The University Center Tennessee Room was at capacity during the academic department expo portion of the Blue and Gold Preview Day. Photo by Angela Foster.
On Saturday, March 23, over 500 prospective students and their families gathered at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for the annual spring Blue and Gold Preview Day, the largest one-day attendance in recent history.
Guests had the opportunity to get the “lay of the land” with a student organization showcase, student services fair, academic department expo, campus tours and more.
Director of New Student and Family Programs Carrie Sherbesman said prospective students received a meal voucher to see what it’s like to eat in the cafeteria and even got the chance to apply to UTC for free.
“It’s wonderful for them to see what student life is like,” Sherbesman said. “All of our academic departments are committed to attending so they can get all their questions answered, even undecided students. We have staff here from our advisement and student support center that will help answer those questions.”
Between prospective students and their families, nearly 1,500 people came to campus for the day’s events.
With UTC students representing clubs and leading tours, prospective students got a chance to see what their futures at UTC could hold.
“We have students that work for us now that are tour guides,” she said. “They saw the tour guides and thought that it looked really fun. So they’ve come to UTC orientation and mentioned, ‘I would be really interested in being a tour guide.’”
One student tour guide, Curel Jones, said she saw the benefits of campus visits in her three years of tour guide experience.
“They can get that easy feel of campus so they’re not bamboozled by where things are located,” said Jones, a senior marketing major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. “Giving them a tour and just knowing where something is will start giving them that sense of belonging.”
Sam Elder, a 2019 UTC graduate, first participated in the Blue and Gold Preview event as a student. He is now the assistant director of New Student Events and Dual Enrollment.
“There’s so many things for a student to learn about at something like this,” Elder said. “I almost want to tell people that you should walk away a little overwhelmed because there’s just so much information to get at an event like this. It’s a really great opportunity for students that are just starting their college journey.”
He told prospective students the importance of meeting those involved in the clubs they’re interested in and those they could eventually share a class with.
“It’s crucial that they not only know the resources that are available to them,” he said, “but meet the people who are in those resources.”
Dr. Artanya Wesley, vice chancellor of enrollment management and student affairs, expressed her excitement seeing the many future UTC students and families on campus at her first Blue and Gold Preview Day.
“It’s one thing to be able to look on a website or read a brochure,” said Wesley, who joined UTC in February, “but to actually see the campus, walk the campus, engage with our academic programs, see the support services and resources to ask those questions, and have that face-to-face opportunity is so important.”
Learn More
Photo gallery by Angela Foster
