Youth Should Never Be A Barrier To Learning.
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The Early Entrance Experience
Testimonials From Those Who Have Lived It
This page contains observations and remarks regarding the
Advanced Academy of Georgia
Comments below are sorted with most recent submissions first.
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The Advanced Academy was important to me because it gave me an opportunity to grow and be challenged in ways that my high school just didn't offer. When I entered the Academy in 1996, there was no other comparable program available. I cannot put into words the excitement I felt to be a part of such a progressive and elite program. At sixteen, I was given the opportunity to live and learn with college students, to be taught by University professors, to debate against such schools as Harvard and Dartmouth , and most importantly, to find a peer group of other high school students who understood what it meant to be......well, 'special'. We were all yearning for the next challenge, the next concept to learn, and the newest technology to master and only the Advanced Academy provided us with what we were looking for. My fondest 'high school' memories are from the West Georgia campus...discussing existentialism on the Mounds, or talking to Chancellor Porch at the Z, or just going to a college football game with my friends. To Academy students, being a part of the Advanced Academy is like stepping into Willy Wanka's chocolate factory. It's an all access pass to learn and ask questions, grow, and be exposed to new and exciting things. The Academy is important to me because it has allowed me to become who I am today, and for that I am grateful. Being a Junior in college at the age of eighteen not only gave me a two year jump start on life, but it also gave me something much more important: confidence. Since I hit the ground running at sixteen, I haven't looked back once. The Academy taught me to focus on what I CAN do and not how old I am or how I am supposed to do things. The Academy taught me to think outside the box and if I can't find the path to something I want, blaze a new one. I am now one of, if not the, youngest corporate level Managers at a Fortune 500 company. Had I not learned these valuable lessons at the Academy, I am sure I would not be were I am today. Most importantly, I am happy. Rather than spending my last two years in high school spinning my wheels and getting frustrated, I got the wonderful opportunity to dive into the next 'stage' of life and that has set the pace for me. |
- Rachel McCoy, Former Student (Class of 1998) |
| The greatest reward that I got by teaching the students of Advanced Academy and Honors College was the chance to interact with talented, innovative and inquisitive students. The majority of these students have clear career goals, yet they are open minded about the opportunities. Teaching the small class of motivated students fosters free-dialogue and interactive pedagogical methods. They are not only excellent in the class, but also the best research students in the lab. The honors students in my lab presented their work at various local and national research meetings. |
- Dr. Satyanarayana Swamy-Mruthinti, Professor |
| My daughter, Merry Kay Collins, was a part of the Advanced Academy of Georgia from August 1998 until May of 2000. Through this program she was enriched and challenged by many gifted peers as well as the caring faculty members. As a result, she enjoyed the experience while growing intellectually and socially. This brought her a great deal of confidence that has caused her to aspire to greater things for her future. For instance, she is now a senior at the University of Georgia, and plans to teach English abroad through the ESOL program after graduation. I highly recommend the program! |
- Mrs. Collins, Parent |
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Our daughter Katherine, decided toward the end of her sophomore year of high school, that she wanted to attend the Advanced Academy. We live fairly close to Carrollton, and had been expecting her to take some courses at West Georgia in 11th and 12th grades. But to move away from home and live on campus at age 16 was a very different decision. We discussed this with her teachers, and principal, and they strongly encouraged us to consider this as a good choice for her. Our high school is excellent, but they felt that they she really needed more challenges. What ever fears that we had left were resolved by Pat Hughes, the administrator at the time, and Tim Hynes, VP and Don Wagner, Head of Honors. So the decision was made for her to enroll, and it was a decision we have never regretted. The Academy offered her so much. There were many enrichment activities--guest lecturers, special programs, etc. She was given the opportunity to develop in maturity and responsibility. She was active in Model UN, Quiz Bowl, Honors classes, Student Government and other aspects of student life. She took sponsored trips to New York, Chicago and other places. The staff members in the residence hall were wonderful. We had confidence that she would be more 'protected' and chaperoned than the regular students. Academically, her advisors and professors were encouraging and stimulating. She was introduced to Latin, which seems to be her life's work at this point. She gained the confidence to move on to the Ivy League after graduation in 1999. She graduated from Brown University with honors, and now has a full scholarship to Yale for her PhD. The students at the academy were varied, with many interests, backgrounds, talents. I was always impressed that each was nurtured and encouraged to go in the direction of their choice. We are very proud of Katherine, of course, and appreciate so very much that she had the opportunity to attend the Advanced Academy. |
- Mr. and Mrs. Wasdin, Parent |
| Kelsi and Keri are doing very well at the University of Notre Dame. I am certain their year spent in the Advanced Academy prepared them better than ever. They enjoyed full professors at West Georgia, who were excellent in their fields, Dr. Wagner, Dr. Amy Stackhouse, and Dr. Cecilia Lee, as well as Mr. Mann in piano instruction, to name a few that comes to a parents' mind. We recommend the Academy to students who want the academic challenge, who are ready for the independence with guidelines, and who are motivated to achieve. |
- Mrs. Matwick, Parent |
