preparing for the college experience
2018 college Road Trip story and photos by E. Lane Gresham
Class of 2019 visits six colleges in three days
M
uch like the college admissions process, it all starts with the numbers. Sixty-three juniors, eight chaperones, six colleges, three days and two bus drivers. These are the stats associated with a recent whirlwind tour of colleges for the Tallulah Falls School Class of 2019. This group of motivated Tallulah Falls School students experienced the first-ever grand tour of several higher education options available in Georgia. Colleges on the itinerary included Augusta University, Georgia Southern University, College of Coastal Georgia, Savannah College of Art and Design, Mercer University and Georgia College. The goal of the trip was to introduce students to a variety of college options – small, large, private, public and specialty schools. These students, along with their families, are already taking proactive steps toward a successful future by investing in the college preparatory program in place at TFS. This opportunity made tangible the variety of options well in advance of the fall of the senior year when college applications are first due.
4 • Tallulah Falls School MAGAZINE
“Students were exposed to a wide variety of academic pursuits from STEM to the arts and everything in between,” said college counselor Bobby Hammond III. “The biggest take-away for me was the students’ growth and perception change over a very short period of time.” Over the three days, the students, at first hesitant to personally interact with admissions reps, quickly warmed up to the chance to conduct on-site research. In addition to tours, information sessions and free t-shirts, TFS alumni currently enrolled at several of the colleges greeted the buses with enthusiasm. At the first stop, Zatrick Pearce, TFS Class of 2017, caught up with the group at the end of the tour. Pearce is a physics major at Augusta University and shared how the TFS experience prepared him for the college environment. “College has been easy, because I learned how and when to study,” Pearce said. “TFS made time management a key factor and I’m thankful for that. I was also so well-prepared in my math class and was one of the few students that finished with an ‘A.’ Coach Van [Hooser] made this possible. The number one thing I won’t forget are the memories I made... TFS was truly a blessing.”
