By Josh Hughes
On October 22 Western will be hosting its annual Fall Welcome event, which allows prospective students to see the campus and student life from a different perspective. All day from 9 a.m. until roughly 3 p.m. families will be exploring campus and checking out what the daily life of a Western student is like.
Though the admissions office hosts plenty of events and opportunities for students looking to come to WWU, the Western Fall Welcome kicks off the year before all the campus tours start in full force. Registration for the event, which ended on October 16, is always free, giving as many people as possible a chance to see an insider perspective of the school. The program is intended to give people a relaxed tour of “Viking life,” as the admissions website describes it, which includes breaks between events so that families can explore campus and the larger Bellingham community on their own.
If you’ll be on campus during the day, expect to see large groups touring residence halls, dining halls and other spots on campus. The event tries to open itself to as many prospective students as possible, complete with tours and info sessions on Fairhaven, study abroad, transfer students, and everything in between. There will also be opportunities for the attendees to talk to current Western Students, faculty and certain members of the admissions team. Beyond the tours, there’s a welcome session and panels on the admissions process as well as financial aid and honors programs.
In addition to the Fall Welcome, the admissions office at Western offers an array of programs and events mainly tailored for incoming students. At the end of spring quarter each year they host a Western Preview day which complements the Fall Welcome event, though it’s only for admitted students, and it’s the biggest event that admissions hosts. There’s also International Connections day on November 4, where new international students and advisors can get their own glimpse into Western life and culture.
Outside of events, admissions has an accessible website, admissions.wwu.edu/visit, where prospective students can get all the info they need on how to get involved at Western’s campus before they even go here. There’s even a tab on life in Bellingham, which provides a quite robust resource as to what there is to do around town, something especially helpful for current Western students.
Be sure to look out for any group and tours you may see this coming Saturday, and don’t hesitate to be kind and friendly to the next generation of Western students!
