McDermott Scholars: UT Dallas

by Roland Allen ~ October 20th, 2009

SMES 2002 alumnus Colter Flemming returned to his native Texas after college and works with the McDermott Scholars Program at The University of Texas at Dallas. Recently, Colter invited me to Dallas to visit the University and to learn more about the program. I was impressed. I asked Colter to write a post for this blog.

Ever heard of UT Dallas? Don’t worry – this is not a test. And even if you found yourself leaning towards answering ‘no’ you are in good company with residents of Dallas and citizens of Texas and the United States. But not for long… allow me to tell you about the best kept secret in Texas, and quite possibly the US…

Hi, I’m Colter Fleming, SMES class of 2002. I graduated with a business degree from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, CA and made my way back to Texas in 2006. After toying around with the real estate market, I found my true passion – higher education. For a year, I worked with colleagues like Mr. Roland Allen as an admissions officer at UT Dallas, only to luck into the coolest job in the whole world. For the past year I have been part time graduate student at UT Dallas – studying Public Affairs and Public Policy in the school of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences; and full time administrator with the staff for The Eugene McDermott Scholars Program at The University of Texas at Dallas.

Modeled after The Morehead-Cain Scholars Program at UNC – Chapel Hill, the McDermott Scholars Program at UT Dallas seeks the best and brightest students from around the world. An average McDermott Scholars class is made up of 16 to 20 students – both male and female and from a variety of locations, backgrounds and countries. These students share in common a high class rank – typically in the top 5% of their graduating class, with SAT scores above 1400 on the 2 part or 2100 on the 3 part, or ACT scores above 32. Scholars are also chosen based upon intangible skills such as personality and past track record of leadership and volunteerism. Scholars are as much class presidents as team captains; valedictorians or salutatorians as champion debaters. In the freshman class of Scholars this year we have a published author and an aspiring musician. While there is no formula to becoming a Scholar; grades and test scores will help you to become eligible… but the rest is up to your application packet, four (4) recommendations, a handful of essays and a competitive weekend in Dallas comprised of interviews and social events. Financial need does not come into the picture when considering applicants… this is strictly a merit based Scholars award.

The McDermott Scholars Program is known as the most flexible program of its kind in the nation with a generous value of more than $130,000 over the course of four years of a student’s undergraduate education. Keeping in mind that this is a full four year award, students who arrive with college credit due to CLEP, dual credit, AP or SAT scores have been able to double major, pick up a minor, take a few classes toward graduate school and spend extra time abroad or interning. Some of our most popular experiences include a semester at the Archer Center in Washington DC or a summer spent at the Los Alamos National Labs in New Mexico.

In the fall of 2000, Mrs. Margaret McDermott, wife of Texas Instruments cofounder Eugene McDermott, endowed this $32 million merit scholars program at The University of Texas at Dallas in honor of her late husband. Eugene McDermott was a scientist, an engineer, an entrepreneur, a patron of the arts, and an energetic civic leader. The McDermott Scholars Program provides select UT Dallas students with a rigorous and personalized education as well as experiential learning opportunities such as cohort travel, internships, and study abroad. Scholars are selected not only for their academic and extracurricular achievements, but also for their promise as leaders and servants. The McDermott award promises a debt free educational experience for select undergraduate students at UT Dallas by covering:

  • All tuition and related fees
  • An annual book stipend
  • Monthly living allowance for campus housing, meals and bills
  • Funding for each Scholar to study abroad, attend conferences and/or prepare for graduate or professional school.
  • Tickets to local cultural events such as opera, symphony and theater
  • Cohort trips to places like Santa Fe, NM; Austin, TX; and Washington DC.
  • **Among all of the benefits, Scholars claim the best aspect of the program is each other.**

UT Dallas is poised for greatness. With hundreds of thousands of square feet currently under construction in the form of classroom and student service space, the university has ambitious plans to help improve Texas and the South all the while keeping class sizes small and professors accessible. Beginning as the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest as recent as the 1960’s meant that providing an intellectual atmosphere through research has become an important part of the undergraduate experience — and even freshmen have opportunities to find their way into a lab.

I invite you and your parents to learn more about UT Dallas: http://www.utdallas.edu/enroll

AND visit The Eugene McDermott Scholars Program website: http://www.utdallas.edu/mcdermott/

OR contact me at colter.fleming@utdallas.edu / office: 972.883.4613

Filed under: Alumni, College Notes, Guest Posts, Resources | Comments Off on McDermott Scholars: UT Dallas

Being a “college preparatory” school

by Roland Allen ~ October 7th, 2009

I share the philosophy of the college counseling office in the front article on the college counseling homepage. Specifically, I note that “choosing a college is an opportunity for students to further develop interests, define talents, and to consider their own individual ideas, stances and values.”  Our philosophy aligns with the school’s educational mission as a college preparatory school, which is reaffirmed in a recent article by Mr. Pat Bassett, president of the National Association of Independent Schools. Mr. Bassett assures his readers that the college preparatory nature of our schools allows us to promise “that our graduates will be matched to the right college, the one they belong at and will be successful at.”  Mr. Bassett stresses that the college match is essential for a student’s long term success in life. He also makes the point that finding an appropriate college is what we do in independent schools like St. Margaret’s. There aren’t mysteries or surprises at the end of the process for students who take full advantage of all that we have to offer at this school. Our students are matched to a good college or university when they leave St. Margaret’s.