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The Academy allowed my talents to blossom to their full ability in a way simply not possible in high school. I have absolutely no qualms with my post-secondary education - in fact, I still hold Gwinnett County Public Schools in high regard. Unfortunately, by the end of my 10th grade year, South Gwinnett High School simply ran out of options for me. I specialize in math, and I had taken every single math class Gwinnett County offers except for one. There was absolutely no way that high school could have continued to challenge me. I understand that there are other programs, early-admittance programs at other universities in the state. The difference at the academy is the social life. The staff brilliantly uses the time, resources, and money that they have to make sure that the students can experience college, yet still can be high school students. With pure education and no life experience, one simply makes for a stereotypical 'bookworm' or 'geek'. Investing the resources for programs like the Academy, one can educate the future leaders of the state of Georgia . For me, spending my last two years of high school was like a social and intellectual investment, one that I will be reaping rewards from for years to come. The Academy gives Georgia's best and brightest high school students the chance to achieve what they were destined. The way high schools are set up simply denies the best students from fulfilling their potential; that's where the Academy steps in. My whole aspect of life would be drastically different if I had not attended. I finished my undergraduate degree in 5 semesters, ending up with a 4.0 GPA. Where all of my high school friends are now starting their first year in college, I am starting my first year in graduate school. Where they are still starting to learn the ropes of college life, I have already mastered them in many respects. I would not have been able to do any research at all, as compared to already being published. I most definitely would not have the two top fellowships that the UNL math department offers, won one of the few Goldwater scholarships awarded to Georgian undergraduates last year, never mind have been a finalist for the Marshall Scholarship. Last year, I was the Academic Day scholar for the State University of West Georgia -putting me, as a high school student, as one of the top college students in the state. The list goes on. It's very hard to look in the future and try to imagine myself on a path different from the one I took--attending the Advanced Academy. I probably would have attended a University System of Georgia institution for undergraduate school, but attending the Academy greatly changed the quality of my education. I most likely would have had a 'stereotypical' college experience--not bad, but on the other hand, not the outstanding one I had at UWG because of the advantages and flexibility offered by the Academy and the Honors College. I would not have been able to give back to the University System of Georgia academically and make contributions of knowledge to it as I have done, and hope to continue to do. And when all is said and done, increasing academic knowledge is what higher education is all about, isn't it? |
- Bryan Bockelman, Former Student (Class of 2003) |
| The Academy gave me a way not only to excel, but to capitalize on opportunities available only on the collegiate level. Additionally, attending the Academy gave me the opportunity to get ahead in my classes and gave me the freedom to explore interests later in my college career without feeling like I was wasting time. After leaving the Academy to continue my education at Georgia Tech, I felt that I had the confidence, knowledge, and drive to achieve all of my goals--no matter how high they seemed. This confidence and leadership aptitude is something that I gained through my Academy experience. Currently I am a 20 year-old, third year student at the Georgia Institute of Technology and will graduate in May with a Bachelor's Degree in Polymer and Textile Chemistry. Had I not attended the Academy I would not have attended undergraduate school in Georgia; instead, I would have attended a private, out-of-state institution. After graduation, I plan on obtaining a Master's degree in Public Health from either the University of Michigan or Harvard University , two of the top public health schools in the nation. As a younger college graduate, I'll have more time to travel and pursue a diverse array of educational opportunities before I settle on a career. I think that after having gone through the Academy I've become more focused and am able to dictate exactly what it is I want to do with my career; something other undergraduates my age cannot yet comprehend. The Academy experience is essential in creating students who are exceptional and who will ultimately graduate from the Academy as good citizens, not just good employees. The programming, along with the mentoring from Academy faculty and staff, results in students with holistic outlooks on life who are more than prepared to take on the world. |
- Davene Wright, Former Student (Class of 2000) |
| The Advanced Academy gave me a chance to explore and grow personally as well as intellectually. I was given opportunities to participate in many organizations (SGA, different Academy positions, Model UN, Odyssey of the Mind, etc.) that would have been impossible otherwise. I made close friendships with other Academy students who had similar interests, as well as with many interested in different fields. It was an accepting environment, where everyone was comfortable. Being smart was cool, and the Academy made the transition to college much easier. I also made many friends with the RA's and the students in my classes who provided great role models for me to follow. I really have no idea what my life would have been like had I not been given the opportunities the Academy offers. My high school did not even offer Latin as a course, but due to taking Latin at West Georgia, I am now in graduate school at Yale, working toward a Ph.D. in Classics. I can't imagine being in any other field, but without the Academy, I wouldn't even have been aware of Classics as an option. I was lucky to attend Brown as an undergraduate, and I doubt that I would have even applied if I had stayed at Bremen High School. I am fairly confident that I was admitted based on the unique experience and motivation that an education at the Academy displays. It gave me a chance to distinguish myself in many ways that an education at a small public school, however accommodating, simply cannot offer. It is an unfortunate truth that such schools cannot practically offer programs to enrich gifted students in such deep and fundamental ways, but the Academy offers a safe and welcoming environment where students can be challenged and supported. I am deeply grateful to have been given such opportunities, and I would urge that they be offered to as many other students as possible. |
- Katherine Wasdin, Former Student (Class of 1999) |
| In the Academy, I got the 'mental conditioning' I needed: taking the tough college courses was critical to my development as a student and a scientist. I certainly would not be at Stanford without help from those West Georgia professors, to whom I attribute my love for math and CS. While at the Academy I learned what research was, how to go about it, and how it is integral to the graduate school application process. It was solely due to my CS (7 courses) and math (5 courses) experience in the Academy that I got a research position with a professor at Tech---without that, I would not have stood out. Because I did undergraduate research at Tech and because of the mental preparation afforded by the Academy, I was able to write my own ticket to grad school. This past year, I was accepted for the PhD programs in CS at the top schools in the world: Stanford, MIT, Berkeley and Georgia Tech. In addition, I just plain had a great time: the social environment in the Academy is wonderful and it was a real privilege to meet, work, and goof-off with bright students from all over the world. |
- Austen McDonald, Former Student (Class of 2000) |
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