More than 4,300 prospective students – basically the same number as the undergraduate first-year class – are expected to visit The University of Western Ontario on Saturday, March 14 for the March Break Open House.
Lori Gribbon, Director, Undergraduate Recruitment and Admissions, expects to welcome more prospective students and their families than the university has seen at the event in the past three years. The number of open house registrants has increased by 90 per cent this year, a number which is slightly skewed by the forecasted snow storm last year.
Overall, interest in on-campus events, such as Fall Preview Day, March Break Open House and daily tours, has soared over the last year. Although it is difficult to say whether the market downturn has had an impact on the number of people interested in post-secondary education, Gribbon says the “interest in Western is very strong.”
“We will not really know how the market downturn will affect us until late May when those students who were offered admission will need to respond as to whether or not they have decided to attend in September,” she says.
With many families facing financial challenges, many students are looking towards the quality of education they will receive when comparing universities.
“Prospective students want to know that Western will be a good fit for them both academically and socially, and that they will feel a sense of belonging to a community for the next four years,” she says.
“We provide an extremely comprehensive day covering virtually all aspects of the undergraduate student experience and do everything we can to demonstrate what their experience will be like if they choose to join us in September.”
If you want to hear from some of the students who attended Fall Preview Day and get a glimpse of the campus, check out the video below created by Heather Travis of the Western News team:
March Break Open House will showcase how Western provides ‘the best student experience’ through the quality of education in the classrooms, residences, extracurricular programming, support and ancillary services and in the infrastructure and the beauty of the campus itself.
Gribbon says they will also be communicating the affordability of studying at Western through the Financial Aid Guarantee, which commits that no qualified student will be unable to attend Western or be required to withdraw from an academic program for lack of access to adequate financial resources.
There are some new events planned for this year’s open house.
Western Engineering and the Undergraduate Engineering Society are presenting an environmental fair called Exploring Sustainable Innovations & Solutions. Prospective students can visit the student, faculty and industry booths and displays and learn how engineers are finding solutions to pressing global issues.
The lab for brain and heart health in the Faculty of Health Sciences will be open to visitors and the Faculty of Science has added virtual biology labs to their program.
Social Science has planned a new mini lecture series, including TVO Best Lecturer nominee Anton Allahar speaking on whether science can be social and political science professor Radoslav Dimitrov will discuss global climate change and United Nations negotiations.
The new Western Student Recreation Centre will also be open for tours.
For a list of hotels in London visit www.uwo.ca/finance/travel/local.html.
The university’s affiliate colleges will also be hosting March Break Open House events on March 14.
Huron University College
Interested students can visit Huron University College’s campus from 1-4 p.m. and meet faculty, staff and students. The afternoon events include a faculty and department roam; admissions, scholarship and international opportunities information sessions; as well as tours of residence and campus. Visitors can also participate in sample lectures; listen to a careers panel and attend parental sessions. More information about the event is available at https://www.huronuc.on.ca/prospective_students/campus_tours/march_break_open_house/.
Brescia University College
Canada’s only women’s university college will be offering tours of its campus and residence from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Student services will also be open to showcase the programs and facilities offered to students. Faculty presentations will be held throughout the day; however the Foods and Nutrition presentations begin at 9 a.m. For more information e-mail brescia@uwo.ca or visit www.brescia.uwo.ca/future/connect/visit/MarchBreakOpenHouse2009.html.
King’s University College
King’s University College is hosting two events to welcome prospective students to its campus. Interested applicants are invited to participate in events 6-8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 13. A similar session will be held from 1-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 14. Faculty, academic and administrative staff, financial counselors and other King’s community members will be on hand to answer questions and tours will be available. To reserve a spot in one of the welcome events contact 519-433-3491 ext. 4999 or visit www.kings.uwo.ca/visit.