Daylong Event Offers High School Juniors Taste of University Life at Mississippi College
About 170 11th-grade students and their parents from across the Southeast are scheduled to descend upon Mississippi College on Thursday, April 14, to tour the Clinton campus, attend breakout sessions, and visit with MC faculty and students.
Junior Day at MC will represent the first opportunity for many high school students to visit a university campus and experience what college life is all about.
Leah Trainer, coordinator of on-campus visits and special events in MC’s Office of Enrollment Services, said the event is tailored to inform students and their parents about the unique intellectual, social, and spiritual opportunities at MC.
“We have a Junior Day to introduce Mississippi College’s campus and all of its fun and welcoming experiences and environment to students early on,” Trainer said. “We want to emphasize MC’s student experience in a light and fun way, and let our visitors get to know the most exciting parts of MC.
“We’re very excited to host this event, and we hope everyone who visits will have a great time.”
Trainer said members of MC’s student recruiting organization – called Scouts – will welcome the high school students and their parents, host tours of the Clinton campus, and visit with them throughout the day.
Junior Day hadn’t been established when Camryn Bruce was still in high school, but the junior English education major from Munford, Tennessee, said she would have loved the opportunity for a “sneak peek” at the University she now calls home.
“I believe that Junior Day is an awesome opportunity for high school students to visualize the excitement of campus life before getting too overwhelmed with academic decisions and expectations,” Bruce said. “The purpose of Junior Day is to offer these teenagers the chance to see campus, learn a little about the school, and to hear about the college experience from current MC students who love every minute of their time here.
“We want this day to be fun, to give juniors a glimpse of campus culture to consider further as they enter into their last year of high school and prepare to make decisions about post-graduation.”
As vice president of Scouts, Bruce said she is looking forward to participating in one of her favorite events of the year.
“My responsibilities for Junior Day will include facilitating the involvement of Scouts and current MC students throughout each event, making sure they are where they need to be, explaining the schedule and expectations for each part of the day, and answering questions as they arise,” she said. “I also get to visit with the juniors and their families, which is my favorite part.
“I believe that participating in Junior Day is a small but meaningful way to make an impact on younger students and embrace their presence in an unfamiliar environment. It is a privilege to represent this University, its values, and its overall college experience by giving a few hours of my day to hang out with those who come to campus.”
After 10 a.m. check-in, the fun will begin with an opening session at 10:30 and campus tours at 11. The visitors will be invited to lunch at Chick-fil-A in Alumni Hall at noon, followed by separate breakout sessions at 1 p.m., where the students will meet with admissions counselors while their parents will receive an overview of academic and financial aid opportunities at MC.
Festivities will conclude with a spring social at 2 p.m. on the B.C. Rogers Student Center patio. Coulter Clement, an MC student, will perform live music while MC faculty and students will talk with the visitors and share popcorn, candy, and popsicles on what Trainer hopes will be a gorgeous spring afternoon.
“We want participants to be able to see themselves at Mississippi College,” she said. “Our main goal is for them to recognize how great MC can be for them and that no matter their background, they belong here, and there’s a place for them here.
“We’d like for them to know how much we want them to come here, and take the next step and enroll here.”
For more information or to register for Junior Day, visit mc.edu/juniorday.
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