Bridging the Gap

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The College Search Top 10 Vicki Engelhart-Thompson, dean of college counseling, and Chancey Thompson, associate dean of college counseling, offer their advice for college applications and research. 1. Look for the right school, not the “best” school. CT: “Throw away the U.S. News and World Report rankings. A lot of it has nothing to do with the undergraduate experience.” VT: “Consider women’s colleges — keep them ‘on the radar’!” 2. Be well-lopsided. John Gaines, director of admission at Vanderbilt University, had that advice for 9th and 10th grade students when he visited this fall. CT: “‘Well-angled’ or ‘well-lopsided’ is just as good as ‘well-rounded,’ sometimes better.” VT: “Students don’t have to take the most rigorous course in every track to be competitive.” CT: “Depth is more important than breadth.” 3. It’s not about the name. VT: “A good college education can be gained anywhere — it’s what you make of it.” 4. Think about costs. CT: “If it’s your goal to go to medical or law school, to graduate school, choose your best financial option at the undergraduate level.” Many schools have honors programs and other opportunities for smaller classes and more intensive study. 5. Plan your conversations. VT: “College is not all that families should discuss during Senior year. Make a plan for how you will communicate about the college application process and stick to it so that it doesn’t overwhelm family time!” 6. Don’t reinvent the wheel. VT: “Use the Common App. It’s your best friend.” In August boot camp, “we walk them all the way through the Common Application,” an online application that’s accepted by 400 schools. The essays will differ for each school, but this eliminates a lot of repetition in the other parts of the application. 7. Love your college list. VT: “A student should be happy to go to any of the colleges on her list.” 8. Testing is not the be-all and end-all. VT: “If you don’t test well you will still go to college. Many schools have started to weigh testing less in their consideration of students for admission. Check out fairtest.org.” 9. Visit, visit, visit. VT: “College visits are very important to the development of a college plan - you really can’t picture yourself in a place without going and experiencing it. Take a tour, sit in on the admissions presentation, ask questions of your tour guide, eat in the dining hall, attend a class if that is an option!” 10. “Keep calm. We got this.” CT: “We don’t teach - we’re fully focused on the kids, on getting to know them. We build a lot of check points — they’re not going to fall through the cracks.” 12 |
New student services center offers open spaces and focused services “Children grow with light.” That’s part of the philosophy behind the OASIS, a new and bright re-visioning of space in the Taylor Building at St. Mary’s this fall, says Leigh Mansberg, assistant head of school. OASIS is the acronym for the Office of Academic Services and Inspirational Support, which houses college counselors, registrar, chaplain, director of studies and Upper School head, along with a common space designed to welcome students and visitors both — coffee, computer workspace, comfortable armchairs and the Living Edge Conference Room (named for the beautifully crafted local—wood table at its center). St. Mary’s mission statement is on the wall at the entrance. Look closely — the two spotlights above it illuminate the words below in the shape of a heart. “That was an accident,” says Mansberg, but an appropriate one. OASIS is “a place for the in-between things… the things that don’t have a container,” says the Reverend Katherine McQuiston Bush ’93, St. Mary’s chaplain. The offices have bright windows, sofas, round tables where families can meet in private or students can come in for testing or a listening ear. The common area is open for students seeking quiet study time. The message behind it, she says, is “We value you and your presence.” The “inspiration” in the name is important. “In my opinion, inspiration is where it’s at,” says Mansberg. It’s “at the heart of finding potential. If you feel supported, you can feel inspired.” The physical space of the OASIS is part of a school-wide increasing of collaboration and communication across departments and grade levels, so that the student and family experience is consistent and supportive from age two to high school graduation. “There are a lot of ways to be a St. Mary’s girl… a lot of ways to put the pieces together,” says Bush. “There are a lot of us to help the girls see that.” Cara Ellen Modisett is minister of communication at Church of the Holy Communion. She has worked as an editor, college writing instructor, classical pianist and public radio reporter, producer and announcer. She moved here from Virginia in summer 2014 and loves exploring the city of Memphis. MacKenzie Campbell ‘16 and Hannah Meacham ‘16 chat with Dr. Dalton Lyon in the lighter and brighter first floor of Taylor, home to the OASIS and the Living Edge conference room. WINTER 2015 | 13
Page 1 and 2: Winter 2016 Bridging the Gap Alumna
Page 3 and 4: The Varsity Volleyball team revs up
Page 5 and 6: St. Mary’s alumnae (L-R) Patti Pe
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Page 13: COLLEGE PLANNING: STARTING EARLIER
Page 17 and 18: from these. Help who will be helped
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Page 25 and 26: classmates. Betty Coe Cruzen Manuel
Page 27 and 28: oncologist! Edie Loeb is still livi
Page 29 and 30: Mary Long Merritt ’82 and Carol G
Page 31 and 32: Leigh Gordon Wright ’86 and daugh
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Page 35 and 36: Douglas Looney welcomed baby girl i
Page 37 and 38: she and Michael are expecting a bab
Page 39 and 40: Braden just moved to St. Louis, and
Page 41 and 42: Grosse Pointe Public Schools. She s
Page 43 and 44: Allyson Patterson adopted a snuggly
Page 45 and 46: Milestones Tennis team and was sele
Page 47 and 48: $1,500 per student. It allows Turke

Bridging the Gap

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