Over 1,100 new students competed for the coveted Spirit Stick, played kickball into the night and learned the ins and outs of the Troy Campus during the first eight sessions of IMPACT, the two-day orientation that covers all aspects of student life at TROY.
IMPACT welcomes incoming freshmen and transfer students to TROY beginning in June to prepare them for life as college students before classes begin in August.
Along with learning gameday chants from TROY’s head coaches and a night of ziplining, canoeing and more at Butter and Egg Adventures, students also visit academic departments, meet faculty, take photos for their student ID, attend a browse session of student organizations and ultimately register for classes.
People are also reading…
“During IMPACT, we welcome all incoming students and provide them with the opportunity to build relationships with other incoming students, get connected with TROY faculty and staff and meet on-campus student organizations, all with the intention of building their excitement and comfort to return in the fall,” said Emily Nichols, IMPACT director. “We hope that those connections will extend past IMPACT and continue to build throughout their first year at TROY.”
Myles Wilson of Huntsville, Alabama, said he chose TROY because of the environment.
“The people are so friendly, and you know you’re going to have a good time every time you step on campus,” he said. “What I’ve taken away from IMPACT is that TROY is going to be my home for the next four years. I like the classes, I like the people and I know this is where I want to be.”
Gabriel Williamson of Hueytown, Alabama, said IMPACT has answered questions for him he didn’t even know to ask.
“IMPACT has been amazing. I got to meet Chancellor Hawkins, and our IMPACT Leaders Trey and Elliott have been very kind to me,” he said. “I’ve been able to ask questions during the psychology department meeting and at the student panel, and they were able to give me answers to things I wasn’t really even thinking of.
“When I came for a tour in October, I fell in love with the campus,” he added. “Everyone was very friendly and it was a nice environment that I saw myself in for the next several years.”
Parents and guardians are also encouraged to attend the coinciding two-day Parents Orientation where they are provided with information on student services, expenses and important dates. They also meet with departmental faculty members and current TROY students.
Stefanie Ennis of Massachusetts attended IMPACT alongside her daughter, an incoming freshman, and said they both fell in love with the campus on the first tour.
“I came here with her for the initial tour and I felt the same way. Walking on campus was amazing, everyone was super nice and this program for orientation is excellent,” she said. “The way that you walk in from day one and you feel like you’re part of the family and that your child is going to be supported and you’re going to be supported along with them, it lets you kind of let go.”
Ennis said her questions were mostly about what services were going to be available to her daughter, though the variance of IMPACT seminar topics answered questions before she even had to ask. Her personal favorite moments were Parent Happy Hour in Downtown Troy and the faculty visit.
“Getting to interact with everyone and meet other parents at the Parent Happy Hour was awesome,” she said, “but my personal favorite of the seminars was with the Sorrell College of Business—sitting down and engaging with multiple different professors and feeling like you can have a conversation and ask anything.”
Registration is open for the three remaining IMPACT sessions on July 13-14 for incoming freshmen, July 15 for transfers and Last Chance IMPACT on Aug. 10. The fall semester begins on Aug. 12.
To get a glimpse of what IMPACT is like, follow the University’s Instagram or view the session galleries here.
