The daytime portion of the visit is open to family members as well, and 863 parents and siblings accompanied the students during the past year. Both parents and potential students are after pretty much the same information. The parents want to be sure of the quality of the education, too. They are very concerned about things like the retention effort. The Freshman Experience is very appealing to the parents, and I think it kind of turns the corner for some families.
Parents are also very concerned about safety issues.
Because of its urban location, Georgia Tech suffers from some misapprehensions about the nature of the campus, she said, and that's a notion the overnight program helps dispel. While the program is growing rapidly, officials still want to expand it to reach as many of the nation's top prospects as possible and that's where alumni come into the picture. We certainly want their assistance in identifying great students and then letting us help them recruit those students to Georgia Tech. Program costs cover meals, special tours, program materials and recreation for the students. Amateur champion Matt Kuchar hit the road to Hollywood in July, appearing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.