Assistant Headmaster Chris Chirieleison welcomes Catherine Powell (Sewanee), Michael Cabe (University of Georgia), Patty Baum (UNC – Chapel Hill) and Michael Dostie (Furman) to Pingree Auditorium.

The Green PaGes

Fall 2011

News from Christ School’s College Guidance Office

On September 23rd, college admission representatives from four distinguished institutions

shared valuable tips and truths with our freshmen, sophomores and new juniors during our annual College Focus Program. The panel members started the 75-minute session with brief overviews of their institutions and how they evaluate applications. Then, students were invited to determine if the college-related statements offered by the panelists were fact or fiction. The prompts drove new discussion about the rigor of students’ schedules, how test scores are used by different schools, community involvement, finding “good fit” colleges and scholarships. Since the audience was made up of younger students with years of high school ahead of them, the panelists focused their remarks on what students can do now to prepare for the college application process.

We asked our panelists for their top tips for high schools students:

•Whenchoosingclasses,lookforwaysto challenge yourself. Straight As are nice, but colleges will look past your grades to the actual courses you’ve selected and ask whether you could have taken a more challenging schedule. For some people, that means taking six APs; for others, it’s one honors level class. No matter what’s appropriate for you, push yourself! – Catherine Powell, Sewanee

•Don’tfeellikeyouneedtodoeverything and be everything in high school. You don’t need to be well-rounded to get into college. Instead, pick out those few things that you love doing and do them to the fullest. You’ll end up being more accomplished than you think and would have been if you had done everything! – Patty Baum, UNC-Chapel Hill

•Therearesomanywonderfulopportunities available to you in high school (during the school year and vacations), so get busy! Music, sports,

drama, clubs, service, campus, travel — all of these things will enrich your life and strengthen your college applications. That said, think depth not breadth. - Mr. Michael Cabe, UGA

•Rememberthatcollegeisn’tallaboutprestige and elitism. Finding the right college equates to finding the right intellectual and social home. You’re going to become a part of that family and it will follow you for the rest of your life. So, go visit schools! See what feels right and where you feel most comfortable.Remember:you’relookingfor a school that will challenge you and make you feel like you’re at home. - Patty Baum, UNC-Chapel Hill and Catherine Powell, Sewanee

•Whenyouvisitschools,don’tbedazzledby names; be open to institutions that you’ve never thought of before. Spend time on campus, talk to students and take notes. Just because your friends (or national rankings) like a school, it may not be the “right fit” for you. - Michael Dostie, Furman

•Donotstressyourselfoverthecollegeprocess. Yes, it is important and you should be taking the necessary steps in high school to prepare you for college and challenge yourself both in and out of the classroom, but ultimately make sure it is something you can handle and perform at a level to your liking. – Michael Dostie, Furman

College Focus 2011

Kirk Blackard, Director, 828-684-6232 ext. 110

kblackard@christschool.org

Emily Pulsifer, College Counselor for 9th and 10th Grades, ext. 229 epulsifer@christschool.org

Coco Parham, Testing Coordinator and Administrative Assistant, ext. 167

cparham@christschool.org (Mon-Thurs, 8:30am-2:00pm)

Jennifer Bird, Registrar, ext. 106 jbird@christschool.org

College Guidance Contact Information

The Green Pages: College Guidance News

College Focus 2011’s

Fact or Fiction? The Truth About Preparing for, and Applying to, College

•Collegesdon’tcareaboutanythingbutmyTESTSCORESandGPA.FICTION

•Junioryearistheonlyyearonmytranscriptthatreallymatters.FICTION

•It’sbetterformetotakechallengingcourses,evenifitmeansthatIwon’thavestraight As. FACT

•ThemostimportantpartofmytranscriptismyGPA.FICTION

•Scholarshipsarereservedforonlythetopacademicstudents.FICTION

•IfIlistamajoronmyapplication,itwillaffectmychancesofgettingin.FICTION

•Iwon’tbeagoodcandidateifIdon’t: -play on at least one varsity sport. -join six clubs. -go on mission trips every summer. -master the oboe, euphonium and sitar. -write a novel.

