Fall Premiere Brings Thousands of Prospective Students to Campus

September 13, 2006

by Jodi Cunningham, student newswriter, (254) 710-1961

Baylor University admission services will host hundreds of prospective students and their parents during Fall Premiere on Saturday, Sept. 16.

Fall premiere provides high school and transfer students, along with their families, an opportunity to come to Baylor's campus, meet with Baylor faculty and staff, build relationships with current students and get an overall view of campus life at Baylor.

Baylor's premieres have consistently drawn thousands of guests to Waco, numbers that have steadily increased in recent years. The fall premiere in 2005 hosted approximately 5,000 guests, the largest crowd to ever attend a premiere event. The fall 2004 event saw 4,750 visitors, and the 2003 premiere drew 2,150 people to Baylor and Waco, according to figures from the office of campus visits. This year's fall premiere is expected to attract more than 3,500 visitors, but actual numbers could exceed expectations.

The City of Waco is no stranger to catering to large crowds. Since January 2005, the 10 largest conventions or groups to visit Waco range in size from 30,000 guests to 1,500. According to reports from the Waco Convention Center & Visitors Bureau, a group of 3,500 people for fall premiere would place the event as the 7th largest gathering since Jan. 1, 2005. The Convention & Visitors Bureau measures group size by the number of hotel rooms booked for each event.

The coordinators for this year's fall premiere are striving to make it exciting and memorable for potential Baylor students and their families. Breakfast and registration will kick off the day's activities at 8:15 a.m. in the Ferrell Center. Students and parents will attend a "Welcome to Baylor" opening session that will allow them to meet Baylor's admission counselors.

Next, students and parents will have free time to explore different activities that interest them during the "Pick and Choose" time on campus. Some of these activities include campus and residence hall tours, lunch in a campus food court, shopping in the Baylor bookstore, the Student Activities organization fair, library and lab tours, a chance to see the Baylor mascot and a variety of informational sessions. The informational sessions will provide information on admissions, scholarships and financial aid, study abroad programs, multi-cultural activities and a question and answer session for parents and students.

In the afternoon, students will attend two academic sessions based on the fields of study that interest them the most. At these sessions, students will learn first-hand from current students and Baylor professors what various academic programs have to offer. Fall Premiere will end with a closing session at 4:30 p.m. in Waco Hall where students and their parents will enjoy a concert featuring current Baylor students.

Baylor's admission services, along with the help of the Baylor chapter of Alpha Tau Omega, hosts Fall Premiere not only to provide potential students with information and answer questions, but also to give them a sense of what student life is like at Baylor.

"The most important thing for potential students to do is to come to Baylor and see for themselves this place called Baylor University," said Kevin Kirk, director of campus visits. Kirk believes that Fall Premiere can give potential students "the feeling of what it's like to be an actual BU student."

An added benefit for students and parents during Fall Premiere is the annual Balloon Glow that will take place after the premiere events. Balloon Glow features the colorful array of 10 hot air balloons in the evening sky and a free concert by Big Daddy Weave. The event will be held Saturday, Sept.16, at 7 p.m. in Baylor's Floyd Casey Stadium.

Fall Premiere will be the first of three premiere events for prospective students to attend. Winter Premiere will be held Jan. 27, followed by Spring Premiere which will be held the weekend of April 20-21. Registration for Winter and Spring Premiere will be available later during the semester online at the admissions web site.

For more information on Fall Premiere and campus visits in general, contact the office of campus visits at (254) 710-2407.