The skills I had built up during my homeschooling years allowed me to get the most out of the readings, prepared me to form clear and concise thoughts on the material, and made me excited to participate in class discussions.
How Mother of Divine Grace prepared me for TAC's Summer Program!
By Anna Mae Hinkle (MODG ’20)
The later years of high school always bring a common set of questions about college, such as, “Where should I go?” “What should I study?” “What is college like?”
These questions were on my mind as I researched colleges, seeking compatibility between myself and different colleges’ culture, academics, spiritual life, and student body. I was a Mother of Divine Grace student all my life, and I was very fulfilled with the classical education I was receiving. It was rigorous, fruitful, and very clearly rooted in the Catholic faith. So, naturally, I was concerned with recognizing whether a college offered a similar kind of fundamentally Catholic education.
That’s why I am forever grateful I attended Thomas Aquinas College’s two-week High School Summer Program.
Even though I had never done in-person classes before, reading and discussing advanced texts was a natural next step after my MODG formation. I found myself delving earnestly into readings such as Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling, Pascal’s famous wager, and snippets from Pre-Socratic philosophers. And Jacobs Geometry had prepared me well to present Euclid’s geometrical demonstrations to my section! The skills I had built up during my homeschooling years allowed me to get the most out of the readings, prepared me to form clear and concise thoughts on the material, and made me excited to participate in class discussions.
The TAC Summer Program was an amazing step during my college-discernment process. It allowed me to see firsthand what the classroom environment was like, how to participate in the Discussion Method, and what kind of material was present in Thomas Aquinas College’s curriculum. Most importantly, it made me fully realize what I was seeking: a college that would provide authentic Catholic education. Now that I knew I could actually find a school that would provide that, I knew I could never compromise on anything less.
The Summer Program helped me realize that Mother of Divine Grace had molded me such that I knew what my soul craved, the kind of education that would satisfy it, and how to recognize it when it was offered to me. And then, when it was offered to me, I was able to fully accept it and pursue it further by enrolling at Thomas Aquinas College.
So, if you’re a rising senior and you’re looking for a wonderful experience that may change your life, help you discern college, and place you in the midst of other like-minded students (many fellow MODG students, in fact!) then please visit our High School Great Books Program at Thomas Aquinas College and apply today!
Anna Mae Hinkle is a rising senior on Thomas Aquinas College’s New England campus, where she will serve on the staff of this summer’s High School Great Books Program.