Photo courtesy of Jacob Ackerman
When Jacob Ackerman began his college search in the Spring of 2019, he instantly was drawn to Rhodes college.
“I heard about the school through a college fair. I met one of the admissions counselors and started looking into the school. I knew I wanted to go pre-med and that they had a good pre-med program, so I was interested right off the bat.”
Throughout the fall, Ackerman spent hours weighing the pros and cons of various schools trying to find the best fit for himself, narrowing down his list of schools until only two remained: Rhodes College and Gustavus Adolphus College in Ackerman’s home state of Minnesota. This left him with a choice. Trust his gut and move 13 hours away from home or go with what was known.
“It was hard because I knew on paper Rhodes was the better school, but I had been to Gustavus multiple times, and it was closer to home. I had never stepped foot on Rhodes’ campus.” Says Ackerman. “A lot of my friends were also very critical of my decision as well. When I would tell them that I was looking at Rhodes, they would tell me that it was too far or that I needed to be closer to family.”
As his family prepared to visit Rhodes, the COVID-19 pandemic shelved the plans. As Rhodes shut down its campus to outside visitors, Ackerman was left without a way to visit the campus. Despite setbacks, Ackerman was still determined to give Rhodes a fair shot.
Throughout the spring, Ackerman reached out to current students and staff so that he could get a better understanding of what it would be like to go to Rhodes. During that time, he tried to put himself into the shoes of a Rhodes student. What ultimately convinced him was a conversation with one of the staff members at Rhodes.
“He spent a lot of time describing the community, and what really swayed me was the inclusivity of the campus. I had been worried about going to a place that was not going to accept me and make me feel like an outlier. After talking to enough people, I eventually felt like Rhodes was the best place for me.”
Ackerman’s parents were also a big part of his decision. Though his mother wanted him to stay close to home, when Ackerman laid out the facts, the benefits of Rhodes justified her son’s decision. His father was more hesitant though.
“My dad was very hesitant and nervous because the South was so different than Minnesota. He wanted to make sure that I would be safe coming down to Memphis.” Says Ackerman. “What changed his mind were his experiences when he was my age. He had joined the Army at 18 and had been overseas when he was my age.”
Despite his excitement, there are still many unknowns. When asked how classes were going to go in the fall, Ackerman says he’s still unsure.
“There are still a lot of things that I’m nervous about because I don’t know what’s going to happen. Right now, I’m trying not to be worried about the unknowns and just focus on all the things I know and can look forward to.”