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Forty students, both juniors and seniors, from Hazelwood Central High School spent a few days in Nashville, Tenn. to visit the campuses of Tennessee State University, Vanderbilt University, Belmont University and Fisk University.

The trip was “an opportunity to see different schools” said Subrinia Chappelle, guidance department chair at Hazelwood Central High.

In November, the students visited campuses of varied student bodies and histories. The purposes of the trip were many, but more importantly, it was meant to encourage students to “start thinking and asking questions,” said Chappelle.

Joe Wilson, a junior, and seniors Ebony Coe and Brooke Bishop shared their thoughts on the most important things they learned from the experience.

“It was an opportunity to look at a variety of schools and get more information,” said Wilson. “I have to choose a school not based on athletics. If I get injured, will I still enjoy the school? I also have to learn the different essay topics for entry into college.”

For me, it was getting the exposure to out-of-state schools because I was mainly considering in-state,” said Coe.

“You have to really know the atmosphere you want to be in. You have to review and follow up with your admission application, and you have to get involved in college to reach the full college experience,” she continued.

Bishop was particularly interested in Belmont because of her interest in pursuing a career in the music industry.

“I learned Belmont is a top school for music business. They have two campuses that you can transfer to for internships,” she said.

Wilson would like to play basketball as a college student and study business, management or physical therapy. Coe is interested in pharmacy and international business. Bishop is also considering entrepreneurship.

The students considered a host of positives and negatives when deciding on a college. They agreed the positives include interesting professors, the history of the school and the liveliness of the environment. The negatives involved cost, available scholarships and residence halls.

Overall, they agreed the trip was worthwhile. “I think it was valuable,” said Bishop. “After visiting Belmont, I decided to apply.”

The college bus tour was coordinated by Chappelle. Guidance counselors Cary Lewis and Derrick Elmore, and communication skills teacher Tiffani Hendrix helped supervise the trip, along with parent volunteers Gwen Doss and Audrey Wilson.

Chappelle said that the students who took the trip are “college-minded, but it opened their minds to consider other options.”

She added that the tour reinforced the importance of the ACT exam, having a good GPA for scholarships and financial aid, knowing admission requirements and the admission process, and “basically the whole picture.”

The planning for the trip began last semester. Students had to meet a minimum 2.0 grade point average, be on track with credits for graduation, and be in good academic and attendance standings.

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