Saturday Open House Reception Programs
The Saturday Reception Programs were developed in response to the increasing need for families to be able to fit a college campus visit into their busy schedules. For some families, taking the time to visit a campus during the work/school week is simply not an option.
The Saturday Reception Programs are designed as a group presentation format. While the groups are typically not large, the Saturday programs are, by their nature, less intimate than the one-on-one weekday visits. Still, we try our best to address each families concerns and see to it that they leave campus with as many of their questions answered as possible.
Spring 2010 Saturday Reception Programs
Saturday, February 20th
Saturday, March 20th
Scheduling a Visit
If you would like to register for a Reception Program or personal visit, call the Admissions Office at 1 800 765-4875, e-mail us at upjquest@pitt.edu, or register on-line!
Saturday Reception Program Agenda
| 9:00-9:30 | Light Refreshments and Registration |
| 9:30-10:30 | General Campus Overview Presentation |
| 10:30-10:45 | Break and Door Prize Drawing |
| 10:45-11:15 | Student Panel Discussion |
| 11:15-12:30 | Guided Campus Tour |
| 12:30- | Conclusion of Program and Individual Question and Answer Session |
Refreshments and Registration
There will be a light continental breakfast available for visitors. Admissions representatives will check your name against a list of those that have registered for the program. We ask that you pre-register for the Saturday Reception Programs so that we can prepare for the appropriate number of guests.
General Campus Overview
An Admissions staff member will spend some time addressing the group. They will cover topics such as the college selection process, the campus, what Pitt-Johnstown has to offer, a brief overview of the financial aid process, scholarship review,and the application process.
Break and Door Prizes
We will give you a chance to stretch your legs and help yourself to more of the refreshments. There will also be a drawing of Pitt-Johnstown items. Just our way of saying thank you for visiting campus.
Student Panel
This has been one of our more successful additions to the Saturday Reception Programs. Prospective students and their families are given a chance to ask questions of a small group of current Pitt-Johnstown students. The questions are only limited by what the families want to ask. Typically, if one visitor asks a question, several others were also thinking of the same question.
Keep in mind, these are real students being asked questions about all aspects of life on campus, and responding with honest, unscripted answers. We have found that this exchange is very helpful in addressing students' genuine concerns about college.
Guided Campus Tours
We think we have a great campus at Pitt-Johnstown, and like to show it off. The Admissions Office benefits from the efforts of a group of dedicated student tour guides. These are current Pitt-Johnstown students who volunteer their time to direct prospective students and their families around campus. These students are the real experts on campus. They live here, eat here, go to class here, and are only a couple of years older than the student visitors. They are very often the single best source of campus information.
A typical campus tour will:
- Typically include only 2 or 3 families
- Be a walking tour of campus
- Take about 50 minutes to complete
- Walk through all academic buildings on campus
- Point out student service offices on campus
- Take the families inside a Freshman dorm room
- Include a visit to a Sophomore level dorm room
- Point out all other (upperclass) housing
- Depart from and return to the Blackington Hall lobby
- Provide an informal forum for asking questions
We are proud of our student tourguides and the job that they do. We understand that the campus tour is a key factor in many students' decision, and want it to be as pleasant an experience as possible.
Individual Question and Answers
As the tours return to the Lobby of Blackington Hall, the Admissions Staff will be available to answer any questions that were not addressed either by the presentation or the campus tour.
Often, there is a question or concern that is either too specific or of too personal a nature to ask during the group sessions. The Admissions Staff will be happy to meet briefly with a family to answer any questions or to direct a student to the appropriate campus resource.