Troy University

By Shanna Lopez and Stefani McCollum

We are at the end of our business portion of our 47th Annual College Tour. After being whisked through the states of Alabama and Tennessee with plans for visiting Six Flags over Georgia we have not skipped a beat. I must admit that when we left Norwalk, many of us had no idea what we would see and experience. Our imagination went into full gear as we eagerly traveled down I 95 and over the Tappan Zee Bridge beaming with excitement.

Today we are touring the campus of Troy University, home of the Trojans and located in Troy, Alabama. Troy University was founded in February 1887, when the Alabama Legislature established Troy State Normal School to train teachers for Alabama schools. In 1893, the school was renamed Troy State Normal College. Joseph Macon Dill was the first president of Troy.

With a population of nearly 8,000 students, Troy is seen as a medium size school. Troy has over one hundred student organizations and five different locations in Alabama. It is an international college with seventy-five different countries represented. Considering that we were touring on Good Friday, we were surprised to see so many active students around campus.

The minimum admission requirement is a 2.0 GPA, 20 on the ACT and 1030 on the SAT and there are generous scholarships for those who meet the criteria.

Our tour guide Mary Stewart did an excellent job of highlighting the beauty and charm of Troy University and the city of Troy. Troy is one of the most charming cities in the south. It has an unusual blend of small town values and big city offerings.

We see Troy as a school that is welcoming and nurturing to an average student while giving the same special attention to the high performing students.