A swarm of 500 high school seniors who have been admitted toNorthwestern will visit the Evanston Campus beginning Monday in thefirst of this week’s four introductory sessions for prospectivestudents.
The new program, Preview NU, replaces Day at NU, which wasrevamped last fall by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions toprovide admitted students with a more personal experience. Insteadof one day where 1,500 potential freshmen converged on campus,Preview NU allows prospies and their parents to select fourpossible two-day periods to visit.
“(Day at NU was) close to 1,500 people coming to one program,and it’s been hard for us to manage that many people in Norris(University Center) — getting people to register, to feed them andmeet up with their host,” said Carol Lunkenheimer, dean ofundergraduate admissions. “With these big numbers, it’s not verypersonal.”
Although the first two sessions have drawn about 500 studentseach, only 60 students are registered to attend the fourth sessionon April 28. Lunkenheimer, however, said she expects”walk-ins.”
In a change from past years, these information sessions willtake place in classrooms as opposed to Norris — where prospiesspent most of their time during Day at NU.
“We’re having more of the program around campus than it used tobe,” said Lunkenheimer. “It used to be mainly at Norris. Norris isa very nice building, but we think it’s important that they get outand around.”
The first day of Preview NU begins at noon with a family lunchand faculty speaker. Prospies are then divided into groups toattend information sessions about the undergraduate schools thatadmitted them. Prospective engineering majors will be treated to aninteractive experiment during the session held by the McCormickSchool of Engineering and Applied Science. The School of Music issponsoring a concert.
Student housing coordinators will then meet prospies for dinnerin the dining halls. Prospies’ first night on campus will alsofeature a progressive dessert series allowing the students to learnabout services available in the Multicultural Center, the BlackHouse, the Alice Millar Religious Center and the Women’s Center,while sampling different sweets at each building.
Carrying over a tradition from Day at NU, the first day’s eventsconclude with a talent show featuring student performance groups.On the second day, prospies’ parents will meet with representativesfrom the Office of Student Affairs at a breakfast while prospiesattend classes, department open houses or information sessionsabout programs such as study abroad, the Northwestern DebateSociety and the Integrated Science Program.
“(Preview NU is) going to be a little busy because there are alot of activities for them to do,” said Sarah Avery, a Weinbergfreshman who is Allison Hall’s Preview NU coordinator. “It’s a lotmore structured instead of just giving them to their hosts andsaying, ‘Have a good time.'”
Although many students have volunteered to house prospies intheir dorm rooms, hosts are still needed for prospies for the fourprograms, said Margaret Miranda, senior assistant director ofundergraduate admissions.
“What we’ve discovered over the years is you’re going to get acertain number of great enthusiastic volunteers, but then there’salways a gap where you have to go out and recruit a bit,” she said.”It’s a little more complicated (now) because there are fournights.”
Any students who want to volunteer to host prospies during thefour sessions can contact Miranda at 847-467-2646.
