Walton Tribune “Visions,” April 2014

By Stephen Milligan

When the word “college” comes to mind, most people think of a football-happy party school or a stuffy Ivy League university — both expensive, elitist schools that fit only a small portion of the prospective students looking for post-secondary education.

In Walton County, where many people looking for a college degree don’t have the time or money to attend a big, expensive school outside the county, whether that’s the University of Georgia or Yale University, that can particularly be a problem.

But the area has a few options designed to help such students, as schools such as Athens Technical College and Georgia Perimeter College offer other choices to people.

Georgia Perimeter College, which has a campus just outside Social Circle, enrolls more than 21,000 students, representing the largest in-state population of non-traditional students and dual enrollment students among all 31 schools in the University System of Georgia.

The school is also the No. 1 transfer institution in Georgia, sending thousands of students to other colleges and universities after they’ve earned two-year degrees from GPC.

While enrollment has dropped somewhat—GPC had 23,000 students in 2012—the school has kept pace with the university system, which had a similar drop from 314,000 to 309,000 between 2012 and now.

It’s come to represent the perfect home for students such as Josiah Palusky, of Social Circle, a sophomore majoring in computer science at GPC.

Palusky, who was homeschooled until his senior year of high school, plans to transfer to the Georgia Institute of Technology next year but said GPC had been the best place to start.

“I initially enrolled at GPC because of its convenience and good reputation, but I quickly gained a personal respect for the college,” he said. “At GPC, I have a good relationship with many of my professors, and due to smaller class sizes, I have been able to have a highly interactive classroom experience.”

Palusky said the school’s success for him was typified in its teaching staff.

“The professors at GPC are amazing,” he added. “They are here to teach students, rather than make a name for themselves. For this reason, many professors at GPC are humble, responding to questions that have obvious answers with patience and respect for their students. 

“When I talk to my professors about their subjects they light up, and are excited to share their knowledge with me. For many professors at GPC, students are the fruit of their labor and they live to see them gain a passion for learning.”

Palusky said GPC was also excellent for the bond between students there.

“The students at GPC form a community,” he said. “There’s the group of guys who always play Frisbee on the lawn, the people who wear trench coats and play cards by the cafeteria and the people who study in the atrium. Because I have been here at GPC for a while, I know many people in these groups, and can quickly fit in if I feel like taking part in a game of Ultimate Frisbee, etcetera.

“My sister began college at GPC, studying computer science as well, and has since moved on to UGA. Since transferring, she has told me that she misses being at Perimeter, where she saw many of the same students each day, and got to know the professors over the years.”

Palusky said he’d recommend GPC to other students looking for a good start in post-secondary education.

“My advice to anyone who is considering going to college is this: two year colleges are a great place to start, in practically all respects,” he said. “You learn to study hard and manage your time while still being able to interact with your professor during class, while avoiding the extra stress and expense that comes from diving straight into a larger university.”