College Search Starts Online; Then It’s Personal
As a high school student Drew Fabiszak started researching colleges online. That’s where he discovered that the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is nationally recognized as an R1 Doctoral University—Very High Research Activity.
The Research tab on UT’s homepage and the opportunities for undergraduate research he found there further piqued his interest.
What Fabiszak learned on the internet put UT high on his list of options, but he needed to know more.
“On paper it’s a little difficult to differentiate universities, so I definitely think it’s the most important to visit the colleges, and that’s exactly what I did,” said Fabiszak, who grew up in North Carolina and now is a junior at UT.
Knoxville was his first stop among five universities and stood out from the start.
“I didn’t have any expectations going into any of the universities and actually visiting the campuses,” he said. “Visiting Tennessee, it absolutely blew both of my parents—as well as myself— away, just the community, how vibrant the campus was. It really all just put it together and made it my top choice.”
At other universities he didn’t have the same feeling of being at home as he did on the compact but open campus in Knoxville.
Interdisciplinary Goal
Fabiszak knew that a college’s research program would be important because he planned to major in neuroscience.
After being diagnosed with childhood glaucoma he spent a lot of time visiting eye doctors. Then a high school Advanced Placement Research class project further sparked his interest in neurological conditions.
Now he’s earning a BS in neuroscience through the College of Arts and Sciences’ (CAS) interdisciplinary program and minoring in psychology. “I would love to be a neuro-ophthalmologist, whether that’s research in neuro-ophthalmology or being an actual neuro-ophthalmologist,” he said.
Connected on Campus
Because the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring of Fabiszak’s sophomore year of high school, his first tour of UT was a virtual one, and he appreciated the option.
When he finally came to Knoxville near the end of his junior year, he found faculty and students eager to connect with him and his family. “When we walked into the student union, immediately they saw we were a family, and so they asked, ‘Are you visiting? Are you coming to Tennessee?’ They immediately engaged in conversation and were super excited to meet us, whereas other universities we’d walk into the student union and they’d give us a brochure and that was about it.”
The enthusiasm for showing the family the campus stood out at UT.
Although Fabiszak knew UT students were nearing final exams, he said, “Everybody was still happy . . . It just seemed like a fun place to be, with people who would pick me up if I was ever in a down situation.”
“People love to get to know you and love to make personal connections, which not everywhere else does that,” he said.
He felt the same way during the 2022 Big Orange Welcome, the hundreds of activities offered to new students at the beginning of the academic year, including Torch Night and Vol Is a Verb Day.
“The first week felt like forever because I was never not doing something,” Fabiszak said. “It was just an amazing welcome from Tennessee, and of course they kept that all year long . . . there’s never a dull moment.”
While the Volunteer Life App provided easy access to the events calendar, so much was happening—from breakfasts to movie nights—just walking by the student union usually revealed something going on. In out-of-classroom activities he also met faculty from both within CAS and other parts of the university.
As a longtime football fan, he also was excited by the energy in Neyland Stadium. “There’s no other place like it, and I’ve been to multiple stadiums,” he said.
In his first week as a UT student, Fabiszak already felt like a Vol, which he sees as “someone who brings people together no matter where they are from.”
While in high school and other college campuses students may struggle to fit into one of many small groups, he said that at UT “nobody was left out . . . I met so many friends that first week.”
“It really is one big family,” he said. “Everyone is so passionate about being here; you can fit in anywhere and with anyone. I think that’s what makes it so special, because you never feel excluded. You always feel a part of Tennessee and a part of the Vol family.”
As a junior Fabiszak is applying for research programs in the next year, and he hopes to remain at UT through graduate school.
By Amy Beth Miller