usually some overlap).
Length could be a few hours, or a couple days (if an overnight stay is included).
As far as your goals, I would go with an intent to learn as much as you can (more importantly, for your student to learn as much as he/she can). If you have specific questions about the school, this is the time to be sure you get the answers. If you are unsure about the FA package or have questions, make an appointment to talk to someone. Oh…and have fun!
I just returned from an admitted students day. Here’s what happened: First half hour was welcome speeches from Admissions, the university president, deans, etc. Next hour 5 professors did TED style talks on their research. Gives you a sense that it is a very research driven school and the kind of faculty they have. I’ve been to several admitted students days and this was the first time I’d seen that. I found it fascinating.
After that the kids left and had an hour long panel with current students followed by lunch with current students. Parents had a panel with the deans of the various colleges, followed by lunch with other parents.
In the afternoon, Everyone had preregistered for tours—housing, general campus, athletic facilities, individual colleges (nursing, business, etc) or sessions with prehealth advisors, the careeer center, etc. You had 3 time slots to fill. Financial Aid office had walk in hours all day. The day finished with a gathering with students and staff for informal question and answer.
At other admitted students events I’ve seen panels include campus police, health center staff, academic advising, and other campus services.
The goal for the day is for your child, and you, to try to determine whether this college is the right one (from among the choices you and your child are considering).
RPI had an event where kids set up tables for the various clubs and activities and you could go around talking to them.
At most of the events I’ve been to - parents were welcome to sit on the lecture type events and go on tours, but weren’t invited for overnights or sitting in on classes. Several schools had a no parents (or even other administrative types) event with students where they could get more honest answers and perhaps ask the questions they really want to. And some had parents only events where parents could ask questions without embarrassing their kids.
We have been to three Admitted Students Days, they were all a little similar and a little different. One was to UMass Amherst, so I can tell you exactly what happened on that day. The day starts in this big arena where they do sporting events. There are different tables where you can go for more information about programs, majors and the various colleges. You are also given the opportunity to purchase meal tickets (more on that later) You are assigned a section in the arena based on your college. They do a big presentation with a performance and speeches, etc. One thing I liked was that nobody was pushing the school, there was a lot of talk about finding the school that is the perfect fit for you. Then they dismiss everyone by section and you go to the school you have been admitted to. For us is was Humanities. At the Humanities building we listened to more speeches and then we were divided up by major. My son got in as a History major so we went to a classroom and had an interactive discussion with a History professor. We liked her very much. The annoying thing was that at the end of the discussion she announced that she had FREE passes for lunch to pass out and everyone was very annoyed that we had purchased them already for $6 each! So my only advice there is to wait to purchase your meal ticket until you get to the cafeteria. We went to lunch after that. UMass is famous for having the best food - they have won all kinds of awards and they are very proud of it. The food was excellent, however, the cafeteria was very crowded as not only were all the Admitted Students and their families there, but also all the UMass students! It was impossible to find a seat! That was one thing that could have been done better - perhaps lunch should have been in shifts. I would advise having one person in your party save seats while the others get their food. After lunch, there were various things you could do. There were campus tours (also there was an early morning campus tour before the arena presentation). We did not go on the tour because it was pouring rain the day we went and my son and husband had already been. We kind of self toured and went to the Library were they have a great view from the 6th floor. Unfortunately the rainy weather meant a lot of fog so no view. We also went to the Chapel and chatted with a student ambassador who was very helpful. The day is basically structured for parents and kids to attend together. In the end, he is probably not going to UMass though. He really fell in love with UVM from the beginning and his impressions were confirmed after attending their Accepted Students Day. He is also considering Delaware and we are scheduled to go to the Accepted Students Day there in a couple of weeks. I am not sure if he will end up going or if he has made his mind up for UVM.
Feel bad for Randolph College. It is a cold wet dreary day and they are having admitted students day.
All three Accepted Students Days we attended were cold wet and dreary! At least the weather did not impact the decision since they were all equal in that regard!