Discovery Days popular draw for prospective UD students

Senior Lauren Pace leads a campus tour during Delaware Discovery Days.

4:41 p.m., July 30, 2004--The 2004 Delaware Discovery Days, which were held Saturdays, July 10, 17 and 24, and Friday, July 23, drew more than 6,100 total attendees, including 2,200 prospective students, to the University of Delaware campus from high schools as far away as Florida, California and Illinois.

The one-day programs, held on the four different dates, gave students and their family members a chance to collect information about both academic and non-academic offerings at UD, tour the campus and meet with other prospective students.

“Historically, three-fourths of the students who come to Delaware Discovery Days apply to the University of Delaware,” Faye Duffy, senior associate director of admissions, said.

According to Duffy, attendance was fairly evenly distributed across the four days, with the Saturdays drawing an average of 150 more students than the Friday date.

Orientation activities began with a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m., in the Bob Carpenter Center, followed by an information fair, from 9-11:30 a.m., during which participants could gather information and speak with representatives of 75 different academic and nonacademic campus departments.

After the fair, visitors could take a shuttle bus to campus central to learn about housing options, financial aid packages, research opportunities and the honors, study-abroad and Learning Integrated Freshman Experience programs.

Prospective students also had a chance to visit the food court at the Trabant University Center, where they had lunch and could gather information about Newark, including downtown.

Campus tours, which ran from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., offered visitors the opportunity to get a guided view of campus. Guests were also provided with the chance to visit Russell, Lane and Rodney residence halls and the Morris Library on their own. Each day closed with a complimentary ice-cream treat from Ben & Jerry’s.

An important program in the college decision-making process, Delaware Discovery Days also is a good predictor for UD enrollment trends. “Between 500 and 600 freshmen who attended this event last summer are now incoming freshmen,” Duffy said.

In the fall, Blue & Golden Saturdays will be held Oct. 16 and 30 and Nov. 13 for prospective Blue Hens.

Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photo by Duane Perry

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