Bradley will host 500 potential students and family members today as part of its first fall “Experience Bradley” visit day.
“Experience” visit days are designed specifically for students that have been admitted to Bradley and are in the final stages of deciding on a college. Friday’s visit will be the first “Experience” day held outside the spring semester.
“We’ve never done a program like this so early,” Executive Director of Enrollment Management for Admissions Tom Richmond said. “We knew that there were always probably a couple hundred students who knew in the fall that they’re coming to Bradley, we just didn’t know that they would come visit this early.”
According to Associate Director of Admissions Cory Craig, the admissions office is trying to reach the early markets of potential students.
“[Today is] one final visit where people can walk away saying ‘I can totally envision myself here’,” Craig said. “Or, they walk away going, ‘Eh, this is not what I thought it was going to be,’ which is OK, they just have to know. We want to make sure if it is the right place for them that we put our best foot forward.”
The newly-scheduled visit day will introduce “VIP badges,” which give visiting students access to Markin Recreational Center, a free T-shirt, a 25 percent discount at the bookstore and campus and residence hall tours.
“We want them to feel welcomed,” Craig said. “So, when students or faculty see the badges, they will recognize it’s a visiting student and say, ‘Hi,’ and welcome them.”
Additionally, Craig said they are trying to utilize social media more than usual on the visit day, and there will be a Kaboom! cutout and Bradley Instagram frame to pose with.
“If one of [the visiting students’] 400 friends sees that post on Facebook, maybe they’ll be like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know she was looking at Bradley,’ and it’ll spark interest,” Craig said.
The visit day will also include a bus tour of Peoria, a visit to four dorm halls, an activity fair with over 50 organizations represented and panels with administration and Bradley students.
“We are off to the right start,” Richmond said. “I can feel a difference at Bradley this year. There’s a lot of energy.”
