My Why Furman

Hello! My name is Gracie Carroll, and I am a junior Communication Studies major and Visual Strategy.

Today, I want to tell you a little more about why I chose Furman.

To give you a little bit of background, I am from Aiken, South Carolina- a city that sits right next to the SC GA border- about 2 hours from Greenville. I come from a large extended family, so I have cousins that live all over the country. Three of my favorite cousins lived in Traveler’s Rest because my aunt, Dr. Savita Nair, teaches at Furman. Every summer when I was younger I would spend a week with my cousins and we would explore Greenville, Traveler’s Rest, and the Furman campus. I fell in love with Furman’s beautiful landscape back then, but placed that thought on the back burner as I grew into my teenage years.

In 2018, one of my other cousins, Claire Pullan, graduated from Furman. I had spent four years listening to her college stories full of her wonderful experiences, memorable friends, and lessons she learned by being at Furman. In 2018, Claire was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Taiwan. This experience was life changing for her, and I was amazed that her time at Furman prepared her for such a prestigious award for such a huge experience. I got to witness how she grew throughout her time as a Paladin, and today I still continue to be inspired by her.

My College Search Journey

As high school was coming to a close, I always saw Furman as an option for college, but I was unsure of where I was going to end up. I knew that I wanted a smaller school that was still D1, somewhere relatively close to home, and somewhere that I felt had a place for me to belong. With these criteria and an open mind, I went to multiple of college fairs, toured many campuses, and searched through many college websites looking for the perfect fit for me.

I applied to many schools and signed up for many ‘accepted student’ campus tours. But once I toured Furman, officially this time, I knew that it was the place for me. The campus was just as beautiful as I’d remembered, my tour guide was awesome, and I didn’t want to leave when it was over. I committed on the spot and cancelled all of my other campus visits. My mom bought me a purple rain jacket from the bookstore, and that was that! I was a Paladin!

That was 3 years ago, and now I am in my 5th semester and I’ve never looked back. The community I have found here and the opportunities that have been made available to me are nothing I could’ve ever imagined. I have leadership roles in many student organizations, I have found great friends inside and outside my sorority, I have an on-campus job, I was able to intern with the Greenville Triumph Soccer Club because of connections made at a Malone Center Internship fair, and more. There is always something available to you here at Furman, and the thought of graduation is already making me sad!

I love Furman University so much, and I’m sure that you will too. There is something for everyone here, you just have to find it!

 

Gracie Carroll