Brock expecting 4,500 visitors at open house

KATHLEEN DRISCOLL

SPECIAL TO POSTMEDIA NETWORK

Brock University will be opening its doors to prospective students during the school’s annual spring open house Sunday.

The one-day recruitment event is an opportunity for potential students to get an impression of the university to help decide if Brock is a good fit for them.

“Open house is often the time when applicants and their families make their final decision,” says Beth Natale, who’s in charge of recruitment for Brock. “We’re expecting 4,500 attendees on Sunday.”

Natale says the open house will focus on providing attendees with first-hand experiences of Brock’s academic programs and student life. Much of the schedule comprises activities that highlight experiential learning opportunities.

“Experiential learning is embedded in all of our programs,” says Natale. “We want to give students a taste of how that appears in their studies.

Some of the experiential learning-based activities for the afternoon include: drop-ins to the nursing program’s clinic simulation lab that replicates a health-care clinic; tours of the Big Data Lab that will allow participants to experiment with data; and, the activity Natale is especially looking forward to, a panel put on by the social sciences departments for which professors from different disciplines will apply various theories to Donald Trump’s presidency.

Current students will also play a role during the event, leading tours, providing lab demonstrations and giving presentations.

“We know from experience that (prospective) students would rather hear from other students what their time at Brock will be about,” says Natale.

Secondary school applicants have until June 1 to settle on their final choice for their destination of study, while other applicants are still able to apply throughout the spring and summer to be considered for admission to Brock. Post-secondary students considering transferring to the St. Catharines-based university are able to speak with admissions staff that will be present this Sunday to assist those students in that process.

The open house will take place 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with registration for the event taking at the university’s Walker Complex.