This summer my oldest daughter and I are hitting the road to visit college campuses throughout the south east. While we live in Charlotte, NC, we are considering schools both in and out of state. We planned a day trip to visit the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN because my daughter wants to apply to their engineering program. I’m sharing all my tips and tricks and a peek inside the tour to help you and your student navigate a college tour of your own. But don’t miss my general college tour tips here, too! If you’re starting from the south side of Charlotte, NC like we did, plan for about 4.5 hours in the car. However, if you want to see campus in person, take part in an information session with an admissions officer, and get a guided tour with a student guide, you’ll want to register for a campus visit before you go. Be sure to sign up with one of their open dates, you can find all the information you’ll need to register here. During our visit, we were asked to park at the Volunteer Hall parking garage, which fills up quickly, so get there early. They will validate your parking so be sure to bring your exit ticket along for the stamp. Once you’ve parked, you’ll walk over to Visitor’s Center at 1502 Cumberland Ave. Ste. 282. The university has added these super-helpful orange paw prints to help you find your way to the building from the parking deck: Our day went as follows: There will be students working at the desk in suite 282 to welcome you and get you signed in for your session. There is apparently an amazing welcome video they share during the information session but unfortunately for us, the equipment was causing troubles. I have friends who reported crying during the video, it is apparently quite moving. Be sure to bring some tissues! The admissions officer went through everything we needed to know to apply to UT along with scholarship information that was quite helpful as we faced application season. This is an excellent place to ask any general questions you have about the admissions process. We visited during the heat of summer on a very sunny day. The walk was quite hilly with some stairs but our guide avoided some of the most difficult routes and always paused underneath some shade when we had the opportunity. There is a spot on the website to request an accessibility-friendly tour when you register if that is a concern for your family. The walking tour lasted for about an hour and a half. We got a peek at Neyland Stadium from a distance, if you want a closer look you’ll want to leave time before or after your tour to head over there yourself. We ended our tour right back where we began at the student union so that it was an easy walk back to our parked car. I wanted to share a special meal with my daughter somewhere as close to campus as possible so that she could experience UT like she would if she was a student. I did some research for the best places to eat at UT on campus and came across: This classic sports pub had a little something for everyone and the food is made hot and fresh while you stand there and wait. We had a blast looking at all the classic athletic photos that covered the wall of fame while we waited for our food: I strongly recommend the cheesesteaks and fries for your meal. Skip the fish sandwich. Be sure to ask them for more information if this is of interest to you! The UT bookstore is one of the best we’ve seen and I know she’d have a blast doing a little spending spree here if she decides to attend. We loved this bright orange torch chandelier created by Matthew Cummings of Pretentious Glass Co. So if you can’t park at the Vol Hall deck, you can find overflow parking here and take the Neyland Express Shuttle to the student union. Be sure to grab your ice cream on the way back to your car! I’m saving all the campus pics in an album on my phone for easy grabbing when the time comes. NOTE: This was my daughter’s idea, not my own. If you think your child would feel way too much pressure with this, skip it! They don’t need any more stress placed on their shoulders. For us, there was just a simple feeling of excitement and potential and hope surrounding that pic. We know she’s an awesome kid who will land some place that is the right fit. Maybe that will be University of Tennessee, maybe not. For more information on things to do in Knoxville, check out the Visit Knoxville site. We made this our dinner choice and stocked up on goodies for the car for the ride back. After our visit, University of Tennessee skyrocketed towards the top of her favorite schools. She loves their marching band, student life, and how actively involved she could be as a student. The campus is so pretty and very walkable, but be sure to have good shoes and be willing to brave some hills!
