Seniors Reflect on their Favorite College Visits
January 18, 2018
Photo Credit: Tabitha Rucker/Achona Online
According to Academy’s student handbook, juniors and seniors are allowed up to four days for college visits during school time.
Many factors come into play when choosing the right college: How far is it from home? How much is tuition? How rigorous is the work? What is the sports life like? The best way to find answers to all of these questions is going on a college visit. Though going on college visits are not required, they are very much encouraged because actually being on the campus can influence one’s interest in the college.
Gillian Garcia (‘18) says, “My favorite college visit was Xavier University. I enjoyed the Open House because it was very informative yet fun. I got to meet with the students and also the professors, and they were super kind and welcoming. They were excited that I was considering their school.”
Garcia says, “Advice that I would give to underclassmen about college visits is to be very open. I was going in for Xavier not knowing anything about it and I ended up loving the school so much I almost did not want to leave.”
In July of 2017, Aleeza Garcia (‘18) visited Johnson and Wales which is located in Providence, Rhode Island.
“I did a program where I spent the night in the dorms and did different things on campus, so I got a feel for the whole college experience. I think visiting the colleges is definitely beneficial because you might like what you see, but when you walk on campus it might be completely different than what you had expected.”
Johnson and Wales is the largest food service educator in the world.
Pwania Taylor (‘18) attended “A Day in the Life at Spelman” at Spelman College located in Atlanta, Georgia.
Taylor says, “I liked the tour because there were students that not only stated facts about the school but also gave their own personal experiences. Before you go to a college visit, research and find questions to ask admissions officers or tour guides.”
Spelman College is the #1 HBCU (Historically Black College or University) in America.
Haley Palumbo (’18) reflects on her visit to the University of California saying, “I really liked the idea of going to California because that’s where my mom is from and I lived there briefly so it feels like home to me. It makes me happy just being there and I want that “being happy just being there” feeling in a college. You are your best judgement, listen to yourself.”
The University of California is the world’s leading public research university system.