The University of Arizona hosted its first ever Admitted Student Day on Saturday, inviting hundreds of high school students from all over the country to experience Wildcat culture. 

The event focused on students who have been admitted to the UA but haven’t made a decision to commit. In the midst of Spring Fling, the UA Mall was packed with resource fairs, games, campus tours and even a ZonaZoo virtual reality tour.

“We’ve invited them and their families to campus to try on a little bit of Wildcat life and see what it’s like to be a student here,” said Stefanie Basij, senior director for freshman recruitment and enrollment services. “So we have lectures, tours, labs [and] options to sign and commit today. Financial aid, NextSteps and all those types of workshops are available for them today so that, with their families, they can decide if the UA is the right fit for them.”

Following an opening ceremony at McKale Center, prospective students were given the opportunity to attend four different breakout sessions, which included a variety of lectures, tours, resources and social activities that they could customize based on their interests and needs.

“I hope they have the opportunity to see the breadth of academic resources that we offer here, that they make connections with the staff that are volunteering and all of the offices that are out being represented,” Basij said. “We hope we’re able to answer all their questions as their getting ready to make a really big decision about where to go to college.”

Scott Laferriere, an undergraduate and volunteer for the event, said this is a great way for potential students to meet new people, engage in campus activities and learn more about everything the campus has to offer.

“We really just want to give them the Arizona experience, so they can see what it would be like and honestly just fall in love with our campus,” Laferriere said.

Katelyn Wildman, also a student volunteer for Admitted Student Day, reminisced about when she first decided to enroll at the UA and how experiencing the culture made it easy for her to decide:

“When I was a senior in high school, what really got me to commit was the campus itself and just walking around, meeting the people and seeing the campus culture,” she said. “I think what’s really cool about today is that it’s centered around students who will possibly be freshman here next years, so you could be eating lunch next to someone who could become your roommate.”

During the event, Katherine Garcia-Smith, a senior in high school from Coolidge, Arizona, decided to officially commit to the UA. She said she’s excited to study business economics and become a member of the ZonaZoo in the fall.

“I’ve been on the fence about it this whole year, but I came to a campus tour of the UA a couple months ago, and I just fell in love,” Garcia-Smith said. “I love how traditional the campus is and how everything is so close and tight knit. I feel like this is the place where I’m going to go and make lifelong friends.”

Like Garcia-Smith, Admitted Student Day helped many students lock in their decisions and officially become UA Wildcats. Prospective students still have until June 1, to apply and until the end of the summer to decide if they want to make the UA their college home.