Despite the chilly weather, over 300 prospective students toured ETSU’s campus during its spring open house on Feb.14.
During open house, those prospective students get a chance to physically see the campus, tour residence halls and learn valuable information about student life at the university.
Incoming students and families take part in a brief informational session inside the D.P. Culp University Center Auditorium when they arrive. As part of each open house, the ETSU Admissions Ambassadors serve as volunteer guides to visitors during the campus walking tours. During each campus walking tour, the guides give the groups a personal tour of the entire campus and many of the major buildings.
“Despite the extremely cold weather, the auditorium was packed,” said Ryan Lynch, Admissions Ambassador’s tour guide. “Everyone that braved the cold seemed to have a wonderful time as a potential member of the Buccaneer family.”
Once the informational session was over, everyone was broken up into small to medium-size groups to begin the campus walking tours. The turnout was not as high as years past, but in light of the weather, a substantial amount of visitors participated in open house.
“I gave a tour to about 25 people at open house, and it wasn’t the largest tour I’ve given, but it was a respectable amount considering the cold weather that morning,” said Elizabeth Saulsbury, Admissions Ambassador’s Leadership Team Member and tour guide. “I think that taking a walking tour of ETSU can have a really big influence in helping prospective students decide where they want to attend college.”
After visitors concluded the campus walking tour they had the chance to familiarize themselves with different ways to become involved on campus.
“Lots of organizations had representatives in the ballroom after group tours, which allowed students to get an idea of what campus life is like on campus,” Lynch said. “It gave them a chance to see the various ways they could get involved with student life at ETSU.”
Both Lynch and Saulsbury agree that the tours play a vital role in determining where a student chooses to attend school.
It’s not just the physical campus itself that is the ultimate factor, but also the interaction and greeting that they receive when visiting.
“We as Admissions Ambassadors have a really unique opportunity to connect with these prospective students,” Saulsbury said. “We’re typically the first people that they’ll talk to at the university, so we do our best to be welcoming and outgoing.”
