KPU welcomes future students at annual open house

Kwantlen Polytechnic University will open its doors to prospective students at the annual open house event this Saturday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Surrey campus, featuring interactive program-focused activities, booths, prizes, and a variety of entertainment. 

Attendees will receive a swag bag at the door and can experience a range of activities such as using a printing press and trying wheel throwing from the fine arts program, a patient simulator from the faculty of health, and use of virtual reality. 

The event is free to attend, however prior online registration is recommended through KPU’s website. Those who register will be entered to win prizes including a tuition waiver, B.C. Lions tickets, and AirPods, says event lead Gursharan Aujla.

Participants can also go on a scavenger hunt where tickets can be collected from booths — collecting 10 tickets provides a chance to win a Samsung tablet. 

“We want all guests to visit as many booths and as many faculties, departments, and service areas that are activating for the open house,” Aujla says. 

The first 300 registered guests can receive catering from Nandos, along with complementary Coca-Cola refreshments set up in the Maple Building, Aujla says. 

“This is a place where we want to be able to showcase what KPU has to offer so that we can be their choice of post-secondary,” says Kim McGill, manager of community engagement and major events. 

“When we’re giving away free tuition, it’s a great opportunity to make sure we can help them get a leg up on the cost of their potential courses here.” 

Campus tours will run every half hour throughout the day, and the organizing team is planning a range of surprise entertainment for guests. 

“We’ve got some entertainment happening, some kind of roving entertainment as well. I don’t want to ruin all of it, so I want to create some anticipation that people don’t want to miss it,” McGill says. 

While they do not want to give too much away, event lead Silvana Sulstarova says there will be a DJ in the courtyard, an Indigenous performer, an acupuncture demonstration, and a chemistry experiment called “elephant toothpaste,” which she says people will have to see for themselves. 

She also says a sensory-free zone will be set up in the Cedar building conference room, away from the main events happening in the Maple, Fir, and Spruce buildings, as well as the courtyard. 

While the event is for prospective student recruitment, organizers encourage current students looking to explore other programs at KPU to attend as well. 

“We’re really big in making sure that students can progress to the next option,” McGill says. “They may have come for perhaps a citation, certificate, or a two-year diploma, but not realize they could ladder into a degree. So it certainly helps with retention of our current student base.” For more information and to register for the event, visit www.kpu.ca/openhouse.