While most students consider Preview Day an event for prospective students, there are many opportunities for current students to have fun, too.

Preview Day is UNA’s largest student recruiting event of the year with thousands of students and their families attending each year.

“Preview Day is all about recruiting and students are the most powerful recruiting tool,” said Director of Student Engagement Tyler Thompson.

The university invites high school students and college transfer students to the event each fall, said Associate Director of Admissions Julie Taylor.

“It’s just an opportunity for them to come to campus, get a taste of our student organizations and our academic programs, but it’s also a fun day,” she said.

Over the years, the event has grown, and Taylor said she expects their largest turnout this year. Over 3,000 students and their families attended last year.

“Our largest preview day that we ever had was last year,” she said. “We hope that it’s even bigger this year.”

Preview Day is special because not only do prospective students get to learn more about UNA’s academics and learn more about financial aid, but they can experience a typical game day Saturday on campus.

This is where current students play a large role in the event, she said.

Every year, there is a Registered Student Organization browse fair so students can learn more about getting involved on campus, Taylor said.

“We hope that student organizations will want to come and showcase what all they have to offer to prospective students,” she said.

She said registering your student organization for the event helps students learn about the diversity of opportunity at UNA.

“If you have a university and don’t have a campus life, you might as well do an online school,” Thompson said. “It’s important that we display what we have for students.”

LaGrange Society ambassadors give tours and lead prospective students and their families throughout campus, but current students do not necessarily have to be part of a certain group to get involved.

“We welcome anybody who would like to help with preview day and even if they’re not interested in helping, but just creating the atmosphere that is UNA,” she said.

“Students walking from the residence halls to go get breakfast at Chick-fil-A or just showing what a normal student would do on a normal Saturday of a football game is what preview day is all about. (We want) prospective students get to see that.”

Sophomore and LaGrange Society member Chandon Hines said she thinks current students should show their school spirit on Preview Day.

She also said she thinks local high school students should attend Preview Day.

“Even though I’m from Florence, I’d never really taken a tour of campus,” she said. “The LaGrange Society members really made it sound like it’s awesome and it definitely is.”