WAA hosts prospective students

More than 200 students from targeted Milwaukee and Chicago high schools will visit the university as part of the Wisconsin Alumni Association Prospective Scholars Day events Feb. 9 and 16.

On Saturday, Feb. 9, Chicago-area students from Providence St. Mel and Senn Metropolitan Academy will visit campus. Students from INROADS of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Early Identification Program will attend Saturday, Feb. 16.

Students and their parents will tour the UW campus and visit with current students, UW faculty and alumni as part of the daylong programs, which are geared toward students of color.

Current undergraduate students active in WAA’s Wisconsin Alumni Student Board help plan the program and act as guides throughout the day. A number of UW alumni also participate, joining WASB leaders to answer the questions from potential students and their parents.

“The goal of the program is to introduce the outstanding opportunities a college education offers to a select group of students. This type of recruitment is an important element in the UW’s Plan 2008,” says Paula Bonner, president and CEO of WAA. “Alumni play an important role in recruiting new students because they can talk about their own experiences and demonstrate the influence a UW–Madison education has had on their lives.”

WAA provides transportation to and from campus for participating students, parents and their advisers. The program is for high school students who wish to attend UW–Madison, who demonstrate academic promise and who may not otherwise have the opportunity to visit the campus. To reach that core group, all participants must be enrolled in college preparatory curriculum and have a grade point average of 2.6/4.0 or higher.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

7:30 a.m., students and alumni hosts board buses in hometown
7:45 a.m., depart for Madison
9-10 a.m., arrive at UW–Madison and register at the Pyle Center. Juice, coffee and bagels available.
10-10:30 a.m., students divide into small groups based on class year
10:30-10:40 a.m., welcome from the Chancellor’s Office
10:40-11:30 a.m., “Big Three” presentations
10:40, Admissions
11:00, University Housing
11:15, Student Financial Services
11:30 a.m.-noon, trivia/icebreakers
Noon-1 p.m., lunch with small groups, program representatives and alumni
1-2:30 p.m., student-led campus tours and program fair
1:20 p.m., first group at Grainger Program Fair
1:50, second group at Grainger Program Fair
2:30-3:30 p.m., breakout sessions led by Admissions staff and UW students. Seniors learn about “High School to College Transition” and sophomores and juniors attend “The College Selection Process.”
3:30-4:15 p.m., student panel
4:15-4:25 p.m., closing and evaluations
4:30 p.m., board buses