Twenty-six prospective students visited campus last weekend as part of Club BU’s Out-Of-State Overnight, admissions intern Kevin McClelland said.
Club BU, an intern-run admission program, hosts high school students overnight to give them a feel of what college is actually like.
“The weekend was really great for everyone involved,” McClelland said. “Things went really smoothly. People were really thrilled to get a more in-depth look at the university and the Peoria area.”
Prospective students were paired with current students at the beginning of Sunday evening and were able to socialize over dinner. McClelland said parents had a dinner of their own with members of the BU Parents’ Board, who answered any questions the parents had.
Although current students and their prospectives were not required to attend any scheduled events, McClelland said they are just supposed to highlight what they like about Bradley.
“We really just tell them to have fun with their prospective student and show them what makes Bradley great,” he said. “There are not any specific things we tell them to show their student, but hall council is one of the more popular options.”
McClelland also said prospective students could visit the Markin Family Student Recreation Center to see all the new changes being made on campus.
“We gave each Club BU host a guest pass to the Markin Center in case the student they were hosting wanted to play basketball, racquetball or even just check out the facility,” he said.
Since this was a weekend focused on out-of-state students, the overnight was not exactly the same as other Club BU events.
“The out-of-state overnight weekend is one of three weekend programs the admissions office offers throughout the year,” McClelland said. “Monday morning, parents and students were given a bus tour of Peoria in order to familiarize them with the area, show them local history and the things to do off-campus like the Civic Center, the dining options in East Peoria, O’Brien Field, etc.”
Other accommodations were also made for students coming from out-of-state.
“We did provide a bus to and from St. Louis to help ease travel concerns for some students and parents,” McClelland said.
He also said playing up the strengths of the university was a priority for Club BU and provided an opportunity to try and recruit students to Bradley.
“The Markin Center is a great marketing tool, regardless of what state you’re from,” McClelland said. “The admissions office always likes to brag about what spectacular things or changes are happening on campus. All of those things are great ways to show how this university is growing and are visible representations of the opportunities we can provide to our students.”
