Girls School College Tour

Visiting colleges is more than just checking out campuses—it’s a chance for students to explore what matters most to them as they plan their next steps after high school. From September 7-10, a group of SAA Upper School students traveled with SAA Director of College Counseling, M.L. Weber, for an immersive, all-inclusive tour of North Carolina’s top academic institutions giving them an up-close look at college life and academic programs. They were joined on the tour by students from St. Mary’s and Hutchison.

Designed for girls in rising grades 10-12, this trip was a great opportunity to learn about the college application process and explore six colleges: Davidson, Wake Forest, Elon, UNC- Chapel Hill, Duke, and NC State.

“This was our first-ever group college tour,” said Mrs. Weber. “Organizing this trip with Hutchison and St. Mary's, ensured that all three schools had enough participants to take their students on a significant college tour at a reasonable cost.”

On the tour students had the chance to visit a variety of institutions, from larger state schools to liberal arts universities. The girls participated in student-led campus tours, joined Q&A sessions with admission officers, and enjoyed thoughtfully organized meetings, giving them a real feel for each school. With each stop, students gained insight into what they want from their college experience.

“Students think they know what "big college" means,” explained Mrs. Weber. “In most of my meetings with students, their preference is a "big college" because they are/have attended a small school for most of their academic experience. It was helpful for students to define the word “big” for themselves as we toured such varied institutions.”

“For most of the girls, the just-right "big” college size was a campus of 5-6,000 students (Elon, Wake Forest) located on a campus that was spread out. Honestly, touring colleges is like being Goldilocks when she tries out the chairs, the beds, and the porridge. You must experience things for yourself to know which is just right for you,” Mrs. Weber added.

After the trip students reflected on the tour and the insights they gained:

Lilliana Vescovo, Class of 2026: “The Girls School College Tour prepared me to apply to colleges by crossing schools off my application list but also confirming schools that I want to apply to. It also taught me more about what colleges are looking for in an application.”

Amara Touch, Class of 2028: “Davidson College portrayed a sense of community that was very similar to the community at St. Agnes! They also highlighted traditions within their community which I find very important in schools. I didn’t realize I preferred small colleges over big ones until we toured Davidson.”

Hailey Frank, class of 2026: “This college tour helped me narrow down what I am looking for in a college so that I can better determine where I would want to go. Before this tour I did not know if I wanted a college in a city, if I wanted to go somewhere large, or what part of the country I would like to go to, but now that I have seen so many colleges I have been able to see what kind
of college would be best for me.”

Molly Black, class of 2028: “This tour helped me to understand more about what classes I should be taking to pursue the field I want to continue to learn about in college. I also learned what kind of credits I need to have to get into certain colleges.” 

Ava Sinclair Duckett, Class of 2028: “I chose to attend the tour because I wanted to get a view on different colleges, and a feel for what an average day on a college campus feels like. Many schools that you would never even think about going to will end up being your favorite college. You never know until you put yourself out there and find out.” 

Our College Counseling team looks forward to continuing the Girls School College Tour initiative and creating more opportunities for our schools to share resources and experiences. They hope to begin planning for the 2026–2027 tour later this semester, with details to be shared with families in the spring.