Fly and Drive Weekend is an event hosted by the Goshen College Admissions Office to give current high school junior and prospective senior students a chance to travel over 100 miles to visit campus.
Students may receive partial reimbursement for their travel costs. For one official individual visit or one official visit event, GC will reimburse half of the transportation costs up to a maximum of $200.“This year, we have students visiting from the greater Midwest as well as Georgia, New Jersey, Oregon and many more states,” said Madison Swartzendruber, enrollment coordinator.
In 2020, Fly and Drive Weekend was put on hold due to COVID-19 concerns. Students were able to schedule digital or in-person visits but had to adhere to pandemic guidelines. Last year, the event was able to return in full, and now in 2022, with campus life mostly back to normal, GC is hosting approximately 15 to 20 prospective students.
Besides being listed as a visit option online, Swartzendruber cites the effort that goes into the event: “Our admissions counselors work hard to invite people to come visit campus via phone and email, especially for those who live further away and may have never been on campus before.”
The visit must be coordinated through the admissions office and include an individual appointment with a counselor or another admissions team member. Prospective students submit relevant receipts to their admissions counselor and are responsible for arranging their transportation.
Students will arrive late Thursday night or Friday morning, have the opportunity to tour campus, sit in classes and talk to professors. During a tour of Downtown Goshen, students will also have the chance to view a showing of Hocus Pocus.
On Saturday, prospective students can pursue the Goshen Farmers Market, explore Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center and attend a Goshen College Women’s soccer game against Huntington University.
“This event allows students who potentially do not have the opportunity to visit GC to actually visit and meet other prospective students, ” said Swartzendruber. “We have many students who fly and drive in from around the country and experience a full weekend of fun activities, class and other events.”
