Navigating college can be a challenge, but for Tyler Junior College freshmen – and triplets – Grant, Garrett and Grayson Sims, three heads are better than one.
Born only a minute apart – Grant came first, followed closely by Garrett and then Grayson – togetherness has been a way of life for the Sims boys, from growing up in their native Lindale to today at TJC.
“We initially weren’t sure we would go to college in the same place,” Garrett said, “but with all three of us in school at the same time, TJC was a good financial decision. The scholarships have helped a lot.”
In addition to their $1,000 scholarships from the TJC Foundation Golf Tournament, they were also selected as tournament Corporate Scholars, which came with $5,000 two-year awards: Grant’s was from Delek Refining, with Garrett’s from Goldman Sachs, and Grayson’s from Express Employment Professionals.
“Coming to TJC also made sense because we didn’t want to go to a four-year university without knowing what we wanted to do yet,” Garrett added. “We decided this was the best idea.”
Since Grant and Garrett are both general studies majors and Grayson is a business major, the brothers have almost all of their classes together.
“The only differences are that Grant and Garrett have chemistry lab at different times, and I take biology instead of chemistry,” Grayson said.
When it comes to studying, the brothers play to their strengths.
“We complement each other,” Garrett said. “Grant is better at chemistry, so he will help with that. And in our pre-calculus class, Grayson is stronger. For time management, we’re able to split things between us for assignments and studying. It works.”
They also give high marks to the supportive TJC faculty.
“Talking with our friends who went off to a big university, a lot of them have told us about their struggles with trying to figure out due dates and how to study,” Grayson said. “Here, the teachers actually care and answer our questions and don’t just say ‘look at the syllabus.’ They give reminders in class to help prepare us, and it’s helped a ton.”
They already have a tentative plan for their next steps after TJC.
Grayson said, “Our mom went to UT Austin, so she’s always wanted us to go there. We’ve thought about going there and being together. I would still like to go there and major in marketing, but UT doesn’t have the degree that Grant and Garrett want, which is construction science and project management.”
Grant said, “Texas State University (in San Marcos), which is down the road from Austin, has the major we need; so, we’re thinking that maybe we can live together somewhere in the middle and share expenses.”
For the moment, the brothers are enjoying their TJC experience.
“We’re all three very grateful for the opportunity to go to TJC, since it’s so close to home,” Garrett said. “It definitely saves us some money while getting our basics done. We’ve been very blessed to get the scholarships that we’ve gotten. It has helped so much.”