Tennessee Tech students find success, community after spring semester start
For Tennessee Tech University freshmen Arianna Michael and Savannah Knepp, the path to college didn’t follow the traditional calendar.
Michael, a McMinnville native, originally planned to enroll in college in fall 2025. But as a first-generation college student, she found herself navigating an unfamiliar process. Rather than rush, she gave herself more time to prepare and enrolled at Tech in the spring.
“I decided to take some more time to get everything sorted to better plan for success,” she explained.
It didn’t take long for her to find her place at Tech. Now an elementary education major, Michael has become involved with Delta Phi Epsilon sorority and Waypoint, an off-campus ministry affiliated with a local church.
She says the experience has helped her “find community, gain independence and confidence while learning for my future career.”
Her advice for other prospective students considering a spring start is simple.
“It could seem weird to start halfway through a school year, but classes change each semester. The only difference it makes is the weather!” Michael said. “Don’t be scared to take that step.”
Knepp also arrived at Tech in the spring, but by a different route. The Plain City, Ohio, native took some time after high school to plan her next steps before being recruited to join Tech’s women’s beach volleyball team.
“I wanted to start school as soon as possible because I took two gap years,” Knepp said. “I also wanted to be able to compete in the spring season for beach volleyball.”
A marketing major and art minor, Knepp has since become a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative for her team. Like Michael, she is a first-generation college student, making her pursuit of a college degree especially meaningful.
Knepp acknowledges she initially wondered whether starting in the spring might make it difficult to build friendships or adjust to college.
“But honestly I can say that I didn’t feel that at all,” she explained. “Even if some students have been here longer than you, we are all just trying to figure out how to manage college, friends, family, sports, work or whatever other responsibilities you might have.”
Karen Lykins, vice president for enrollment and communication at Tech, says stories like Michael’s and Knepp’s are reminders that the traditional fall-to-spring college calendar doesn’t have to dictate when a student takes the next step.
“Many students may associate college enrollment with the start of the fall semester, but there is no one ‘right’ time to start your college journey. Whenever students are ready to explore all that a Tennessee Tech education can do for them, we want them to know we’re ready to help them realize their goals,” Lykins said. “We have students who begin their Tennessee Tech experience every spring and quickly become engaged, successful members of this community.”
Applications are open for spring and fall 2027 for first-time freshmen and transfer students. More information and the online application are available at www.tntech.edu/apply.
Tech was recently named to U.S. News & World Report’s Best National Universities list for the 12th consecutive year and was ranked the No. 1 public university in Tennessee by Money.com earlier this year.
The university offers more than 265 fields of study, including a new bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence launched this fall and a Bachelor of Architecture degree set to launch in fall 2027.
Prospective students can schedule a VIP campus visit at www.tntech.edu/visit.