Thirty-two Mount St. Mary juniors, along with two members of the MSM counseling staff, spent February 2-5 touring a handful of college campuses during the school’s annual College Trip. The four-day road trip – which included visits to a total of eight colleges and universities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee – provided students with the opportunity to explore a variety of campuses, speak with school admissions representatives and learn about some of the different college options that exist in the region.
“We had an excellent college trip this year,” Emily Coffey, MSM college counselor, said. “The students enjoyed learning about the different types of colleges, getting a peek into college life, and comparing the pros and cons of different institutions. They left the trip with a better idea of what size, type and location they prefer for college.”
Junior Ava Atwood, who participated in this year’s trip, agreed that the experience was a worthwhile one. “I chose to go on the trip to expand my knowledge about college,” she said. “I had a general idea of what college was like beforehand, but after attending eight totally different schools, I now have a much better understanding of what I am looking for in a college.”
The annual college trip ultimately aims to help Mount St. Mary students find success during the college search and application process by introducing them to the process before their senior year. “Visiting different types of colleges and universities during a student’s sophomore or junior year helps her narrow her college search, prepare for the application process, and understand the importance of her GPA and extracurricular commitments in high school,” Mrs. Coffey has said of the annual trip.
This year’s itinerary included visits to the following schools: Louisiana Tech University, Tulane University, Loyola University New Orleans, Louisiana State University, Millsaps College, Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi and Rhodes College.
A special part of the experience each year is getting the opportunity to visit with MSM alumnae at many of the colleges the group visits. Mount St. Mary Academy thanks Caroline Barnhill ’19 at Loyola New Orleans; Emma Holloway ’19 at LSU; Darcey Collins ’16 at Mississippi State; Dominique Darion ’14, Georgia McGahee ’18, Lindsey Taylor ’19 and Grace Webb ’19 at Ole Miss; and Anya Ranaraja ’19 at Rhodes College for their hospitality, which helped make the trip a memorable one for the participating students and counseling staff.
Mount St. Mary Academy, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, develops young women with a moral and intellectual foundation rooted in Catholic tradition. Mercy-minded and college-prepared, our students meet the future with wisdom, compassion and integrity.