Dear Mr. Bottomly Part B

This is a continuation of a e-mail conversation I had with a 9th grade parent.

Parent's e-mail:

Would the classes he takes in the 12th grade be counted for college admission since the decisions will be made before he can have the final grades of the courses?

He has been getting good grades (A and above). What else should he do to make himself stand out? He has been playing the Cello since 6 years old and is quite good at it, but he is not very good at sports. He does not know which direction he wants to develop into at the moment, i.e., science or humanity. He likes both. Is it good for him to have an emphasis at this stage?

My response:

The "senior myth" tends like a siren to seduce many senior students. The myth is this: senior courses and grades don't really count. That's the year every student "lets of the petal a bit" and puts it on cruise control.

Wrong!

Senior course selection and grades do count - especially the more selective the school. Sometimes though students will apply what is called EA, which stands for Early Action, or ED, which stands for Early Decision. In this case, a student will apply before November 1 and hear back sometime before or right after Christmas. Typically, then, a college will make decision about this student before Casady senior grades are sent out. However, just because colleges won't see the senior's fall grades, the colleges will see on the Casady transcript the course selection - this of course which the colleges will intensely scrutinize. So yes, it is important to combine judicious course selection with exigent course performance.

In response to your other questions.

As far as what else – if your son loves the Cello then encourage him to keep pursing that passion. Colleges are not looking for breath as much as depth. Quality over quantity. “Demonstrated Passion” is what I like to call it – whether it is playing the Cello or riding a horse of playing athletics. In addition, I’d at least consider looking at summer learning programs [not necessarily “leadership” programs] either in the US at a Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Duke or outside of the US at an Oxford. There are always summer program opportunities that we put up on our college counseling board. Encourage your son to come by and look for opportunities.



I’d also encourage you to help your son find a job. Sometimes expensive programs
smack of privilege; a job, in contrast, speaks of responsibility. The Dean of Harvard, Bill Fitzsimmons, told me last summer: “A job at McDonald’s is more impressive to our committee than any leadership program a kid attends. “

I’d also encourage you to purchase the book Winning the College Admission Game by Peter Van Buskirk. You can click here to purchase the book. Peter WILL BE COMING TO CASADY IN SEPTEMBER to speak to students and parents 9th-11th grade. Mark that date when we post it. You won’t want to miss him!

Dear Mr. Bottomly

Received this e-mail from conscientious parent not long ago with great questions.

Here is Part A of the parent's e-mail.

My son is in the 9th grade. He is hoping to get into one of the highly selective schools. We wonder what he has to do to prepare himself. It seems to me that many of the AP courses are only offered to 11 or 12th graders.

Here was my response.

"I had a chance to look at your son’s transcript – quite impressive! My suggestion for AP’s – look into receiving permission from Mr. Wiley for your son to take his AP US Government course. Your son might also look into taking Latin 3 AP course – if offered. The other option might be for your son to try and get into the AP Art History course. This course would not only fulfill your son's fine arts requirements, but it would also give him another rigorous course. What this would mean possibly is that your son will take six courses next year."

Look for Part B tomorrow.

Junior Student's Tulsa U Experience

Emily Hood came to see me yesterday. Somewhat rare unless it's American Literature related. Not this time. Emily's new Tulsa hoodie though gave her away.

Come to find out - Emily took advantage of "Junior Preview Day" at Tulsa University. She interacted with students and professors. Walked the gorgeous quad aligned with its Gothic, Oxford-like architecture. Ate in the cafeteria. Saw dorm rooms. Drank deep of one of the hidden secrets in the American college landscape.

At one point in our conversation, I asked Emily my favorite question: "What did you learn about yourself visiting Tulsa?" Emily wrinkled her nose a bit and then smiling exclaimed, "I discovered that I want a college where you are a person; not a number. Relationships matter to me."

Emily provided concrete examples of the personal feel of Tulsa's ethos. One of Emily's highlights was visiting student living quarters - dorms, suites, apartments. Emily noted how much she liked "the six-girl-to-one-bathroom living set up. "Another thing I learned about myself," Emily added, "was that I really value community. The idea of communal living really appeals to me."

Thanks, Emily, for sharing. Come back anytime.

I'm also curious if there are others out there like Emily who have visited colleges.

I'm anxious to hear what you have learned about yourself.

Many times a college visit can work like a mirror: it reveals who you are and aren't. It reflects what you value.

So juniors, pop in my office anytime, like Emily.

We'll chat. I'll take your picture. Convert our conversation into a blog post. Put your purty face out there for everyone in the Casady community to see. Make you famous...at least for a day!

Oh and one more thing: The feature article for our Junior newsletter involves a forum discussion with juniors who visited colleges over spring break. Look for this newsletter on the web soon.

Oh and just a final factoid about Tulsa University: This year they received almost 5 times the volume of out-of-state applications to in-state. It's ironic how 49 states in America are discovering and raving about TU..and yet, there is still 1 state unaware how good Tulsa is - that state, of course, being the one the university is in!

