The usual crowds on campus swelled this Sunday and Monday during University Day, in which high school students interested in attending Biola were invited here to experience college life.
The event cost $25 per student and $20 for each parent who attended. Prospective students ate in the cafeteria, participated in campus tours and attended seminars about the university. They also spent the night in various dorms across campus.
Guests of Biola visited classes all day Monday. This exposed them to college courses ranging from New Testament to Spanish. Students could attend class by themselves or with the Biola student who hosted them. Prospective students also had the opportunity to go to chapel on Monday morning as well as dine with current students at dinner Sunday night and then had lunch on Metzger Lawn with some of the professors on Monday.
Housing prospective students gave some current students the chance to show the “real” side of the school. Some hosts had the chance to dispel myths their guests had heard.
“He had heard from people that Biola was really uptight, but now that he came, he sees that wasn’t true, and he wants to come here,” said sophomore Kyle Shanebeck, who housed two students during University Day.
For visiting students, University Day was a chance to learn about the school to make an informed decision.
“It means a lot to visit a school, but if they stay overnight, then they can really be sold on it,” said junior James Thompson, who housed a student Sunday night.
Throughout both days, Biola was able to provide the students with many activities that filled their time and exposed them to Biola’s many facets.
“The program is really good too,” said Shanebeck. “They have lots of things to entertain them, and we get to hang out, but we don’t have to baby-sit them.”
Parents became involved with University Day as well, through a parent banquet, a financial aid seminar, a presentation on academic choices at Biola and a parent panel. There was plenty for parents to do, both in learning about Biola and in letting their children experience the college on their own so that the best choices could be made about future education.
“[University Day] has the potential to make or break their college decision when it comes to our school. So ultimately it affects what student body we’ll have in the future,” said Admissions Events Assistant Amy Rae Foss. “We want the event to accurately portray student life at Biola.”
One of the main events of the entire two days was the “Midnight Madness” celebration in Chase Gymnasium on Sunday night from 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. — an event that can attract students to enroll.
“It’s always good to influence prospective students,” said senior Marshall Bang, leader of the Xopoc dance troupe that performed during Midnight Madness. “There are a few people in my dance team who came here because they saw the dancing at Midnight Madness last year.”
The university was able to offer the students many activities to participate in, and each had something different to offer, ranging from informational to entertaining. The guests of Biola, both students and parents, were able to see a wide variety of what constitutes Biola.
