NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University welcomed 441 prospective students and family members to campus for N-Side View Day, where visitors explored academic programs, toured campus and learned about student life and the admissions process.
Thirty-four prospective students submitted applications during the event, and many received an admission decision while still on campus, according to university officials. Students and families also met with representatives from academic programs and student organizations and learned about housing and financial aid.
The event began with check-in and browsing in Alost Hall, where visitors could explore university programs and resources before moving into academic sessions and other campus activities.
Presidential Ambassadors were among the NSU students who helped prospective students and their families navigate the day. Alexa Metternich of Walker, a junior biology major and Presidential Ambassador, said ambassadors give campus tours, answer questions and help visitors learn more about the university.
“They are getting a day in the life of a student,” Metternich said. “They get to ask questions, share any concerns, talk to financial aid, anything that they want to know before they come here.”
Metternich said visiting campus gives prospective students an opportunity to see the university firsthand and talk directly with current students, faculty and staff.
“I think it’s helpful just to get a real-life perspective of it,” Metternich said. “You don’t know what something looks like until you are actually here, and I feel like it’s so important to actually see it and meet the people to get a conversation out of it.”
For Franklinton High School senior Alandria Warner, N-Side View Day was an opportunity to explore a university that was already familiar to her family. Her brother, Jakobie McCormick, is currently an NSU student.
“My brother goes to Northwestern, and I was just trying to check it out and see if I like it too,” Warner said.
Warner, who is considering studying radiologic sciences, said visiting campus helped her better understand the opportunities available to students outside the classroom.
“It’s a very community-type of campus, and I really enjoy that,” Warner said. “It gives me a better perspective of the things I could be involved in and maybe some clubs and stuff I would get into when I get here.”
Her mother, Sameria Warner, said her son’s experience at Northwestern influenced the family’s interest in having Alandria consider the university.
“Knowing that when Jakobie came here, the experience he got from Northwestern and the family environment he got from it, as a parent, it meant a lot,” Sameria Warner said. “I would really love for her to actually come here so she can experience the same thing he has been experiencing.”
She said meeting faculty, staff and students during N-Side View Day gave the family a closer look at what Alandria could expect as a student.
“Just the embracing of the students and how the faculty is actually welcoming everyone in and giving them details of what they can experience here, it’s just awesome,” Sameria Warner said.