Spring Visit, an annual Oklahoma Christian University tradition, offers high school seniors a glimpse of higher education through the eyes of the students, faculty and staff on campus.
Campus Visit Coordinator Daniella Rayner said the university hosts hundreds of students and their families during the weekend full of activities. Rayner said the school encourages visitors to participate in a variety of events, which each embody the energy of Oklahoma Christian.
“We have close to 400 people on campus,” Rayner said. “You get to see Spring Sing, the academics, student life and the spiritual aspects of our campus. You’re getting the whole shebang.”
According to Rayner, Oklahoma Christian faculty, staff and students work together to make the event a success. She said the overall goal of the weekend is to make potential students feel welcome and cared for.
“We want them to feel special when they come to campus,” Rayner said. “That’s our main purpose, we want them to love this place and call it home. That’s my favorite part.”
Junior Erin Hairston said her parents encouraged her to attend Spring Visit in 2014 because she was unsure of where to attend college. She said after the visit she fell in love with Oklahoma Christian. Hairston also said the atmosphere and community on campus were unique compared to other schools and helped her see the positive aspects of the university and its people.
“Spring Visit made me fall in love with the school,” Hairston said. “I remember walking around campus and seeing all the students and faculty just excited. I just felt very important and I felt like I had already been here for years — it just felt so normal.”
Hairston said Spring Visit was her first opportunity to watch Spring Sing. In fact, she said her family had not planned to attend the show, but bought tickets after experiencing the excitement it created on campus.
“Everyone was literally freaking out about a weird show where you dress up crazy and the act exact same as everyone else and sing and dance, but I loved it,” Hairston said.
After Spring Visit, Hairston said she had a clear idea of the campus she was going to make her home for the next four years. She said Oklahoma Christian allowed her to experience a college visit, which showed her both the serious and silly aspects of the university.
“Spring Visit is unlike any other college visit,” Hairston said. “It shows you a part of the college life that is so crazy and fun. I really saw how the entire campus and community came together, and it made this whole ‘OC is Home’ thing real — not just another tagline to try to convince me to come here. It makes everything real and exciting.”
According to Hairston, she believed Oklahoma Christian would have a positive influence on her future. She said she knew she had found a special school.
“I decided to come to Oklahoma Christian, because of how much emphasis OC places on community and faith,” Hairston said. “I wanted to go somewhere that would make me a better person academically, emotionally and spiritually, and that is what I found here. Everywhere you go, there are incredible people who push you to be more like Jesus and to love others.”
Associate Director of Admissions Jancy Scott said this year marks the 16th Spring Visit she has been involved in. She said it is a great opportunity for potential students to see everything the campus has to offer.
“Whenever I was a student and I came to visit, I loved the energy of campus,” Scott said. “I loved meeting other students that were not from my town — people that I would never have met before. We’ll have people from anywhere between New York and Portland coming to visit.”
Scott said she thinks Spring Visit is a great opportunity to begin feeling at home on Oklahoma Christian’s campus. She said students can ask questions, get involved and find out where they fit in.
“Spring Visit is a lot of fun and I think everyone should come if they can,” Scott said. “Going to Spring Sing, being part of everything and coming to campus as much as possible is going to make you feel at home here”
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