High school juniors already considering where they might attend college are invited to a Bluefield College Open House designed specifically for underclass students, Friday, April 15, starting at 9:30 a.m. in Harman Chapel.
“The junior year is the perfect time to start making college visits,” said BC’s Mark Hipes, director of traditional admissions. “Starting early gives students time to do their homework and prepare, and then the senior year is about finalizing those plans and preparing for college.”
A private Christian college located in the scenic Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia and surrounded by activity and stunning natural beauty, Bluefield College is dedicated to helping students explore, find, nurture, and live their passion. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and ranked among the Top 50 Colleges in the South by U.S. News and World Report, BC’s academic and co-curricular programs are designed to transform students’ lives by integrating liberal arts with career-oriented studies and service to God and the global community.
The April 15 Junior Open House will give students and their parents an opportunity to learn more about the college through campus tours, information sessions, and interaction with current students, professors and administrators.
Through an Academic Fair, the prospective students can learn more about the college’s 22 majors of study, including business, teacher education, communications, exercise and sports science, criminal justice, behavioral science, Christian studies, fine arts, and the most recent additions in forensic science and graphic communication. In addition, students with a pre-med passion can learn more about BC’s transfer agreements with Virginia’s Edward Via Osteopathic School of Medicine and the Appalachian School of Pharmacy.
During a Coaches’ Corner session, prospective students with a passion for competition can learn more about Bluefield’s 14 intercollegiate sports teams, including men’s baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, and tennis; women’s basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball; and co-ed cheerleading. The college will begin competition in football in the fall of 2011, bringing its sports total to 15.
The Junior Open House Schedule also will feature a BC 360 session that will allow the visiting juniors to learn more about how current students nurture their passions for service and missions. Through ongoing efforts to be in service to God and the community, BC students have earned three consecutive designations on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll and a Five Star Service Award from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for exemplary character and service. In addition, in the past five years alone, BC students have participated in nine mission trips to Italy, Austria, Peru, China twice, South Africa, New York City, Brazil, and Europe.
Prospective students may also participate in campus tours to learn more about BC’s newest residence hall, East River Hall, a modern living-learning facility; a video conferencing facility that connects the school to academic environments around the world; 10 computer labs and 11 “SMART” classrooms with high-tech presentation devices, modern projection equipment, SMART Boards, computers, DVD players, and surround-sound audio systems; and a recently renovated Student Activities Center featuring a Coffeehouse setting and the Quick Shott Cafe.
The Junior Open House schedule also will include lunch and a performance by BC’s select student voice ensemble, Variations, one four voice ensembles on campus who with three instrumental music groups and two theatrical troupes make up the student performing arts collection.
“There are thousands of colleges and universities across the country, and students can get a good education at any one of them,” said Hipes. “But, success comes down to finding the right fit. Visiting campus is how a student can begin to determine that fit. We want to invite juniors to campus to see if they are BC bound.”
To register or for more information about BC’s Junior Open House, please contact the Bluefield College Admissions Office by phone at 800-872-0175 (x4231) or by e-mail at [email protected]