On Feb. 26, 2025, 47 Cubs and faculty members set out for the annual East Coast college tour, one of the most extensive college tours Loyola offers. During this tour taking place over Loyola’s inter-semester break, Cubs visited top universities including Georgetown, Drexel, Fordham, Fairfield, Loyola of Maryland, Boston College, numerous Ivy Leagues, and others.
Expectations were definitely high for students as seen with Rodrigo Jaime ‘26, who asserted, “With this being my first college tour, I was looking forward to exploring different campuses and student life to filter out which colleges interest me.”
Traveling continuously from school to school, Cubs remained very busy taking notes, barely being able to catch their breath. Thankfully, these students were also given free time, where they visited local bookstores, monuments, and even got to watch Anaïs Mitchel’s musical Hadestown, which attendee Bradley Wong ‘26 confidently said was “easily one of the best parts of the tour.”
Furthermore, outside of touring the universities, Cubs were even able to visit the famous sites of New York and Washington D.C. William Wetzel ‘26 remarked, “Despite the windy and cold temperature, the atmosphere of just wandering Time Square at night was certainly a highlight, and people really don’t exaggerate its magical feeling. Also, while in Washington D.C, we were able to see many war memorials and some even walked on the frozen-over water in front of the Washington Monument. Overall, the tour was a really great experience outside of just the schools.”
When asked about the overall experience, counselor and chaperone Kieron Miller observed, “This tour is a great opportunity for juniors to check out the wide variety of schools and talk to the various Loyola alumni at each school, while also learning what preferences they should take into consideration when choosing what college would be a good fit for them. I believe that this will be a great experience that should be taken into consideration for rising sophomore and junior Cubs.”
For potential students interested in participating in the East Coast College Tour next year, Bradley Wong ‘26 advised, “Make a list of questions with your counselor beforehand that really dig into college life and showcase what you’re looking for, so that you are able to get the most out of each tour.”
From this trip, the Loyola students were able to have many learning experiences while also bonding with each other outside of a school environment. Hopefully, the East Coast college tour will continue to serve as a great opportunity for future Loyola students to come.
