Sometimes it’s hard to get students and their families to consider an unfamiliar geography.  And this is especially true when it comes to the American South.

Which is a shame.  I have some kids who talk about how they can’t wait to try something new. To “get outside their comfort zone,” to stretch a bit.  But then they draw the line–literally–along the old Mason-Dixon border. Between the  Union and the Confederacy. And ignore any possibility that heading south might actually be that area “outside the comfort zone” that would allow them to grow as a person–and as and American.

Don’t Rule out the South

I’ve had the good fortune to travel to quite a number of colleges and universities in the South. And I’m always impressed by the quality of the schools. The caliber of students I meet, and the very clear cultural differences.  The South is not where I grew up, and it’s not where I went to school.  I guess you could say that I was equally prejudiced in my views as a kid.  But the more I’ve traveled to colleges in Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and (gasp!) Mississippi, the more I recognize these views for what they are:  prejudices unfounded on fact or experience.

I’ve also had the good fortune to strike up a social media conversation with Jake Bonnell. An admissions counselor at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.  As a “northerner” and a “mid-westerner,” Jake has transplanted himself to the heart of the Deep South.  And he’s enjoying the change–in his environment, his community, and himself.

Here, then, are Jake’s discoveries about the South–and about the merits of considering higher education in this culturally rich part of America.

Jake Bonnell is an admission counselor at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio in May of 2013. 
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985 Miles South

This is my second move south. The first came at the beginning of my 8th grade year when I moved from Sheboygan, Wisconsin all the way down to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The second move was, admittedly, a little more severe. On August 5th, I moved from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Jackson, Mississippi. A whopping 985 miles into the heart of the deep- south. The land of sweet tea and fried chicken, or at least that is how I imagined it.

I’m not from the South. I’ve never been ‘fixin’ to grab something to eat, nor have I ever invited ‘yall’ over for shrimp and grits. I don’t go alligator ‘huntin’, or crawdad ‘fishin’. I’m not from the South but, I will say that over the past three months this place has really grown on me. There are still things I don’t like, but there are so many things that have taken me completely by surprise. Here are a few.

The South loves to eat. No surprise here; there is a reason that Mississippi is the heaviest state in the union. People, nation-wide, rave about southern-style, deep fried, butter drenched comfort food, but I’m actually not here to talk comfort food. As much as I love mac and cheese, catfish and fried okra, I could honestly do without.

Southern in Different Terms

To me, Southern eating is really defined by an all in-compassing love for wonderful food of all types. Within walking distance from my house in Jackson is an organic grocery co-op with its own vegetarian cafe. An oysteria that serves oysters on the half-shell swimming in Alabama white barbeque sauce, citrus, shallot, and garlic. And a bakery owned by two classically trained French Pastry Chefs. We’ve got greasy burger joints, and wine bars serving tapas; pastel painted sandwich shops and classic American diners. The South loves food. They love biscuits and gravy. But they also love crab, artichoke, and parmesan crusted flounder that has been sautéed with charred tomato lemon butter. Made with locally sourced produce.

I’m incredibly new, new to the south, new to Jackson, and new to Millsaps. As a result, I don’t know a ton of people. Even so, if someone saw me walking around campus or around Jackson they would think that I have lived here all my life. I am constantly making friends at the grocery store, in the cafeteria and even at the bank. Just roaming the streets, there are always people waving and smiling.

True Southern Hospitality

There is nothing better at making a new city feel like home than being embraced by the people who live there. All of those wonderful southern hospitality stereotypes ring true here in Jackson. The other half of that hospitality stereotype holds equally true; people are constantly trying to feed me. My mom is wonderful. But I have had more complete strangers try to feed me here than my mom ever has. There are certainly some not so nice parts of the South. But the people of Jackson are just about the nicest people I’ve ever met.

5:30 AM, December 15th, an alarm clock blares in a small town just east of Columbus, Ohio. In the pitch black, I role out of bed, throw on a coat, run down stairs and sprint outside through the knee deep snow to urge my car back to life.

