[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/welcomeday05.jpg” caption=”Students gather in the McMaster University Students Centre atrium during Welcome Day 2004.”]Nearly 2,000 visitors – about 700 of which will be incoming first-year McMaster students – will descend upon campus this Friday for Welcome Day.

“Welcome Day is part of McMaster's undergraduate orientation and is designed to help students feel more prepared for their move to McMaster three weeks later,” says Danielle Stayzer, First Year Experience manager. “Students and parents will leave understanding more about what to expect from first year university and will also have a better sense of what the McMaster community is about and start to feel a part of it.”

Welcome Day, she adds, helps new students and their parents understand the transitional issues they may face in moving from high school to university and begin introducing students and their families to the McMaster campus, community and support services.

The schedule of the day includes presentations about transitional issues both in and out of the classroom, financial matters students must be aware of and what to expect living on campus and off campus. There is an information booth fair with many different support services represented, such as Student Affairs units, MSU Services, Security, CIS and Telecom. There are also library tours, residence tours, bus tours of the local community and other activities that will help students feel more prepared.

For more information about Welcome Day and a schedule of the day visit http://fye.mcmaster.ca/welcomeday/.

Parking will be free for the day and visitors will be directed to Zone 6/7, with shuttles bringing them to main campus.

Close to 80 volunteers will help greet and direct visitors around campus and assist with the day.

“It is important that students and parents attend so they can become more familiar with the campus, develop realistic expectations around coming to McMaster, understand more about the support services that are available to students, meet upper year students, Student Affairs staff, Faculty staff and Academic Advisors,” says Stayzer. “They will leave feeling more prepared for their first year of university which will set them up for a successful year.”