More than 1,500 prospective students, guests expected to attend More to Explore

Alexis Egeland thought she would study at a small college near the beach in her home state of California. The aspiring journalist’s mother suggested she attend More to Explore to check out Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

“I thought it sounded amazing, but wasn't totally sold on going out of state and leaving my friends, family and the beach,” said Egeland, 18.

Her Presidents Day visit to the Downtown Phoenix campus last year convinced the Rancho Cucamonga native that Cronkite was the right college for her.

“The things that I got to experience at More to Explore are the things that I get to do every day as a student here at ASU,” she said “I was expecting to get to see a couple of facilities and maybe get to sit in on a class. But I was taught how to operate a news camera and sit behind the anchor desk, reading the news. It was really what set Cronkite apart and made me fall in love with the school.”

Alayna Mallory, 19, from Queen Creek, Arizona, felt the same way.

“I learned a lot about how I would pay for tuition and what scholarships to apply for,” the Perry High School alumna said. “I got to sit in on a design class, tour the library and talk to tons of current ASU students. Everyone I came in contact with was so kind and helpful.”  

More to Explore is a choose-your-own-experience visit program for high school and transfer students. This event allows students to build their own schedules for the day. They can choose from academic, admission and financial aid sessions; campus, housing and facility tours, including lab spaces, libraries and the Sun Devil Fitness Centers; Barrett, The Honors College information sessions and tours; and student engagement opportunities. The event boasts more than 300 activities and sessions, and it takes place across four campuses located in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

High school students who are admitted to Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, Tempe or West campus also have the opportunity to spend the night in a residence hall on Sunday, Feb. 14.

“More to Explore secured my decision to attend ASU because of how welcome I felt,” Mallory said.

Her overnight visit at the Tempe campus was a highlight of the experience. “I stayed in McClintock Hall with an extremely nice young woman who answered all of my questions and introduced me to tons of new people.”

More to Explore is ASU’s single largest recruitment event throughout the year, hosting more than 1,500 students and their families over two days. The Downtown Phoenix campus will host events on Sunday, Feb. 14, while the other ASU locations will have their More to Explore activities on Presidents Day, Feb. 15.

Matt Ellis, executive director of Admission Services, hopes each student leaves the event confident in their decisions to become Sun Devils.

“Simply put, we intend to have students fall in love with ASU. It is Valentine’s Day weekend after all,” he said.

Egeland says her experience at More to Explore was an honest glimpse at her life as a freshman at the Cronkite School.

“My first semester, I took three major-specific classes and worked behind the scenes on Cronkite News, which is broadcast weeknights to thousands of homes across Arizona. Now, in my second semester, I am taking two major-specific classes, I work two jobs on the State Press [the ASU student-run newspaper], and I work twice a week on the news show.

“If you want a school that will help you do what you love from the day you move in, ASU is the place for you.”

Mallory, now a communications and English literature double major, encourages students to tour every residence hall available to their major and “don’t be afraid to ask any questions.”

“Even if you aren’t totally sure what you want to do, go to a couple sessions for anything that interests you,” she added.

To learn more or register for More to Explore, visit more2explore.asu.edu.