CLT: Thank you for talking with us, Taylor! Tell us about your first year at Cedarville University. What are you studying, and why?

TS: I’m studying business management with some classes in entrepreneurship. I’d love to work in the operation of a classical education company, whether that is CLT or a classical school right out of college, but my ultimate goal is to found and manage my own classical school! Majoring in management gives me the flexibility to do this or a number of other things, so I have the flexibility to see where God will lead me. On campus, I’m involved in the honors program, women in business, a discipleship group, and an entrepreneurship club, as well as swing dancing and rock climbing, and I’m looking into joining an investment club this year.

CLT: How did taking the CLT10/CLT help to prepare you for college life, and how did your CLT10 Scholarship benefit you as a first-year student? 

TS: I started taking the CLT back in 7th grade with the CLT8 (before the whole suite of lower grade tests existed). I took it every year until junior year, and each year it helped to deepen my appreciation for classical education, so it was one of the influences toward my major/career goal. CLT also expected me to truly analyze texts and think through math problems logically, which has helped me in my honors program classes and accounting classes (just like the CLT, many accounting problems are long word problems!). Additionally, the CLT10 award helped me in my freshman year since my family was in a tight financial situation and every bit of scholarship aid helped. The CLT also provided me with the opportunity to intern at the company this summer, which has given me a lot of valuable experience in the classical education and operations field.

CLT: Can you share with us which class you took this year that had the greatest impact on you, and why? 

TS: My most impactful class from freshman year was either my honors philosophy/history class or my Old Testament literature class. The honors class gave me some of the classical education that I love in a major that doesn’t have many opportunities for philosophy or liberal arts. It moved a lot more quickly than my philosophy classes in high school did. But because I had the knowledge from high school, I was able to see the big picture of history and how all these famous great thinkers interacted and influenced each other and their cultures. My Old Testament class was also really insightful in showing how God used each book to show His glory and lead His people to Him, while also providing a beautiful picture of the Savior to come. It revealed so much more about the Bible than I had previously understood. 

CLT: Finally, what advice would you give to other CLT/CLT10 test-takers who are planning ahead for college right now? 

TS: I think one of the best things high schoolers can do to prepare for college is to understand the value of their education now. In today’s culture, we overvalue grades, test performance, and career readiness. But that was never what education was meant to be. If you view education this way, you’re likely going to end up lacking motivation, whether it’s in an easy general ed class or a difficult major class. Instead, you should seek to view your education as an opportunity to always expand your mind, become fully human, and be conformed to Christ’s image. Take every opportunity you can during your high school and college years to continue growing and learning, and you will be so much more prepared for higher education and life than many other people.