Girl University and Campus Tours recap

Some Middle Tennessee high school girls began their journey towards college this summer by participating in the Girl University and Campus Tours programs offered by Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. These programs gave girls and parents an opportunity to visit colleges, attend workshops and talk with professionals about what to expect from the application process and the college experience ahead.

The week kicked off with Girl University on July 16 at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Girl University is an annual, all-day event for girls in grades 9-12 and their parents that shows them what they can expect from life after high school. Both girls and parents attended programs such as “Choosing the Right Major” (where girls learned about deciding on a major and the timeline they have for making that decision) or “Extreme Makeover: Dorm Edition” that showed girls how they can decorate a dorm without sacrificing function or spending a lot of money. There was also “Money, Money, Money,” which offered girls valuable information regarding financial aid, lottery scholarships, work study and lending tools. The keynote speaker for the program was Jon Sturgeon with “Perilous Waters for Most Freshmen,” a success strategies seminar for college freshmen. He talked about study habits, goal-setting and the reasons why college freshmen are considered an at-risk group.

Following Girl University, participants had the opportunity to continue the higher-education experience through Campus Tours. Throughout the week girls visited the University of Memphis, University of Tennessee at Martin, Tennessee Tech University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. The 47 participants stayed for one night in dorms at each of the universities, ate in the schools’ cafeterias, toured the campuses and enjoyed a chance to talk with school officials. Many girls stated that this was their first opportunity to be on a college campus and see what college is really like. The experience helped bridge the gap between high school and college and was a great source of information for the girls.

Girl University and Campus Tours programs were open to all girls entering grades 9-12, not just Girl Scouts, from counties across the region as well as some from west Tennessee. Some of the participating girls are first generation potential college students and these programs provided them with the information they will need to make important decisions about their collegiate future.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT GIRL UNIVERSITY AND CAMPUS TOURS:

“Wonderful. I can't wait to invite my sister and her daughter next year.”

“I am so thrilled that Girl Scouts provides this opportunity to spend precious time with my daughter to plan her future. This was priceless to us. Thank you.”

“Great program for both parents and daughter. Very helpful for me as a mom getting ready to see her first child off to college soon.”

“Please keep offering program. It was very informational. So much I didn't know, but now I do. Thank you.”

To view pictures from these programs, click here.