Around 700 prospective Ducks have tasted a sampling of college life by participating in one of four Duck Preview sessions this fall, and most — if not all — had parents or siblings in tow, making the total visitor count about 1,270.
The four, day-long sessions this year are up from two last year, due to an increase in potential student visits during October and November in recent years. The programs are intended to give the students and their families a realistic sense of life as a Duck that they might not get from visiting campus on their own.
“In just one academic year — 2013-14 to 2014-15 — prospective student visits to the UO increased 35 percent,” said Cora Bennett, director of student orientation programs. “This year’s changes to Duck Preview were designed in part to help absorb the increased interest and to enrich the experience for more students.”
The Duck Preview day begins around 10:30 a.m. with an academic exploration session, in which prospective students attend a 30-minute presentation from a school or college led by current students, faculty, advisers or associate deans.
The goal is to provide an overview of what it means to be a student in that school or college — to give information about current student programs, research, academic and career opportunities for specific majors, and other info.
“After the first two Duck previews we’ve actually had a lot of interest from faculty about these presentations, which is great because we want them to participate in the recruitment process,” said Allyson Tróchez, assistant director for visit programs at the UO.
New this fall is an opportunity to taste the widely anticipated dining hall food. For just $1, students and parents can buy meal ticket to the Fresh Market Café in the Global Scholars Hall.
“By giving them this discounted rate, they’re able to experience the food themselves,” Tróchez said. “We always get these funny anecdotes from parents that graduated from the UO, who’ll say things like, ‘This is definitely a step up from when I was here!’”
After lunch, students can attend an activities fair to meet with representatives from various groups on campus to get a little more information on what living on campus is like and how to get involved in clubs and organizations.
In addition to the fair, prospective students can attend a range of catalytic learning sessions. The session is a 20-minute presentation on research or an engaging lecture, led by faculty who are familiar with the freshman experience — almost all of them also lead First-Year Interest Groups or teach freshman seminars.
“It’s a chance to put students in that space of what being a student might look like and feel like,” Tróchez said of the learning sessions.
Adding to their afternoon options, potential Ducks can meet up with green polo-clad student ambassadors to take a campus tour, a residence hall tour or departmental tour to really get a feel of how to navigate around the university. The day wraps up around 4:30 p.m.
“Ultimately, I want them to know what it’s like to be a student at the UO; that’s our goal,” Tróchez said. “I want them to know there are so many opportunities out there. They don’t need to come in knowing what they want to do; I just want them to get excited about college.”
— By Nathaniel Brown, Public Affairs Communications