Future Tigers filled the University Center on Saturday morning as the University of Memphis welcomed high school students and their families for Fall Preview Day, an event designed to introduce prospective students to college life at the U of M. The program ran from 8 to 10 a.m.
Fall Preview Day gives high schoolers a firsthand look at the campus through guided tours and opportunities to speak with faculty from various academic departments. Students explored potential majors, asked about programs that interested them, and gained insight into what it’s like to be a Memphis Tiger.
Attendees were also able to get information from numerous academic departments about majors and ask faculty questions about the fields of study that piqued their interest.
Dozens of students from across the Memphis area attended, including senior Sophie Whitman, 17, from Houston High School. While she wants to enjoy the remainder of her senior year, she said she is eager for what comes next.
“After touring the campus, I really love the environment here,” Whitman said. “High school has been fun, but I think I’m ready to experience life on a college campus and learn new things about myself.”
Other students are still weighing their college options. Kaitlyn Bradshaw, a 16-year-old junior at Overton High School, said she has always imagined leaving Memphis for college.
“I haven’t started applying to colleges yet, but besides the University of Memphis, I’m pretty positive none of the other colleges I apply to will be in Memphis,” Bradshaw said.
Bradshaw aspires to major in criminal justice and said she left the event with a strong impression of what the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice can offer.
“I have a few uncles and older cousins who are police officers, and that inspired me to want to learn more about criminal justice,” she said. “The Criminal Justice program at the University of Memphis really seems promising, so even though I’d rather leave Memphis, I want to keep that in mind while making my college decision.”
Fall Preview Day left many students with a better understanding of their plans after high school and how their aspirations can come to fruition at the University of Memphis.
Carter Burton can be contacted at cmbrton4@memphis.edu.