After hurling myself back inside to the warmth of a shower and new clothes, I re-apply my layers. Sweat shirt, vest, jacket, winter coat, hat, gloves. I make it back outside just in time for the warm air blasting on the inside of my windshield to have had absolutely no effect. Two inches of ice still standing in between me and my morning commute. From there it only takes a quick twenty minutes of scraping to clear my windshield before finally heading into work. Today is October 30th. The low today in Jackson, Mississippi was 50 degrees. I wore a coat once last week. I won’t be scraping this year.

Three months ago, I was looking for a school in the same way that many of you are now. I will admit that at first I didn’t look at schools in the South, turned off by my own preconceptions. Finally, as I expanded my search, I found Millsaps and got a glimpse into what the South is all about. This move was a huge change for me. But I will also tell you that I am incredibly thankful for everyone who has helped make this place feel like home for me. As you continue your college search, I’d urge you to look south. Even briefly, and see what we have to offer. If wonderful weather, food, and friendship don’t do it for you, we always have sweet tea…
 
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You might like to check out Jake’s previous post about the merits of a liberal arts education.  

The post Considering Colleges in the South first appeared on Great College Advice.

TRANSCRIPT:

Well, I’m at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina. Which is not too far from Greensboro, not too far from Durham and Raleigh, about 45 minutes or so. Great campus. This is a really pretty place. The guidebooks said that it has one of the most architecturally harmonious campuses in the country, and absolutely true. You can kind of hear some construction crews going on. A lot of new construction. But all of it’s in the same old style, red brick, white trim, gorgeous, even the new buildings.

Elon is really an up and coming university. It’s attracting kids from all of the country, and more and more internationally, for very strong programs in its four schools. Communications, education, business, and also the arts and sciences. Very strong in the arts: music, theater, musical theater, dance, very competitive in those programs.
One of the things that I thought was interesting as I was talking to the associate director of admissions, and the tour guide, that Elon is not on the Common Application.

Not on the Common App

One of the few selective schools that is not on the Common App, and I asked why. And the response was a couple of things. Number one is they don’t really want all those extra applications from people who are just applying because they can press the button on the application. They really feel that fit is important. And the students who are showing that they are interested, at least by filling out the separate application for Elon University. That is a step in demonstrating that you are interested.

And we’ve talked a lot about, in other blog posts, about demonstrated interest and how important it can be. By contrast, Duke makes very clear on their website, demonstrated interest, we don’t care. If you come and visit, great, but we really don’t care if you visit. It’s not really about that. Elon, however, it is, because they really want to find people who are interested in this particular school, who understand and want the kind of education that Elon provides, and the kind of community Elon provides.

So it’s a medium-sized school. 5,000 students or so. Division I sports, so a relatively spirited athletic community. But also in this kind of small, bucolic community away from a major urban center. Accessible to two, but a really nice campus where a lot of the doors for all the academic buildings are open even though it’s summer and nobody’s around, you can walk right in. So it’s really understandable, having come visited, why Elon is an up and coming university.
 
Mark Montgomery
Expert Educational Consultant

The post Counselor Reviews Elon University first appeared on Great College Advice.

I asked my friend Bill Worden, a professor of Spanish at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, about these prejudices.  Bill and I were pals at Dartmouth, and he grew up in Massachusetts. He received his doctorate at Brown.   So when he landed a job a UA, he had to make some adjustments in his academic worldview.

So I asked him about his experiences at the University of Alabama, and his impressions of his students, and his discoveries large, public universities in some parts of the United States.

The point is that all types of universities offer excellent educational opportunities to those who take advantage of them.  What’s important is finding the college or university that fits you best–a place where you feel comfortable and welcome.  For many, the flagship university of your home state may be the best fit for you.  For many others, however, a smaller, more intimate setting may be best.

But whatever you deem best for you, don’t let parochial views of your peers, neighbors, or acquaintances influence your priorities too much. Take the time to investigate the types of schools that fit you best.  Be willing to think outside the box and look at other regions of the country. Don’t make uninformed judgments based on stereotypes.  Determine your own, personal educational priorities, and take the time to find the best college for you.

College Counselor and Southern College Enthusiast

The post Large State University vs. Small Private College first appeared on Great College Advice.