Preview Day 2013 brought 1,500 potential students and their guests to campus on Saturday, Nov. 2. 

About 2,000 students originally signed up to attend the event, said Julie Taylor, associate director of admissions.

“This number is higher than last year’s and is definitely one of the highest we’ve had in the past five years,” Taylor said.

Preview Day is designed to give high school students an overview of the college experience and what it encompasses, Taylor said. 

Potential students have the opportunity to tour the campus and residence halls and to attend information sessions, which cover topics such as career planning, financial aid and scholarships, the first-year college experience and the study abroad program. Students were also able to browse an academic and student organization fair.

“The academic and student organization browse fair was very beneficial because it showed me so many options that I have to choose from if I decide to attend UNA,” said Cherokee High School junior Amanda Marquart, a preview day attendee.   

Preview Day guests were also given free admission to the UNA – West Alabama football game Saturday afternoon, Taylor said.

“It was just a perfect day — the weather was perfect, UNA won the football game, our scholarship winner was there and attendance was great,” Taylor said.  

Marquart enjoyed the game, she said.

“The game was so much fun,” Marquart said. I love the sense of tradition that is shown at UNA.”

Director of Admissions Kim Mauldin said those who attend Preview Day would not get a lot of one-on-one time, but that the purpose of Preview Day is to provide them with an overview of campus.  

“If they [potential students] come back for a more personalized visit, they will get a look at what it’s like to be a student and will get that one on one time to get their more specific questions answered,” Mauldin said.  

Potential undergraduate applicants that like what they see will be admitted to the university based solely upon their academic performance, Mauldin said.

“We admit entering freshman based on high school information, transfer students based on high school and the transcript from their previous institutions and both based on ACT scores,” Mauldin said. “It has nothing to do with financial information such as income; it’s totally academic” 

Senior Chris Vogelpohl didn’t know of UNA having a policy for checking a student’s finances before admitting them, but that he really would not be surprised if they did, he said.

“I don’t think they look at finances when they decided whether you are accepted or not,” said UNA freshman Kamisha Garner.

Freshman Jonathan Barnett thought that demographics played a part in determining who would be admitted into the university, he said. In addition to academic performance, Barnett listed activities and services as other factors he thought were involved in the admissions process.

UNA Senior Tiffany Wallace thought that ACT scores were probably the biggest determinate of admission to the university, she said.