Even though school was not in session this past Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, campus was buzzing with prospective students, breaking the record for the largest visit day ever on the holiday.
A total of 298 students and their families visited Bradley on Jan. 21. Associate Director of Admissions Cory Craig said the university has become more well-known in recent years, which helps draw in more students for the visit day.
“We really feel that the Bradley experience is gaining momentum,” she said. “So many people have good things to say about Bradley. Now that the construction is complete, our campus is even more beautiful than before.”
Craig said the visit day was organized to help both high school juniors and seniors by personalizing the visit day information specifically for their year in school.
“We separated the juniors from the seniors and were able to customize their visit since both groups are at dramatically different places in their college search,” she said. “The message to a senior is different than that of a junior just beginning their college search. Our seniors have questions about financial assistance and housing whereas the juniors are really just exploring to see if Bradley offers what they need.”
Admissions Intern Mike Ryan said the office prepared the day well for the large group.
“I thought it went really smoothly,” he said. “For the record number of people, it was really organized. All the families I talked to said they had a nice time.”
The visiting students had positive feedback about the university, Craig said.
“Time and again, we hear that Bradley’s faculty, staff and students are very helpful and accommodating,” she said. “And while we are a medium sized institution, we can offer [students] a customized and personalized education experience.”
The admissions office received one comment directly from a prospective student and high school junior named Eli, who is also an avid tennis player.
“It’s like what the commentator from the tennis channel said about the Novek Djokovich versus Rafa Nadal epic match in last year’s Australian Open,” his comment read. “The guy said ‘I can’t help but think about people for whom it might have been their first time watching a tennis match…all the others from here on out will pale in comparison.’”
“This is how [Eli] saw the Bradley experience,” Craig said. “[The university] can be confident that our prospective students are getting the best impression of Bradley and we know you only get one shot to make a fist impression.”
Craig said she is grateful for the current students who are respectful to potential students on visit days.
“We would like to thank the Bradley students who are always gracious to our prospective students even on these really busy days,” she said. “They share their pride in being a Brave and that resonates with these high school students. They can see themselves becoming a Brave, too.”