-cure cancer. FICTION

•Collegesdon’tcarehowIspendmysummers,soI’llspendmineeatingNutterButters and playing Halo. FICTION

•Goingtotheschool’swebsiteisthebestwaytolearnaboutaschool.FICTION

•Imadesomebadchoices;therefore,Iwillnevergetintocollege.FICTION

•SincemyUncleHectordonatedallofthemoneyforthenewgymatHappyvilleCollege, therefore I’ll get in. FICTION

•WhenIstartlookingatcolleges,Iwillfindschoolsthatinterestme.FACT

Please contact your son’s college counselor with questions:

Emily Pulsifer – Freshmen and SophomoresKirk Blackard – Juniors and Seniors

“Christ School is an amazing place to work and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from the staff and students.” – Gerri Critikos

On Fridays this fall, we are fortunate to have Gerri Critikos share her

enthusiasm and expertise with us. Gerriisintheprocessofcompletingthe practicum portion of her College CounselingCertificationthroughUCLA.

A native of Charleston, South Carolina,GerriattendedAshleyHallSchool before retreating to a cooler climateforcollegeatRandolphCollege(formerlyRandolph-MaconWoman’sCollege)inLynchburg,Virginia.AftergraduatingwithadegreeinHistory,Gerrimoved to Atlanta where she became a paralegal and worked for a law firm in corporate law and marketing.

Marriedfor23years,Gerriandherhusbandliveinahousedivided:Gerri’soldestsonattendsUNC-ChapelHillwhile her middle son is a freshman at NCState.Alexander,Gerri’syoungestson, is a sophomore at Hendersonville HighSchool.WhenGerriwasn’tbusywith her sons’ many activities, she was working toward furthering her education, first,withaMasterofArtsinLiberalStudiesfromExcelsiorCollege,andmostrecently with her certification course throughUCLA.

GiventhatGerri’spracticumisfocused on scholarships and summer programs, she has been compiling a database of these offerings for Christ School. If you are interested in learning more about scholarship options at particular colleges or outside scholarships, she is happy to meet.

(To schedule an appointment with Gerri, call Coco Parham, ext. 167)

WELCOME

Students learn about Wofford College from Admission Counselor Davidson Hobson.

Nine years ago, Kirk Blackard and a longtime friend collaborated to form an idea. The idea was to

bike across the country visiting colleges and universities.

The original goals of the trip included:• Toincreasefirst-handknowledge

base of colleges• Toestablishrelationshipswith

admission heads• Topromoteourhighschoolsand

students

How did the High School Guidance Counselor Bike Tour, “Tour D’Admission” begin? I met Taylor Smith at a SACAC conference nine years ago. He was thenDirectorofCollegeCounselingatEpiscopalSchoolofJacksonville,(FL)andnowservesasHeadmasteratOldfieldsSchool,(MD).Hesharedwithme his idea to travel across the country visiting colleges and universities by bicycle.Withasenseofadventureandapassion for wanting to find the “best fit” schools for our students, the two of us embarked on a two-state tour of schools.

Today,TourD’Admissioncontinuestoinspireothers,havinggrowninsizefromtwo to eighteen participants. The group consists of a mix of private and public school counselors and independent educational consultants from all over the county. Together, they have pedaled approximately 2,800 miles through 16 states, with visits to 12-16 schools each year.

You mentioned that some of your previous bike tours were through New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Minnesota. What was your more memorable trip thus far and why?Ourtour of California schools, two years ago, may be most memorable. Highlights included front-row seats for an over the topJuly4thcelebrationattheUniversityofRedlands;aDodgersbaseballgameandavisittotheRoseBowlwithOccidentalCollege;apicniconthelawnat California Institute of Technology just before a small earthquake; a ride fromScrippsCollegetotheUniversityofLaVernewhereweweregreetedwitha spirited group of students, faculty administrators and two school mascots;

and a scenic ride along the southern CaliforniacoastwithUniversityofSanDiego’sDirectorofAdmissionandEnrollment,StevePultz.

What are your goals for the next trip? Weintendtocontinueourtrekacrossthe country on two wheels as Taylor Smithintended.Ourgoalswillcontinueto involve “experiencing” as much of a school as we can.

