On Saturday, February 25, Mississippi State University hosted an Academic Insight Day for their largest and most eclectic college, the College of Arts and Sciences, as an effort to help students prepare for their college career before them.

The Academic Insight Day started off with a department fair and a free lunch where prospective students were welcomed to look at all 14 different departments and 25 majors that the college of arts and sciences holds.

After the fair, the students and parents were guided across the street to listen to a presentation given by Dr. Rick Travis, Dean of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Travis opened the presentation cordially, stating “I hope that you learn something about our school today, but the little bit of knowledge you gain today will be nothing compared to the four years you spend with us.” After Dr. Travis concluded his speech, his sentiments were echoed by four other representatives of the school who spoke after him.

One of these representatives was Ms. Holly Travis, a MSU senior and Rhodes Scholarship finalist, who spoke to the audience about how the College of Arts and Sciences has given her more experiences than she ever imagined possible, one of which being a study abroad trip to Peru where she was given the opportunity to study Latin American social issues. Travis went on to sum up her four years at the university with the one word: “possibility.”

Another student representative was Ms. Ruth Fowler, who is a senior double majoring in pre-med and physics. Like Travis, Fowler gave the prospective students advice on how to do their best at MSU, and she heavily encouraged students to make strong connections with their teachers and other faculty, stating “The first connection I made [with my advisor] was the first step in the refinement process that lead me to be myself today.”

After the presentation, the Academic insight day was brought to a close as students were given tours of the MSU campus based on their prospective majors.