Premiere to draw in many young visitors

Baylor Undergraduate Admissions is hosting its annual Baylor Premiere this Saturday.

Prospective students will be given a chance to explore campus and the possibility of future enrollment for an entire day.

This year is the largest the event has ever been with 7,000 registered attendees, said to Ross VanDyke, director of admissions recruitment.

Students make up about 2,300 of those coming this weekend, with about 1,500 juniors registered, close to 500 of those attending are seniors making final decisions about Baylor.

Alpha Tau Omega and Student Foundation are among the volunteers for Premiere. Many staff and student workers will also be present, including Ferrell Center and admissions staff.

Members of Alpha Tau Omega will be in charge of greeting Premiere visitors with Pepsi soadas and will help with set -up and tear-down. The group’s involvement is important because it will be a chance to show Baylor off, said Alpha Tau Omega president Brandon Buckalew.

“It generally takes the entire university to be able to pull it off,” Van Dyke said. “Everyone from undergraduate admissions to facility services to Baylor athletics.”

Future Bears will be able to meet with admissions and financial aid representatives as well as attend academic sessions to lean more about majors that they find interesting. There will also be opportunities to learn about studying abroad and student life.

The sessions available at Premiere will be open to all students and parents and are able to be personalized easily, VanDyke said.

“We attempt to make as many things as personal as possible, so a lot of the sessions are significantly smaller. We try to really be able to tailor it as we compete with large and small institutions,” VanDyke said.

Students will be given a tour of campus and will able to eat lunch. Additionally, tours of the residence halls will be offered at the event.

Visitors also will be given a chance to experience the grand Baylor tradition of Dr Pepper floats, according to the online itinerary.

“Our goal is for our students to be able to walk away with a good idea and foundation of what it would be like to be a Baylor Bear,” VanDyke said.