Senior Preview Day invites potential Boxers to campus

Senior Preview Days are events put on for high school seniors to visit Pacific University. These events allow for prospective students and their families to see the campus, meet current students and faculty, learn about financial aid and take a tour.

These preview days run during the school year until February, and approximately 800 students and their families are able to attend. The authentic experience helps interested students and families learn more about what Pacific exemplifies.

“Nothing is scripted and families are able to listen to a panel of current students and a panel of faculty members,” said Assistant Vice President and Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Karen Dunston.

Every student who attends a Senior Preview Day will receive an annual $1,000 scholarship from the university, for a total of $4,000 over four years. This scholarship acts as a motivator, both for  students to attend one of the events, and also to for students to apply to Pacific. Students must apply and be admitted in order to receive the scholarship.

Senior Preview Days differ from the later Pacesetters Honors Day on Feb. 10. in that students who participate in this event must have a 3.7 grade point average or higher and are nominated by their Pacific University Admissions Counselor. During the event, students who participate write an impromptu essay that is graded by faculty, and are also part of an interview process with two Pacific faculty members.

“Our philosophy is the more students and parents who come to visit the campus, the easier it is for them to determine if they want to learn more and be a student here,” Dunston said. “We try to set up visit days like Senior Preview Days and Pacesetters Honors Day to give families these opportunities.”

Freshman Sophie Grant attended a Senior Preview Day before deciding join the Boxer community.

“I enjoyed being able to speak one on one with faculty and tour the campus to get a perspective to what it is like being a student on campus,” Grant said. “I was able to confirm my interest in Pacific through the Senior Preview Day.”