The University of Connecticut hosted the first of two Fall Campus Visit Days on Saturday.
Madison Stevenson, a student specialist at One Stop Student Services, said UConn hosts the event so prospective students and their families can visit UConn’s campuses and learn about them.
The Fall Campus Visit Day was full of opportunities. Students and families went on 60-minute campus tours to familiarize themselves with the Storrs campus and learn where certain buildings were located. Tour groups visited the Student Recreation Center and saw what physical health services were offered. They could even stop by the UConn Dairy Bar Truck, the UConn Bookstore or both.
In addition to tours, multiple events took place. One was “Get Involved,” where Trisha Hawthorne-Noble, the senior director of Student Activities, shared numerous ways to get involved on campus.
She mentioned some of UConn’s major events, such as Late Night, Weekend of Welcome, Spring Weekend and Family Weekend. She also shared information about some student government organizations, leadership committees, fraternities, sororities and learning communities.
Hawthorne-Noble said getting involved is important because it promotes academic success and good mental health. She also said Student Activities hosted the Get Involved presentation because they wanted students to have a smooth transition to college, build connections and make UConn their second home.
Another event was “How to Apply and Finance Your UConn Education,” where students learned about the application and financial aid process. They learned about the UConn application components, due dates, how applications are reviewed, types of financial aid and scholarships.
Other Fall Campus Visit Day events included “Living on Campus,” “Career Readiness and the UConn Alumni Network,” “Navigating Your First Year” and “How Major is Your Major.”
Besides events, students could attend pre-law, pre-dental and pre-medical advising sessions and presentations for the Honors Program, transfer admissions and UConn’s schools.
At Lawrence D. McHugh Hall, students and families had the opportunity to talk to representatives from different UConn majors and departments, one such major was the Individualized Major Program.
Kenneth Cormier, the director of the Individualized Major Program, said the Individualized Major Program participates in every Fall Campus Visit Day.
“We meet students and families who are considering UConn,” Cormier said. “A lot of them will come to us, and they’re really happy to discover that there are students who do a major that wasn’t listed as a traditional major offered at UConn.”
Cormier said most of the Individualized Major Program’s visitors became interested in its crime and justice minor. He also said the program’s global studies minor intrigued many visitors.
Anshul Patel, a fifth-semester individualized major in neurological pathophysiology and a molecular and cell biology student who was a student representative for the Individualized Major Program, liked being able to talk to families and students about it. He also said he had the opportunity to discuss his experience.
“I like it very much because I’m able to actually talk about how I was able to create my own major that’s related to my research and my own interest in being able to connect different courses and different departments,” Patel said.
In addition to academic departments, students and families could visit some of UConn’s services. At the Student Union, students could chat with One Stop Student Services, Student Activities and UConn Dining Services.
From 12 to 2 p.m., UConn’s cultural centers and programs showcased themselves at the Native American Cultural Programs office. The Rainbow Center served cookies and water while the Women’s Center presented their sub-programs and events.
Emil Rodriguez, a fifth-semester psychology and anthropology student who is a student ambassador of the Puerto Rican and Latin American Cultural Center (PRLACC), explained how he and his colleagues wanted to represent the PRLACC at the Fall Open House because they wanted to broaden their outreach to the UConn student body.
“So many people on campus still don’t know about the cultural centers in of themselves, so we are here to represent ourselves and offer a safe space for those who are Puerto Rican, Dominican, Guatemalan etc.,” Rodriguez said. “We’re not Latino-exclusive, so anyone can visit our center at any time.”
There will be a second Fall Campus Visit Day on Sunday, Oct. 25, according to the UConn admissions website.