St. Bonaventure will host three open houses for prospective students during the fall.
The first open house will be held Saturday Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.; the second, Sunday Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and the third, which will be open for prospective club athletes, will be held Saturday Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Attendance at the two open house events last fall semester was just under 180 prospective students, with roughly 50 percent enrolling in the 2015 freshman class, said Monica Emery from the Office of Admissions.
According to freshman journalism and mass communication major Ryan Signorino, open houses are a good way to see the campus as an admitted student sees it.
“The open house allows you to check out the different things you’ll do in your preferred major and gives a lot more than just a tour,” said Signorino. “I learned a ton about the journalism program and got to see the campus during the fall when the students were at school.”
Accordning to Emery, families have expressed interest in more interaction with current students, which led to the creation of a “Student Life Fair.”
Freshman political science major Hawani Adugna agreed with Signorino that open houses give a new perspective of the university to potential students.
“A lot of the times when you are looking at pictures of a campus, it does not seem very real,” said Adugna, “But when you actually go there and take time to look at the buildings, meet faculty or befriend newcomers, it can be a whole new, exciting experience.”
Christian Gravius, a freshman journalism and mass communications major, said the open house he attended last year made Bonaventure stand out.
“I won some sort of photo contest and got a Galaxy tablet, and that just made me ecstatic,” said Gravius. “I also got a one on one tour which no other school offered.”
Emery said open houses will include events such as academic and financial aid sessions and campus tours.
“SBU has so much to showcase, and we believe the agenda accounts for as much as possible without creating audience fatigue and information overload,” Emery said.
Student groups are encouraged to recruit new members at the open houses. Student club leaders can contact Christina Sutphen, associate director of admissions, at csutphen@sbu.edu to register.
mcelfrdh14@bonaventure.edu
