The admissions office hosted the year’s first Fall Visit Day on campus October 10. The first of four this term, the day’s activities gave prospective students an opportunity experience Lawrence firsthand, sitting in on classes, taking campus tours, eating lunch with Lawrence students, faculty and coaches, and attending a question-and-answer session with a panel of current Lawrence students.
Academic departments also gave presentations highlighting the merits of their disciplines and of the opportunities in higher education offered at Lawrence. Some students arrived Sunday night for an evening in a residence hall and experience the foundations of college life like Downer Commons and late-night studying in the library. Fall Visit Days not only allow prospective students to learn more about what Lawrence has to offer, but also give them an inside look at what life at Lawrence is really like.
Lawrence prides itself on offering an education highly focused on individual attention and support. Fall Visit Days are structured to bolster this pillar of the Lawrence education.
Ken Anselment, director of admissions, describes a visit day as “a surprisingly personal experience, considering the number of participants.” He continued, “We talk about individual attention and [Fall Visit Days] give students a strong sense of what to expect.” Students are able to choose from a wide array of classes and department presentations to create a schedule that is uniquely suited to them. Admissions interviews are also available to students upon request. “It is as close to an individual visit as you can get,” commented Anselment.
About 100 students from various locations attended the first Fall Visit Day this year. Chelsea Dunn, a prospective student from Illinois, said that it “helped her to get a better feel for what Lawrence was really about.” Dunn, who hopes to pursue a major in music education, became intrigued with the idea of attending Lawrence after visiting Appleton last year during her spring break. “I was really interested in coming here before,” said Dunn, and now my interest in attending has increased.”
Lawrence schedules visit days to occur at the same time as high school teacher conventions. Because many students get a day off while their teachers are away, more are able to visit campus. The first visit day this year coincided with the teacher convention in Illinois, thus many of the prospective students – were from Illinois. Two charter buses conveyed students to campus from the Chicago area.
Lawrence will host three other visit days this term, two more in October and one in November. For students unable to miss school, the November visit day will be held on a Saturday. While students won’t have the opportunity to attend classes, they will still be able to participate in the other activities that are normally offered.
Fall Visit Days give prospective students a chance to explore Lawrence and give Lawrence a chance to entice prospective students with a promise of academic rigor, excellence, and opportunity.
Prospective students visit for Fall Visit Day
