Why an Admission Open House Should Be on Your Agenda
For anyone considering boarding school, the application process is an opportunity for an unforgettable and rewarding experience for both students and adults. Visiting schools, as either a boarding or day student, can offer a sense of purpose for students and helps motivate them to achieve their goals while looking to the future.
With KUA gearing up for its Fall and Winter Open Houses, Senior Associate Director of Admission Laura Burgess and Jake ‘24 offer some tips for navigating the admission process and the campus visit so you can map out your school visit strategy.
Attending open house events at several schools of interest is a great way to begin this journey. These showcases offer families a broad glimpse into each school’s programming, curriculum, facilities, people, and unique opportunities. An open house will typically offer families the chance to take a tour, hear a panel discussion, sample the food, and meet the community you may call your own. This is certainly true at Kimball Union, and you can join us on October 21 or December 9!
Familiarize Yourself with a Campus
Visiting a school for an open house will make you feel more comfortable when you return for a personalized tour and interview. Having a general sense of the campus, its key sites, even knowing where to go when you arrive and having met members of the admission staff will ease nerves about your individual visit. We’re a friendly bunch, so we hope prospective families aren’t too nervous, but it is a big step, and we know there are always a few jitters.
Make Your Process More Efficient
Many schools (including KUA!) offer open houses on Saturdays. Attending a series of open houses, taking advantage of as many Saturday events as possible, allows students and their supportive adults to minimize their time away from their current responsibilities. Attending Saturday open houses will allow you to determine how you might like to focus your search and maximize the opportunity to schedule individual school visits on weekdays. That might mean narrowing down your list and being more selective with the schools where you interview, or it might mean generating further questions to ask or elements you want to explore further at each school.
A Broader View
An open house offers a chance for visitors to take it all in on their own terms. Being part of a larger group, observing and sharing notes within your family throughout the day, allows some room to learn more about the school without the pressure of being “on” like you might be on a tour or interview. While an individual tour and interview will inevitably be a more personalized experience, some families prefer to work their way there.
Feel the Vibes and Energy!
An open house will inevitably have a larger attendance than the few other families visiting at a particular time slot during the week. This allows students to see who their potential classmates might be and meet other students who share their curiosity and interest in a particular school. It allows parents to meet others who may share their priorities for their children’s education. This is a great way to get a sense of the energy the school attracts. The opposite is also true. If you visit a school for a personalized tour and interview, you might find yourself eager for more. This might be especially true if you find yourself liking a school more than you thought you would. Attending an open house after your individual visit can help you follow up on aspects of the school that piqued your interest, meet other families who share your excitement about the school, and confirm your initial gut reactions.
Overall, this process should be rewarding, heartwarming, and serious but never too stressful. If you find yourself or your family under constant stress from the process or unable to shake your nerves and get comfortable on a visit, then it might be worth re-evaluating your approach and your list of schools. A visit offers an indication of a school’s actual experience. So go with your gut. Your instinct during an open house should align with your hopes and dreams for this exciting new chapter.
Ready to jump into an open house? Join us on campus October 21 or December 9 and put our tips to work for you.
