For the first time, North Hills’ Honors Academy students were able to tour six South Carolina colleges.

The six students visited North Greenville University, Erskine College, Anderson University, Furman University, Bob Jones University and Wofford College. The colleges offered samples of different types of schools – small, large, religious and secular.

The students started their trip at North Greenville University, a small, Christian college 10 minutes from Greenville, South Carolina.

The most unique thing about Todd Prayer Chapel, a small building where students can worship, is the waterfall inside the building.

Academics are strict, but the professors, all of whom are Christians, want students to succeed.

North Greenville University is Division II and offers the main sports, as well as intramural sports for those who like athletics but don’t play collegiate sports.

The students’ next stop was Erskine College in the tiny town of Due West, South Carolina.

While there, the students attended Baptist Collegiate Ministries, which was held in the basement of the “Hangar,” a laid-back, student-run chapel on campus.

Erskine is a religious college with about 600 students of all ethnicities and religions.

Day two began with a tour of Anderson University, where students were able to meet with the college’s president.

Anderson’s academics are strong, and the college holds weekly chapel services.

Next, students visited Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Furman is a liberal arts school with 2,700 students.

North Hills students braved some rain to tour the campus, and were rewarded by lunch in Furman’s cafeteria.

Eleven minutes from Furman is Bob Jones University, a very religious university that stresses students’ relationship with God as the number one priority.

Bob Jones is known for its theater department, which features a revolving stage from New York City.

The college offers basketball, soccer, cross country and golf.

Last stop was Wofford College, a liberal arts school, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The college thrives in football, soccer and basketball.

From freshman to senior year, Wofford’s housing continues to improve. For senior year, you get the chance to live in bright and colorful apartments in the Senior Village. There, seniors were walking around, doing their laundry, and cleaning their apartments.

Overall, the first trip was successful and gave students a taste of what college life is like. Students started to think more about what really comes after high school. The Honors Academy hopes to visit colleges every semester.