Admitted students days for freshmen

It’s no secret that there is a lot of work associated with applying for and picking a university. Even after the application process, there is the creating of the University net ID, the figuring out of financial aid, the research of specific majors and courses and many more tasks. One of these tasks is visiting the University for an admitted student day. This can be very inconvenient, especially when going out of state. Sometimes, people have to miss a day or more of school and it costs money. There’s travelling expenses, lodging expenses for those going to a different state, and food costs. When I signed up for these tours, I wondered whether it was worth it.

 

I attended a Seattle University admitted student open house and a University of Washington admitted student preview. They both had basically the same schedule. First, there was check-in for an hour, where admitted students received name tags, folders and other information. Seattle U gave out T-shirts as well and had breakfast available during this time while UW only had coffee. Then everyone sat down in a large room and some distinguished speakers talked about how their university is the best university. This part was insightful but boring.

After that, Seattle U split us up by major to go listen to a presentation of what exactly our major would look like while UW separated parents from their children so that the attendees could ask questions without the pressure of having their parents with them. Then came lunch, workshops and opportunities for dessert socials and campus tours.

Overall, both days were interesting experiences. It is much clearer to see the differences between universities after attending them. For example, Seattle U showed how much attention they give to the individual student by having financial advisers there to have 15-minute appointments with admitted students. UW, on the other hand, let the students explore the enormous amount of opportunities that students can take advantage of if they do attend. Additionally, they helped clear up misconceptions about their policies. If I went to Seattle U, I would almost certainly be required to live on campus, something the school never advertised during the application process or once I was accepted.

There are some other things that must be taken note of. First, I was exhausted when I got back to my car after the day was done. These admitted student days threw a lot of information at me all at once and coupled with all the walking and worrying, it tired me out. Another thing is that I went alone, which I recommend others do as well. It allowed me to form my own opinion of the university and I never had anyone talking over me, like some other admitted students did. In the end, though, I think these days were worth the time, and they really helped me with my decision.