The annual Waterloo campus Fall Open House took place on Nov. 4 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Throughout the day, staff, faculty, and students were busy meeting and greeting prospective students exploring options for their post-secondary education. The open house allowed these students to visit campus and see what the university has to offer.
As a new student at Laurier this year, I attended the fall open house last November and it was a factor in my choice to study here.
Everyone I met made me feel like I was already a part of the community, despite only having been there a day. By the end, I could visualize what my life as a student here would be like.
This year, Laurier’s Waterloo campus open house was back with campus-wide program fairs, tours, lab drop-ins and information sessions.
“So far, from our registration numbers, we have over 2,000 and counting. And that’s only people who registered,” said Waterloo campus welcome centre Jahnevi Sridhar when asked how many individuals had pre-registered (minus guests of prospective students).
Senior campus ambassador Noah Hryniuk discussed some of the activities that would be taking place on Nov. 4.
“Students will be exposed to a variety of different program-specific sessions and experiences, including lab tours in programs like archeology and chemistry. There will be a lot of great ways to show off that Golden Hawk spirit.”
Noah Hryniuk
Sharon Lalor, the Welcome Centre and Events Coordinator at the Waterloo campus, detailed another activity that would be running during the open house – the experience fair.
At the fair, prospective students were able to discuss a variety of topics with staff and students, such as accessible learning, wellness support, finance, and the residence hub. “It’s a way for students to immerse in every faculty,” said Lalor.
Visitors were also able to meet Dons from Laurier’s Residence Learning Communities to learn more about the on-campus living experience and how they could get involved in one of Laurier’s subject-specialized learning communities.
“For so many ambassadors on our team, they said that they decided they wanted to come to Laurier while at an open house. I think as soon as you step foot on this campus, you do feel that sense of community,”
Noah Hryniuk
“Students want to talk to students. It is important to have someone to talk to who is having the experiences you are about to step into,” said Lalor on the importance of student participation at the event.
Each year’s open house serves as a as a welcome to new students, while allowing the Laurier community to show their school spirit.