Prospects committed to MTSU visit during packed Honors open house

Ana Cannon of Clarksville, Tennessee, and Joseph Howard of Murfreesboro are firmly committed to attending MTSU starting this fall.

Buchanan Scholar Emma Beard of Clinton, Tennessee, also wants to come to the Murfreesboro university, but with a 35 ACT score and a 4.47 GPA, other in- and out-of-state public and private schools are still knocking on her door.

An estimated 360 prospective students, along with parents, grandparents and guardians, attended the annual MTSU Honors College Presidents Day Open House Monday (Feb. 18) on campus in the Student Union Ballroom and Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building.

For prospective students, the Honors College provides the academic excellence and nurturing environment of a small, select, private liberal arts college within the setting of a major university. It also provides expert faculty, unique curricular and extracurricular experiences and “Collage,” an award-winning arts and literary magazine.

“I’m committed to come here,” said Howard, 18, a Siegel High School senior with a 3.8 high school GPA, 4.0 dual-enrollment GPA and 24 ACT (awaiting a second test result). “I toured other colleges and waited for something to click (on the visit) for it to feel right. This place (MTSU) really feels like home.”

Howard, who plans to study political science or history and minor in sociology, attended the open house with his mother, Daphne Howard.

Cannon, 17, a West Creek High senior and salutatorian with a 4.0 GPA and 26 ACT, said she “really liked the atmosphere and the (campus) life. It has a big feel, but it seems small.”

Attending the open house with her father David Willequer, a U.S. Army chief warrant officer two (CW2) at Fort Campbell, Cannon said MTSU “really wanted me to come. They were always mailing me information. You don’t get that from larger schools.” She added she plans to study graphic design in the College of Liberal Arts.

Beard, 18, an Anderson County High School senior and valedictorian, attended a special breakfast held for Buchanan Scholars (the best scholarship available and limited to 20 students each year), “but I haven’t decided on MTSU yet. I am waiting on other scholarship offers. So far, MTSU is the sweetest offer I have been given.”

An outgoing young woman, Beard said she “loves the study abroad opportunities” MTSU provides. “Students looking at a potential college should look at what they most want in life, and I want to travel. I’m interested in Fulbright (international research study).”

She said she would make her college decision by May 1.

MTSU sophomore Emily Oppmann, 19, a Buchanan Scholar and biology major and global studies minor, told the guests she remembered being in the same setting two years ago.

“I have been able to fulfill my dream of study abroad and biology research,” she said, mentioning the $147 million Science Building as an incentive. “I have been very involved at MTSU (SGA senator at large, Blue Elite Tour Guide, men’s tennis manager). That’s one of the many reasons I love this school. … I hope you leave excited about the opportunities that await you when you return.”

Visitors learned about campus departments including the School of Music, MT One Stop (admissions, financial aid and more), military science, Center for Student Involvement and Leadership and more.

To learn more about the Honors College, call 615-898-2152.

MTSU admissions will offer another MTSU Preview Day on Saturday, March 23. To register for any preview day or other special events, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/schedule-a-visit/special-events.php.