Each fall, high school seniors and other prospective students flock to campus to explore the plethora of opportunities N.C. State has to offer at the University Open House.

The event is a free and sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Carmichael Gymnasium and the Talley Student Center, prospective students, parents and school counselors visited campus to learn more about the largest public university in the state.

Students from all departments on campus were available to provide information about various aspects of campus life, the admissions process and much more.

“Crowded” was the most common word used to describe the event, according to Kristen Power, a high school senior.

In past years, more than 7,000 people attended the open house annually, according to Kent Hester, the open-house committee chair of welcoming and entertainment.

He also indicated that 2,000 students pre-registered for the event, which is more than years past. He estimated that between 6,000 and 8,000 guests attended the event this year.

The open house committee advertised the event as it sent individual mailers to thousands of prospective students in North Carolina and surrounding states.

Hester said the committee sent the mailers to recipients based on standardized test scores.

The committee also notified local newspapers as well as the general public in Raleigh and surrounding areas.

“It is essential for State to advertise in different means to reach every potential student,” Hester said.

Upon arrival to the event, student volunteers gave high school students and parents a program to highlight the multitude of activities throughout the day.

Meredith McBride, a freshman in textile technology, was one of the volunteers greeting the visitors.

“My job was to welcome everyone, answer questions and direct people on which way to go,” McBride said.

Air Force ROTC students were on-hand directing traffic all morning and afternoon for the event.

Kristen Gore, a sophomore in meteorology and statistics was directing traffic to raise money for the AFROTC. She directed traffic from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“I am just looking forward to the pizza afterwards,” Gore said, after a long morning motioning cars along Dunn Avenue.

The relatively short event included activities so students could learn about all the opportunities offered on campus.

Prospective students were able to get a quick glimpse of campus during tours guided by student ambassadors. The tours began at the fountain behind the Talley Student Center.

At various times throughout the morning and afternoon, admissions information sessions took place at Stewart Theatre to inform prospective students of the admissions process.

For students interested, bus tours were also available for visitors to view Centennial Campus.

Students recognized the importance of open house to high school students.

“It is really nice to be able to look at prospective students and get them excited about the opportunities here,” Devki Gharpure, a junior in architecture, representing the University Honors Program, said.

Students from colleges such as design, education, engineering, First Year College, management, textiles, agriculture and life sciences, humanities and social sciences, natural resources, physical and mathematical sciences, veterinary medicine and more were available to answer questions from prospective students and parents.

Several of the University’s departments on campus were also present, such as campus housing and dining.

Students play a “vital role” in open house and without them this event would not take place, according to Hester.

“Students from various colleges [staffed] tables and [interacted] with [prospective] students,” he said.

Located between Carmichael and Talley, 25 student groups hosted a student organization fair.

Among those groups was the Association of African American Student Educators, whose members were selling breakfast items to raise money for their organization.

“It is a good experience, a lot of prospective students asked questions about the club and what we are involved in,” Shanta Lightfoot, a junior in middle grades education, and president of the AAASE, said.

To keep parents and students entertained throughout the day, several student groups performed.

The singing group Ladies in Red kicked off the day at 9:30 a.m., and the Wolfpack Majorettes concluded the event with a performance.

“I enjoyed the entertainment [the performances] added to open house,” Erin Hardin a high school senior, said.

Hardin watched the Grains of Time perform songs such as “Under the Boardwalk” by the Drifters and Alabama’s “I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why).”

Grains of Time, a men’s a cappella group, was a crowd favorite, according to Hardin.

Hester said he believes entertainment is an important aspect of open house because it “keeps a festive atmosphere and showcases what our student groups offer on campus.”

Hester indicated open house aims to show prospective students a behind-the-scenes look of the University.

“N.C. State has the reputation of not having the most attractive campus,” Hester said. “I hope that open house shows prospective students and parents that State is about a lot more than simply the way the campus looks.”