As fall settles in, many high school seniors are finalizing one of the biggest decisions of their young lives – choosing where they will attend college. Indiana University Northwest welcomed those prospective students to its Fall Open House, where staff, faculty, and current IU Northwest students showcased all that is on offer at the institution.
Hosted on Saturday October 21, the open house included guided tours of the campus, including its state-of-the-art Arts and Sciences Building. After the tours, attendees could speak with representatives from many of IU Northwest’s schools and programs, such as Social Work, Computer Information Systems & Informatics, Nursing, Biology, Performing Arts, and more.
“This is important. It gives prospective students and their parents a real opportunity to see what we have on offer,” said Antoine Hawkins, admissions counselor at IU Northwest. “You can’t get an actual picture of things just by looking through a book or seeing it on the internet. I always hear people shocked by our extensive programming and how beautiful the campus is. That’s why I always encourage people to come and see it firsthand.”
The open house also featured a pair of discussions, College 101 Parent Edition and the Student Panel. Dr. Dorothy Frink, interim vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at IU Northwest, helped coordinate the event.
“What I hope these students walk away with is a view of IU Northwest that they didn’t have before,” she said. “A lot of the time, students can take for granted a school that’s right in their neighborhood. They just think it’s the school down the street and don’t realize the academic strength and power of IU Northwest.”
Frink noted that applying to IU Northwest is free, and nearly 75% of students receive some sort of financial aid. Many open house attendees even filled out their applications at the event itself.
“Sometimes you’ll see a prospective student come to the open house, then you’ll see them on a visit,” she said. “Then, you see them again as a full student on campus and you get excited because you realize you probably opened the door for them to see that they too can go to college.”
University Chancellor Ken Iwama also attended the open house and spoke directly with prospective students. He highlighted that attending IU Northwest offers all the credibility and prestige of the Indiana University name, combined with the advantages of a smaller, local campus.
“IU Northwest gives you the power to dream,” said Ken Iwama. “We’re unique as a regional campus because we’re smaller. When you’re smaller, students are less of a number and more of a person. We have smaller class sizes here, and that means more personal attention and personalized support.”
To learn more about Indiana University Northwest or to schedule a visit, see iun.edu/visit. High school seniors must be admitted by December 1st and register for classes by June 1st in order to receive scholarships.