Hendrix Professor Sound Bite

I wanted to quickly mention one Hendrix sound bites that resonated with me on my fly in.



Dr. Simmons (picture above). He teaches philosophy. Before Hendrix, Dr. Simmons taught at Vanderbilt. He could have stayed at Vandy and taught for 3 years in their ethics program, but he chose Hendrix. Someone asked why. His response: "Hendrix students are about investment - as opposed to entitlement...students at Hendrix don't have to be told to study, read, and prepare. They are motivated from within and by each other to push, stretch, challenge, question, liberate, examine, apply. Students at Hendrix are unique in that they want to develop a 'we-centered,' 'others-minded,' 'globally-consciousness' paradigm for thinking and living."


Investment students versus Entitlement students. Dr. Simmons' observations gives me pause to ask some questions about myself and Casady: Are I/we passionate about infecting our students with a passion for learning? Do I/we endorse and embody a pedagogy of information? Or a pedagogy of transformation - personally, communally, and globally? Are I/we really a community that are producing students who want to "invest" in their learning experience - in other words, truly take ownership of their education? Are we really about a process of becoming global thinkers and doers?

Dr. Simmons gave me and us much to chew on.

The way, interestingly, that Hendrix is most investing in their "students of investment" is through their Odyssey Program. Odyssey, of course, implies journey, experience, adventure, discovery, challenge.


All students who are accepted into Hendrix participate in the Odyssey Program. Students are then required to complete three experiences selected from six categories: Artistic Creativity, Global Awareness, Professional Leadership Development, Service to the World, Undergraduate Research, and Special Projects.


Since the program's inception in 2005, more than one million dollars have been awarded to students and faculty to pursue their research. Rachel Achor, for example, will use her grant money to volunteer in an orphanage in Granada, Nicaragua. Lauren Bresler, another example, will fulfill her Professional and Leadership Development requirement by interning with Schwartz & Schwart in St. Louis, a small criminal law firm. And Rachel Kincannon and Staci Sutton will spend the summer in the Bahamian Islands - no, not laying out and drinking margaritas - but fulfilling their Special Project requirement by volunteering in Tarpum Bay, one of the poorest areas on the islands of Eleuthra. They will be conducting research comparing Eleuthra with Nassau, which is known to cater to tourist.


To learn more about the Odyssey Program click here.

Hendrix Tour

I echo Lauren Pope who wrote in Colleges That Change Lives: "I was unexpectantedly blown away by Hendrix...There should be at least one college as good as Hendrix in every state."

After drinking in the "Shangri-la-like" ethos at Hendrix I had a strong sense that there are many Casady students who would thrive at this hidden gem of a liberal arts school.

Here are some pictorials of Conway and Hendrix with additional Pope commentary about Hendrix.


This is where I stayed. Parents - this is one great hotel option to visit.



Mcalisters - my favorite lunch spot with Amy. Big check + for me!

"Hendrix knows that they must prepare students to live in a global rather than an American world."





"It truly is a too-secret treasure that is both a financial bargain...and a great opportunity for a better educational experience than you'd find in the name-brand places."



"I was blown away by the collegiality, a feeling that there was something special happening, that everybody was in this together, that they really were changing student lives, and that that was something important - the most important thing you could with your life."





"Hendrix has an incredible ability to provide for its students whatever it is they need to expand and grow."

Hendrix or Bust!

I'll be attending a Hendrix College fly-in over the weekend. I look forward to drinking in the Hendrix ethos. I hear the campus is simply gorgeous.

If you haven't read about Hendrix College in Lauren Pope's book Colleges That Change Lives, I would encourage you to not only purchase the book, but dive right in by starting with Hendrix College. You can do so by clicking here.

Neil Groat is our representative at Hendrix College. He's arguably the most congenial, helpful, and accessible person I've met working in this business. What I like about Neil is how transparent he is throughout the whole process. Simply put: he will always let you know where you stand not only the admissions process but also the affordability process as well.

While visiting, I hope to hang out a bit with a trio of our Casady kids. Grace Dubiskas, Luke Cornelson, and Jane Derrick are there. I'm eager to hear about their impressions of Hendrix.

Anyway, when I return, I hope to provide a small gallery of pictures, along with impressions, interview sound bites, and anecdotes.

Have a great weekend. And for those down in Houston at ISAS - be safe and knock em' dead!

Washington Post Article, "Recession Has Silver Lining for Class '09"

The Washington Post published a somewhat encouraging article this morning about college admissions. The article's thesis: private colleges are reeaaallllyyy nervous about yield; thus they are accepting slightly more applicants. I think you will agree that this is quite a 180 degree turnabout in lieu of the apocalyptic forecasting we were getting in the fall about college admissions.

To read the full article click here.

Oh by the way...Happy April Fool's Day!