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 All signs indicate that the University of Victoria’s first “test drive” for prospective students was right on track.
A total of 912 students and family members flooded the campus from as far away in North America as Texas and as far abroad as Gambia for an opportunity to take part in Experience UVic or Destination UVic on May 26.
L–R: Lauren Matthias and Ben Taylor from Parkland Secondary and Erik English from Stelly’s Secondary were among more than 900 people who came to campus May 26 to participate in Experience UVic.
“I came to experience UVic, just like the theme says,” said Grade-12 student Veronica Zapotoczny. “The best part has been getting to know where everything is, meeting the people, getting information about next year and seeing what kind of courses they offer, too.”
Never before has UVic held a student recruitment event that attracted more than 500 people.
Experience UVic was a one-day event that provided information about the academic and lifestyle opportunities available. Destination UVic provided the opportunity for students and their families to choose their future residence and stay on campus for the night.
The goal was to increase the number of Grade-12 students who decide to accept their offers of admisson by providing a sample of what makes UVic special. More than 200 volunteer faculty, staff and current students made the welcome message come across loud and clear.
“Even though we’ve been in Victoria for a number of years and we’ve been around the university, it’s not the same as actually going and listening to the presentations from the faculties and hearing the previous students talk, hearing the president of the university talk,” said Megan Pratt, whose son is considering engineering. “I learned it is more than just a beautiful place. I think it’s really a great education.”
A full evaluation of the program will include surveys with the prospective students, volunteers and faculty involved, and student participants will be monitored to see how this event changes acceptance rates.
“While we don’t have the full evaluation, the attendance and great anecdotal comments seem to indicate we’re on the right track,” says Lynda Wallace-Hulecki, registrar and executive director of student enrolment. “All of the participating faculties and offices deserve a tremendous amount of credit, as well as each and every volunteer. And, of course, special thanks to Sue Corner, Melana Mar, Karen Waugh and Bruno Rocca who were instrumental in organizing this event.”
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