<p>When my D did her overnight, there were particular dates that overnights were offered. Admissions won’t set anything up for you on other dates - so check the Admissions website to see when overnights are offered in the fall. The deal was that you met your host around 4 pm, went with her to the dorm and to dinner and to whatever events she might have been going to that evening. Then you hang out, sleep on the floor (you’re supposed to bring a sleeping bag), and go to breakfast with your host in the morning. If you have more time, you can go with her to a class. (They also have Shadow Days where you do more of that type of thing.) My D knew that she was interested in the history department, so she looked at the class schedule online before our trip and found a class she was interested in visiting, then emailed the prof. The prof (the Dept. chair) was very receptive to having a visitor, and they also arranged to talk in her office for quite a while. My D did the same thing with the choir director. This wasn’t the easiest thing for her to do, but she was very glad she did…and it got easier as she did similar things at other campuses. You just have to put yourself out there!
In terms of how they match you with your host, I’m not sure what the process is. My D wound up hanging out with quite a few people in that hall, not just her official host, and she said they were all extremely friendly and made her feel very welcome. She wants to host overnights as a first year so maybe you’ll stay with her!</p>