With high-school students visiting campus from throughout Alberta and Western Canada, now is the best time to find out how UAlberta can "Set Your Future in Motion."
(Edmonton) More than 7,000 prospective undergraduate students and their families came to the University of Alberta's annual Open House this past Saturday to explore their university options and discover everything the university has to offer.
In addition to the dozens of faculty, program and department booths in the Butterdome, guests were treated to campus tours, residence tours and presentations throughout the U of A's North Campus and Campus Saint-Jean.
Guests came from all over the Edmonton area and throughout Alberta, with some coming from as far away as Delta, B.C.
For the first time this year, a busload of prospective students and their parents came from Calgary for the day to check out Open House, thanks to a new partnership with Red Arrow. According to Open House co-ordinator Jessica Cobb, based on the success of this pilot program, the Office of the Registrar is considering expanding this bus service next year to include more buses in Calgary, as well as buses from other Alberta communities such as Red Deer, Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray.
Also new for Open House 2013, guests were able to pre-register online for tours, presentations and workshops-a feature Cobb says many people took advantage of.
"It was a huge boon to both attendance and engagement, as it allowed guests to plan their day in advance and also allowed our staff to gauge what kind of attendance to expect," she said. "Still, everything was busier and more successful than anyone predicted."
As in the past few years, about 260 students also had the excitement of being granted early admission on the spot, after completing early-admission workshops hosted by the registrar's office.
"We are proud of the successes from this year's Open House," said Pat Schultz, associate registrar of enrolment management. "The entire campus community comes together to share how and why the University of Alberta is one of the top five universities in Canada and one of the top 100 in the world. It was a great opportunity to connect and engage with more than 7,000 prospective students and their families."