The University is preparing for a wave of potential students to visit this Presidents Day.

Since a number of high schools are off on Presidents Day, that’s when the University decides to host its biggest preview day of the year, said Gary Swegan, Director of Admissions.

Preview days are designed to showcase the campus to potential students, they also serve as ways for colleges to advertise themselves.

“We really want students to explore all the campus has to offer,” Swegan said.

Every college, such as the College of Business Administration and the College of Musical Arts, will have an open house on President’s Day.

Students touring the campus will be able to visit the multipurpose room in the Union, where each college will have a booth with representatives answering questions.

While each college is preparing to advertise itself to hordes of new students, Presidents Day isn’t typically the first visit for high school seniors, Swegan said.

More than 1,200 students visited last Presidents Day, and the Office of Admissions expects similar numbers this year, he said.

An inflated population won’t be enough to cancel classes, as the University wants visitors to view the campus in a realistic setting, Swegan said.

To handle the large numbers of visitors, the University will have 65 tour guides herding the masses.

A good tour can be the deciding factor when a student is choosing which university to attend, said Cristina Sanchez, Administrative Coordinator for campus tour guides.

“When [students] come on tours they fall in love,” Sanchez said. “That’s when campus guides come in, they can make a big impact.”

The University recently hired 48 new tour guides for 2013, said Mike Reilly, Student Tour Coordinator for the Office of Admissions.

“It’s exhilarating the impact you can have on a student as a tour guide,” Reilly said.

Like mail carriers, tour guides don’t shy away from bad weather. They are expected to participate in tours, regardless of the cold that plagues Bowling Green, Sanchez said.

“Tour guides are important because they can relate to potential students,” Sanchez said. “They’re a piece of the whole Presidents Day puzzle.”

Students may also see hundreds of people walking around with orange bags on Monday.

The bags are provided by the University Bookstore and are filled with supplies and brochures from the different colleges.

For example, a typical bag contains materials students will need for the day such as a pen, lanyard and folder. It’s up to the student to obtain brochures from the college they’re interested in, according to the Office of Admissions.

The contents of the bags are paid for by the University and the specific college providing the information, Swegan said.

“The orange bags are a convenience for the students,” he said.

The University hopes this preview day makes an impact on the potential students, Swegan said.

“The [Presidents Day] preview is a great event that gives the University a chance to tell their story,” he said.