As the season changes and the leaves flutter in Glendon's park, the fall recruitment season is in high gear once again.
Right: Glendon's information fair
The Glendon recruitment team welcomed next year's prospective first-year students and their parents to the first campus open house of the season on Sunday, Nov. 5, a day after the Keele campus held a similar event (see Headline News).
In Glendon Hall, where the first part of the day's program was scheduled to take place, visitors were greeted by the fragrance of fresh coffee and flaky croissants. After a warm welcome from Glendon principal Kenneth McRoberts and Françoise Boudreau, associate principal (academic), a finely-tuned program of three informative sessions rotated throughout the morning, giving everyone present an opportunity to attend each session.
Left: Glendon experts answer questions at the information fair
The session on admissions and money matters provided the nuts and bolts of admission, registration, scholarships and fee payments. A more general overview about the advantages of a liberal arts education was augmented by practical information about building individual studies programs to each applicant's personal interests in the session titled "Your Academic Path". The third session with the title "Go International" detailed all the benefits of an international experience made available to Glendon students – not only through exchanges with other universities but also through the international and multicultural aspect of the college, its students and professors.
Over 600 people attended Fall Campus Day – by far the largest group ever – resulting in sessions filled beyond capacity and many extra campus tours led by Glendon's student ambassadors.
Right: Families prepare for a tour of Glendon's historic campus
The Information Fair in Glendon's Dining Hall opened for business from 11:30am, with separate tables set up for academic departments, student clubs and student services. Visitors had the opportunity of talking directly to professors from each department, as well as specialists in counselling, student finances, residence life, security and many other fields.
Visitors seemed very impressed. Newmarket high school student Cassandra Decarlis said: "I don't speak French, but I think that Glendon is a great place to learn. I love the small campus and its natural environment. I could commute from home, but I may decide to live in residence in order to get the full experience."
"I come from a bilingual family: my father is French-Canadian, my mother Anglophone. I am fully bilingual so Glendon is an obvious choice. I hope to study psychology and drama, two subjects that complement each other and are offered on this campus," said Hamilton resident Natalie Therrien.
"My plan is to become a French immersion teacher and I consider Glendon a great place for preparing towards this career. Although I already knew quite a lot about this college, I found the sessions very informative, providing useful additional facts," said Aurora French immersion student Alex Ohayon. " I think the campus is really beautiful, a lovely place to study."
Left: High-school student Tiera Reynolds (left) with her family enjoyed visiting Glendon
Professors and staff at the Information Fair reported that prospective students were well-prepared with questions demonstrating their deep interest in making the right choices. But there was fun as well. Guests were treated to free popcorn and fortune cookies announcing that luck, happiness and success awaited everyone at Glendon. The recruitment team's technical prowess was displayed by the special Fall Campus Day and post-event Web site, which also featured a survey inviting participants to comment on the event. The responses indicate that campus tours, which included a look at actual residence rooms, were an important factor in their satisfaction of the day. The morning's information sessions were also received with enthusiasm.
This event represents one of the first steps in the annual recruitment program. Next events include academic coffee houses, Webcasts, parents' evenings and the March Break Open House in the spring.
This article was submitted to YFile by Glendon's communications officer Marika Kemeny.