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.

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 — Coming to Terms With Prejudices first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

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A Liberal Arts Education

There are a lot of great statistics that provide a certain level of insight into the small Liberal Arts experience. These facts and figures provide an effective quick glimpse into this four-year life-transforming experience and even provide a superficial taste of what it means to be a student at a small Liberal Arts school. But today, I’d like to disregard logic, evade reason, and instead dive right into the heart of what makes a Liberal Arts experience truly special.

Years from now, I won’t remember that I went to a school with an average class size of seventeen or that our student-to-faculty ratio was eleven to one. Instead, I’ll remember the time I spent with Mr. Johanson driving to admission events. I’ll remember the hours we spent talking about our lives, hoping for our futures, and singing along to Taylor Swift. Statistics are great, but it’s the stories that I will remember forever.

I’d like to share with you a few of my favorites.

During my senior year, I decided to make a change. I had played it pretty safe during my first three years as an undergrad, but that year I had resolved to turn things around, to step out of my comfort zone. Naturally, I decided that the next logical step was to read original poetry at the fall talent show.

The evening arrived, my time slot came and went and I was truly better for having done it. As the evening pressed on, sitting in the back of the crowded theater, I noticed our university president, Dr. Rock Jones sitting a few rows away.

As is true at so many small Liberal Arts Schools, Dr. Jones was endlessly involved on campus. He was at nearly every sporting event and always visited with students during lunch. That night was no different. At the end of the evening, Dr. Jones ran up on stage and performed in a final skit, ending the show with laughter and a roar of applause.

Weeks later I found myself alone walking through campus and came across Dr. Jones walking with Gene Castelli, our director of dining services. As we crossed paths, Dr. Jones turned to Mr. Castelli and said, “You better watch out for this one, or he’ll write a poem about you.” Even a year and a half removed from my undergrad experience, this moment still sticks with me. I’ll always remember the time I read poetry for Dr. Jones.

He picked me up at 6:30 in the morning, a car already filled with the smell of coffee. Dr. Spall and I were headed down to an annual history conference held in Central Ohio and had a good bit of driving to do before the sun came up. I had been invited to the conference to present a paper on environmentalism in Britain after the Second World War.

Dr. Spall had been invited to fill his role as the ‘most popular person at the conference.’ He picked me up bright and early and was surprisingly chipper for the time of day. We talked superficially at first, about weather, travel, and beating the traffic. But as we got deeper into the drive, the conversation changed.

It turned toward his youth and the pranks he pulled into high school. He told me about his wife and kids and the ups and downs that come so naturally in life. We talked about my future and my own highs and lows. Suddenly, though, the conversation turned to dancing. As I mentioned earlier, I made a hard effort to get outside of my comfort zone during my senior year. Aside from my big poetry debut at the talent show, I also decided to take a swing dance class during that final semester.

Late over the course of our 3-hour trip, I was complaining to Dr. Spall about the two left feet I had inherited from my parents. I assured him that “Swing Dance” was quickly becoming my hardest class. Little did I know that Dr. Spall and his wife had been swing dancing four times a week for months and he had only just gotten the hang of it after weeks of struggling. The presentation I made that spring will drift from memory, but I will always remember that early morning drive, commiserating with Dr. Spall about the challenges of swing dance.

I strongly believe that small Liberal Arts Schools attract a very distinct type of person. Though there are always groups that don’t get along, there is an underlying commonality between liberal arts students, sharing a similar essence despite their diverse backgrounds.

I have one final story to share with you.

Chester walked into breakfast on the first day of his freshman year and placed a large black box next to him on the table. He poured himself some cheerios, looked up and smiled a big toothy grin. Dramatically, a loud raspy voice sounded through the box. “Oh, sorry,” Chester apologized; “I’m listening for trains.” It didn’t take long for me to learn how deep Chester’s love for trains ran. He had been published in a national train magazine, for which he had supplied his own photos.

He’d spend hours down the street at the tracks listening, waiting there with his camera. Sometimes I’d forget Chester’s infatuation with trains only to be pleasantly surprised all over again. We’d be out running, jogging on some back deserted country road, and there’d be a whistle in the distance.

Promptly and without cue, Chester would inform all who cared to listen of, the type of whistle, the type of engine, and even what it was hauling. I will admit to you, as I admitted to Chester on countless occasions, I don’t really care about trains.

Yet somehow, despite this tremendous gap in interests, Chester and I quickly became great friends. This story doesn’t have a funny or snappy ending; it just ends with me saying how thankful I am to have Chester in my life. Liberal Arts schools attract unique students, and I’m so grateful that they do.

I’d like to end this post with a confession: sharing these stories has been as much for me as it has been for you. I am so thankful for my Liberal Arts experience, and there is nothing like reliving moments from four incredible years to bring back all of those feelings of appreciation. These are some of my fondest memories, and there are still hundreds more.

The beauty of it all is that these same kinds of stories can be found at small Liberal Arts Schools all over the United States. These stories are mine, but I’d urge you to go out and find your own.

Thanks for your time,

Jake Bonnell

https://greatcollegeadvice.com/

The post Liberal Arts Education: The Greatest Thing Ever (An Unbiased Perspective) first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

So when a trip to New Orleans to participate in a board retreat for the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) came up, I decided to drive the three hours up to Jackson, Mississippi, to have a look for myself.

Here is some video I took of my tour there.  My tour guide, Philip, was excellent.  And I loved the fact that he is a classics major.  Gotta love kids who love the liberal arts!

Great College Advice

The post College Admission Visit to Millsaps in Jackson, Mississippi first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

I was recently on the campus of Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.  Just being on that campus was surprising enough:  it’s truly a hidden gem in an unlikely location.

As I do on most campuses, I try to meet with a professor or two.  The admissions office set me up with one professor, who just plumb forgot about our meeting.  So I met up with another one at the spur of the moment.  He allowed me to record some of our conversation on the topic of how students and faculty interact at Millsaps, and at liberal arts colleges in general.

This professor shared a couple of anecdotes that knocked my socks off. As you watch, you’re going to think this was all a set-up.  I assure you, none of this was rehearsed or planned.  He was just supplying some evidence that students and teachers at Millsaps really do develop some tight bonds.

Have a look for yourself.

College Consultant

The post Liberal Arts Colleges and Teacher-Student Interaction first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

This short video highlights three distinctive features of Millsaps.  It’s a wonderful place.

College Consultant

The post Millsaps College–Distinctive Features and Admissions Priorities first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

I’ve started asking others their opinion on this matter. When I was at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, last week, I asked Mathew A. Cox, the Dean of Enrollment Management, how he would advise students.

It’s sometimes disappointing that in this whole admissions frenzy we lose sight of the goal. It’s about learning. It’s about training the mind. It’s about acquiring and using knowledge to solve the world’s pressing problems.

Mark Montgomery
College Counselor

The post High GPA or Rigorous Courses? Think Academic Preparedness first appeared on College Admission Counseling.