Knightly News

“Oh my gosh, it looks like WALL-E!” a student cried to her wide-eyed friends upon seeing a small box-like robot scoot across the street. The contents inside the robot’s container? Probably Chick-fil-A or Panda Express.

You might think these students were touring a futuristic city, one that has eliminated human deliverers. In reality, the students were walking around a community founded in 1844, one featuring gorgeous, varied buildings in the Georgian architectural style. Amidst its historical backdrop and pathways, the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) has introduced a fleet of delivery robots that bring food and drinks to famished college students anywhere on campus.

All the colleges Episcopal students visited on the recent College Tour of Mississippi and Tennessee – Millsaps College, Ole Miss, Rhodes College, and the University of Memphis – offer combinations of traditional and modern elements. Rhodes College’s campus, for example, features Collegiate Gothic architecture (students learned that the stones in every Rhodes building come from the same quarry), whereas its new STEM building contains state-of-the-art research and teaching labs and underground passageways to other buildings. At the University of Memphis, students can major in traditional music programs such as Violin Performance or pursue a more contemporary Recording Technology degree. When exploring a college virtually, Episcopal students might not pick up on these contrasts that give colleges their distinct characteristics and atmospheres. The value of a college tour is that students will visually experience these distinctions or have them pointed out by a college’s students and administrators.

Director of College Counseling Justin Fenske proposed the tour “to give students a chance to see a variety of colleges with their peers, allowing them to learn about what is available and process what they see with other students.” According to Fenske, Episcopal chose the colleges for the tour to show students “the most varied types of schools that we could see since everyone is early in their search. This way, the students have a reference point for talking about other schools they may be interested in.” To make the tour as affordable as possible, Episcopal teamed with students and counselors from Metairie Country Day School.

An additional treat for students was the Knight Out in Oxford arranged by Alumni Relations Coordinator Lindsay Turner, at which current students socialized with recent Episcopal alums at a pizza dinner. Episcopal plans to involve alumni from different colleges on future tours.

Besides learning about specific colleges and college types, students learned how to maximize their touring opportunities, which will help them in future visits. College Counselor Julia Spaht notes, “I saw students go from being silent when asked ‘Do you have any questions?’ to speaking up to an admissions officer with queries about campus safety and educational philosophy.”  As a College Counselor, I also loved hearing conversations about a college on the bus after a tour. It was clear that students grew in their abilities to evaluate schools beyond the surface level over two days.

Sophomore Nick Smallwood found something to like about every college he toured. He particularly enjoyed soaking up each college’s atmosphere, something that can best be attained through an in-person tour. Millsaps made Nick feel “at home,” while Memphis exuded friendliness. Sophomore Katie Grassmann saw the value in small and large colleges. She liked that students get to know most people on campus at a small place like Millsaps, whereas at a large institution like Ole Miss, students have abundant academic programs from which to choose. One of the most beneficial parts of touring for Katie was hearing college officials point out features of their programs, like being able to minor in a foreign language at Rhodes, that students might miss when perusing a website. Junior Caden Gardner agrees, stating that learning about programs not highlighted on websites is reason enough to attend a tour. Caden also liked the “swag” colleges gave students, such as an Ole Miss tee shirt.

Episcopal hopes to offer a tour to different states or regions every year, showing both colleges popular with our students and those about which students may know little. To students who are considering going on future tours, Fenske advises, “Going is the easiest way to kick-start a college search. Students can learn about what they might want to explore for future trips with family. Plus, it’s fun!” Spaht adds, “Attending the College Tour is a perfect opportunity to help students build awareness about what matters most to them in the college search process.”

While we can’t promise students will witness Papa John’s-bearing robots pop out of nowhere on every college tour, we are confident that every Episcopal student will see, hear, and later discuss something about colleges that will enhance their college search and give them more options when applying.

Dr. Alan Newton hails from Alabama and received his PhD in English from the University of Kansas.  He currently serves as Assistant Director of College Counseling, AP Coordinator, and Upper School Test Coordinator.  At Episcopal, he has taught eighth grade World Geography, History of Religion, English IV, and AP English Literature. Prior to coming to Episcopal, he taught English and social studies classes and served as a college admissions consultant for more than twenty years, predominantly at college preparatory schools in the United States and South Korea.  He is also a published poet and playwright whose play, Whiteout (2001), won a national Kennedy Center award. Outside of school, he enjoys theater, running, world travel, and playing drums. He is married to Dr. Rebecca Kuhn.

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2024-2025 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.