Exposure changes what a student believes is possible. A scholar who has never set foot on a campus outside their hometown or even never walked through a city they didn't grow up in, carries a smaller sense of what's available to them. It's not a lack of ambition. It's a lack of reference points. Attollo's college tours exist to build those reference points: put students in front of schools they might not have considered, in a city many of them have never seen, and let them build their college list from firsthand experience instead of a brochure. This summer, that meant 31 scholars trading Lancaster for four days in New York City.

Day 1: Princeton, Paterson, and a Sunset Over the City

The trip began at Princeton University, where scholars took a campus tour, browsed the bookstore, and grabbed lunch at Frist Campus Center.

From Princeton, the group headed to William Paterson University for an afternoon tour, a first look at a New Jersey campus before the trip crossed into the city. By early evening, scholars checked into their hotel in the heart of Chelsea, home base for the rest of the week. Bags barely made it to the rooms before the group was back downstairs.

Edge NYC

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Edge NYC ✦

The day closed 1,100 feet above the city at Edge NYC, the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, watching Manhattan light up as the sun went down.

Day 2: Little Island, NYU, and Columbia

Tuesday started with a morning at Little Island, the floating park just blocks from the hotel, built on more than 130 tulip-shaped concrete pillars rising out of the Hudson River. Scholars walked the winding paths and took in the skyline before the day's campus visits began.

Little Island

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Little Island ✦

From there, the morning turned into a conversation rather than a typical campus tour. Scholars sat down with Dario Anaya, founder of Pupil, an EdTech startup that matches high schoolers with college mentors, and a longtime friend and partner of Attollo. Dario spoke candidly about what it's like to go to school in the biggest metro area in the country, and pulled back the curtain on venture capital and entrepreneurship from the perspective of someone who built a company while still in school himself.

The group crossed town for the afternoon at Columbia University, walking the Morningside Heights campus and visiting the bookstore on Broadway.

The day wrapped with a stop at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the Art Deco tower that has been home to NBC's headquarters and studios since it opened in 1933. Some of television's earliest broadcasts came out of the building, and Saturday Night Live still tapes there today, in the same studio it's used for decades. Scholars took in the plaza before heading back to the hotel.

Day 3: Central Park, Fordham, and Times Square

Wednesday morning began in Central Park, where scholars walked from Bethesda Terrace to Bow Bridge and up to Belvedere Castle, three of the park's most iconic landmarks. At Bethesda Terrace, scholars took in the view over the Lake and the Ramble, with the Angel of the Waters fountain rising just below the terrace stairs. From there it was on to Bow Bridge, the cast-iron bridge over the Lake that's one of the most photographed spots in the park, and finally up to Belvedere Castle, a Gothic lookout built in 1872 that still doubles as the city's official weather station.

Wednesday's campus focus was Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus, where scholars toured the grounds and stopped by the bookstore, splitting into smaller groups to make the most of the visit.

Professional Development Dinner

That evening, scholars suited up for the trip's Professional Development Dinner at Lot 15, connecting with professionals across industries over dinner in the city.

The night wrapped with a walk to Times Square, taking in the lights before heading back to the hotel.

Day 4: Stevens, Seton Hall, and the Road Home

Thursday began across the river in Hoboken at Stevens Institute of Technology, where scholars toured the campus along the water, had lunch on-site, and stopped by the bookstore.

The final stop was Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, closing out a lineup of seven schools in four days.

From there, the bus pointed home, wrapping four days that took 31 scholars through seven campuses, two states, and some of the most recognizable views in the country. For many of these scholars, walking onto Princeton's campus or stepping foot into Fordham’s Lincoln Center Campus meant picturing themselves somewhere far from home for the first time, not as a photo in a brochure, but as a place they'd actually been. That's the point of a tour like this: turning a city into a set of real, specific memories a scholar can measure their own future against.

See even more photos from our tours on our Instagram!

About Attollo:
Attollo is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering youth through education. By providing mentorship, academic enrichment, and college preparation support, Attollo aims to level the playing field and equip students with the tools they need to succeed in college and beyond. Since its inception, Attollo has helped thousands of students realize their potential and achieve their academic goals.

New York, New Views: Attollo Scholars Tour the Big Apple