Every summer, incoming students and their parents and guests arrive for Preview, Illinois State University’s two-day freshman orientation program. For some, it’s the first time they’ve stepped foot on campus. Preview helps them form a first impression of Illinois State.
“We do a variety of things, but we spend the majority of our time talking with students and guests, leading sessions, and answering questions,” said sophomore Preview guide Casey Walters, a creative technologies major from Sugar Grove. “A big part of it is just being welcoming and friendly, making them feel comfortable, and helping them mingle and get to know their peers.”
Appears InUniversity College (UC) runs the program, which hosted approximately 4,150 students and their guests over seven weeks last summer. New students attending Preview learn about the University, meet their academic advisor, get their Redbird ID card, and register for classes. Enrolled students serve as Preview guides, and some work behind the scenes in more senior roles.
The operation is overseen by UC Associate Director Corey Burgess, but she insists students are the stars of the team.
“Preview guides are the heart and soul of Preview,” Burgess said. “They bring energy and positivity throughout long days, and they share their passion for ISU with students and their families. They are quick problem-solvers, empathetic, inclusive, and they have great senses of humor.”
Guides are also trained extensively in answering wide-ranging questions. “We’re referral experts,” Walters said. “We may have a really random question that we don’t have an answer for, but we try to be able to respond with ‘here’s their website’ or ‘here’s their email’ or ‘here’s where to find their office.’”
Preview often serves as the moment when the transition from high school to college becomes a reality, and that realization often comes when students detach from their parents—there is separate programming for them—and head off with newfound peers.
The hope is that students feel supported from all directions at Illinois State, and that starts at Preview. Many current Preview guides sought their roles because they had such positive Preview experiences.
“There were people that really wanted to get to know me,” recalled Ashley Willis, a senior elementary education major from Chicago, who graduated from Preview guide to reservation coordinator last summer. “It wasn’t just throwing all this information at you. You could tell they cared.”
That feeling is expressed one final time in handwritten postcards from Preview guides to their student attendees. “We write personalized messages, telling them we enjoyed having them participate in an icebreaker activity or letting them know we hope they do well in the major they told us about,” Walters said. “Everyone puts their own personal touch on it.”
The power of Preview is evidenced by a simple stat: More than 98% of attendees are enrolled students on census day in the fall semester. But beyond the stats are the relationships built and the sense of community formed from that first impression of Illinois State.
Last year as a Preview guide, Willis encountered a new student who seemed nervous and hesitant to participate. Willis started a conversation with him and learned he was a first-generation student who was feeling overwhelmed.
“It hit home for me because I was the same way,” Willis said. “I had felt the same range of emotions he was going through.”
Willis made a priority of checking in with the student throughout Preview. She made sure he had a class schedule and had made an appointment with the Financial Aid Office.
A couple months later, she bumped into him on campus. No longer withdrawn, he thanked her.
“It just made my day to know that I made an impact on him,” Willis said. “He reminded me of myself, coming here alone and needing some help. So, it really just made me happy to know that I was able to help him.”