How have the relationships you’ve developed through the Tour D’Admission influenced you in your profession? The challenges we face on the road (adverse weather conditions, bike breakdowns, fatigue) force us to rely on each other in ways that do not occur elsewhere; strong bonds are created as a result. Such trust and confidence in one another extends during the school year when we need to bounce ideas off each other or ask questions. The geographical distribution of our group offers a rich reservoir of knowledge from which to draw. My colleagues’ passion and drive always reinforces the strong feelings I have for the work we do with our students.

Kirk Blackard, Christ School’s Director of College Guidance, was recently featured in the September bulletin of the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC), an organization which is comprised of approximately 10,000 members worldwide. Excerpts from his interview follow:

Mr. Blackard in the NACAC Spotlight

Mr. Blackard received a warm welcome from faculty, administrators, summer school students AND two school mascots following a short bike ride from the Claremont Colleges to the University of La Verne in California.

College admissions is packed with highly specific terms for tests, procedures, categories and approaches.

Understandingthisvocabularywillhelpyoumovethroughtheprocess with confidence. This new collection of terms and their definitions will appear in all Green Pages in the future; if you have a term that you feel should be included, please email it to EmilyPulsifer(epulsifer@christschool.org).

Admission Plans:RD - Regular Decision refers to a school’s standard application process and deadline. No conditions are placed on students when they choose this submission method. Admission decisions are issued on pre-determined dates and students have until May 1 to accept a school’s invitation to attend.

EA–WhenstudentsapplyunderanEarly Action plan (some schoolshavemultipleEAoptions),theysubmitapplicationsinadvanceoftheRDdeadline.MostschoolsallowstudentstoapplytomultipleschoolsunderEA(thoughsomedonot).EAdecisionsareissuedbeforeRDdecisionsbutstudentshaveuntil May 1 to accept a school’s invitation to attend.

-Why would my son choose EA? He would like to hear from colleges early but have plenty of time to revisit schools before he makes his final decision in the spring.

ED–LikeEarlyAction,Early Decision applications are due in advanceoftheRDdeadlineandadmissiondecisionsareissuedearly. However, students can apply to only one school under ED and, if he is accepted, he must attend.

-Why would my son choose ED? He is absolutely certain that his ED school is his tip-top choice.

Rolling Admission–Whenaschoolusesa“rolling”system,itdoes not have a specific application deadline. Applications are evaluated as soon as they are complete; decisions are issued promptly thereafter.

-How does this affect my son? If a school approaches its target size for its freshman class early, it can afford to become more selective. As a result, students who would have been accepted early in the year may not be admitted. Also, financial aid can be less plentiful later in the year. Students applying to rolling admission schools should submit their applications as soon as possible.

Testing: Test Optional – “Test optional” schools let students decide if theywouldliketosubmittheirstandardizedtestsscores.Ifastudent chooses to withhold his scores for whatever reason, he may be asked to provide other materials such as a graded paper, project, or an additional essay, but he will not be penalizedforthischoicewhenhisapplicationisreviewed.

-You will find a complete list of test optional schools in the US at www.fairtest.org.

SuperScore – Schools that SuperScore SAT or ACT results consider only the top scores in each test section, no matter how many times a student has taken the test. Not all schools do this so ask.

-For example, a student who earned 590 (Math) and 690 (Verbal) on SAT #1 at the end of junior year and a 610 (Math) and 610 (Verbal) on SAT #2 in October of his senior year, when his application is evaluated, a SuperScore school will use his Math score from SAT #2 and his Verbal score from SAT #1 (610 Math/690 Verbal).

College Guidance Glossary

•Sept-Nov—AllSophomoresholdindividual meetings with Ms. Pulsifer

•Oct12—Freshmen,SophomoresandJuniors take the PSAT (Practice SAT)

CollegeApplicationBlitzforSeniors

•Oct28&29— Parent-Teacher-StudentConferences&NavianceWorkshopsforParents(3PMFriday,9AM&11AMSaturday)

•Nov4—SophomorestakethePLAN(Practice ACT)

•Nov16—JuniorstourGATech/Emory,WakeForestorClemson

•EarlyDec—PSATandPLANscoresavailable in each student's Naviance account

•Dec15—ApplicationdeadlineforallSeniors

College Guidance Fall 2011 Calendar

While freshmen, sophomores and juniors took the PSAT on October 12th, seniors worked on applications and essays with Mr. Blackard and members of the English Department.