Summer DelaWorld set June 22-July 20

DelaWorld student leaders work together assembling information packets in the Trabant University Center. In foreground (from left) are Tyrone Jeffress, Stephanie Quiros, Adam Rosen and Andrew Swiatowicz. Faces visible in background are those of Owen Mullin, Holly Ungerbuehler, Alli Garwood and Kristi Strand.

4:29 p.m., June 10, 2004--While summer may offer a break for many UD students, DelaWorld leaders pick up the pace during June and July.

In preparation for this summer's DelaWorld, which runs weekdays from Tuesday, June 22, through Tuesday, July 20, some 15 DelaWorld guides are busy training for the campus tours and compiling the information packets that will orient approximately 9,000 visitors—3,600 incoming students and their parents.

Scheduled weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., the one-day DelaWorld programs are designed to give both students and parents an overview of campus life and provide them with firsthand advice regarding the academic and social challenges that lie ahead.

“Some of the most valuable learning experiences that I had were outside the classroom, either during a professor’s office hours or in a club or campus organization,” DelaWorld leader Alli Garwood said. A 2004 graduate from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Garwood has been a DelaWorld leader for three summers. “I make sure that prospective students know that there are many resources here on campus for them and that they should take advantage of them all.”

Natalie Gempesaw-Pangan, a sophomore communication major, concurred, adding that the extracurricular involvement often leads to even greater opportunities. “Students should get involved with an extracurricular activity, whether it be a club, sport or study-abroad program,” she said. “This allows [a student] to meet tons of different people and [to] feel more comfortable in this new environment.”

Tyrone Jeffress, a junior majoring in electrical engineering, said he typically begins with practical advice for incoming students. “Usually, students will ask questions about how many meals to get per week,” he said. “I tell students that once or twice a week they’ll probably rather eat on Main Street or order pizza than go to the dining hall.”

Parents, on the other hand, Jeffress said, are usually concerned about money. “Typically, they ask questions about how Flex and about how WSFS accounts work.”

To address their differing concerns, separate parent and student tours depart from the Trabant University Center at 8:15 a.m., after a continental breakfast, and each audience then attends specific programs throughout the morning. A noon rendezvous, with a complimentary lunch, allows everyone to reunite before the afternoon programs, which again are geared for separate student and parent needs.

Free University parking with validation is provided for attendees, and all incoming freshmen and their parents are strongly encouraged to attend the program.

For more information on DelaWorld, including tips for a successful college career, visit [www.udel.edu/admissions/viewbook/delaworld/] or call Mike McCloskey, admissions counselor and DelaWorld director, at 831-8125.

Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photo by Kevin Quinlan

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