St. Margaret’s is a lively school, filled with students who are intellectually vibrant and who do wonderful things. I’m proud of my involvement here because this school does college preparatory very well. The entire program at St. Margaret’s, and the faculty, staff and administration, encourages students to live up to their unique gifts and talents, both personally and academically.  This approach serves our students very well.

Filed under: SMES | Comments Off on Being a “college preparatory” school

Summer Planning for Underclass Students

by Roland Allen ~ October 1st, 2009

During this time of year, parents of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors frequently ask two questions: how do I plan a college visit and what should my child do this summer? The SMES College Counseling office offers these tips:

When planning college visits keep an open mind about college choices. Don’t narrow the search too early in the process. There are a few reasons for this.

  • Students will learn a lot about themselves during their final years in Upper School. They will mature and possibly develop new likes and dislikes.
  • Your child will begin to become more independent as she or he matures.
  • Your child’s academic profile is still developing; this is an important factor in making a college match.

While these are important factors to consider in making a college match, the college counseling office understands that some parents cannot avoid becoming anxious about the looming prospect of college. If this is the case, start visiting colleges. The purpose of your visit should be to see the differences that exist among college choices. By going on tours and attending information sessions, the student, and parents can begin to learn the “language” of college admission

The process should be that simple at this early point. The college counseling office believes that students should spend time being high school students. Students who are fully engaged in the wonderful things that this school has to offer will be the best applicants when it comes time to apply to college.

In planning for college, summers can and should be used productively. This doesn’t mean that everyone NEEDS to find something exotic to do over the summer. In fact, getting a job may produce the best learning experiences for any high school student. If a student is interested in finding formal programs, many universities have summer programs for high school students.

Some of the better known programs are at Boston University, Boston College, Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Cornell and Columbia. Many of the New England boarding schools have interesting summer programs. Andover’s math and science program is highly respected. Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism has a strong program for aspiring writers, as do Kenyon College, Lewis and Clark College and Duke University. International programs are offered by the Oxbridge Academic programs at Oxford and Cambridge Universities and in the south of France. The Oxbridge programs are better suited for older students (rising juniors and seniors) and, TASIS (The American School in Switzerland) offers highly structured programs in Switzerland, France and England, which works nicely for younger students whose parents prefer a more supervised environment. There are hundreds of possible opportunities available to students. The college counseling office catalogs a number of programs that may be of interest.

Filed under: Early Preparation, Summer Opportunities | Comments Off on Summer Planning for Underclass Students

Score Use Policies (Updated)

by Roland Allen ~ August 26th, 2009

College Board’s score use practices list has grown to over 50 pages. Students should be aware of this important information that details what colleges, universities and scholarship agencies expect in terms of SAT score reporting.

The most current document is linked here.

The following is from an earlier post on this topic:

Score choice policies vary widely. For example, the Cal State system does allow score choice. The University of California system, along with Stanford and Pomona College, do not. USC uses the highest sections, but encourages candidates to submit all scores so that the university can pick out the highest sections.

Filed under: College Admssion Testing | Comments Off on Score Use Policies (Updated)

Guest Post: Andy Ellison ’08

by Roland Allen ~ August 19th, 2009

Andy Ellison is a 2008 SMES alumnus.

Hi, my name is Andy Ellison and I graduated from SMES in 2008. Currently, I attend Arizona State University where I am studying Journalism. Arizona State is obviously not very high on the list of universities that an SMES alum would attend, believe me I know. But there are two specific fields that the university excels in: Business and Journalism. In this blog, I am pleased to share my experiences at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and my thoughts on becoming a journalism major.

The Cronkite School is separate from the main ASU campus. Upon being accepted into ASU, one must go through an additional application process to be accepted into the Cronkite School. The admission standards are not very high, but they are similar to those of the Business School, which demands slighter better grades and scores than the general application to ASU. There are three main campuses at ASU: Tempe, Polytechnic, and downtown Phoenix. While the Tempe campus is where most students will attend their classes, the Cronkite School is located in the downtown Phoenix campus.

There are dorms located in downtown Phoenix for students pursuing a Journalism degree, but it is not necessary to stay in those particular dorms. Phoenix is only ten minutes away from Tempe and I myself did not stay in those dorms. This is due partly to the fact that I changed majors to Journalism second semester, but also because I did not want to live on that campus. Students will find that many of there General Education courses are given on the Tempe campus anyway, and so they may find it easier to live on or near that campus rather than in downtown Phoenix.

Now I have only completed one semester in the Cronkite School thus far, but I can give you a pretty good idea of what it’s like. I lived in the dorms on the Tempe campus and attended many general education classes on that campus, but I traveled to Phoenix once a week for my Journalism courses. Commuting is not difficult at all. If you don’t have a car, which I did not, you can use a Light Rail system that ASU students can ride for free. It departs right from the Tempe Campus and drops you right on the Phoenix campus. It is seriously as easy as that. The trip on the rail system takes about twenty minutes.

The Cronkite School offers three main areas of study for Journalism. Print Journalism is a major in which the student takes the general Journalism courses and focuses primarily on the written side of Journalism. Think newspapers, magazines, etc… Another area is Broadcast Journalism, where the student takes the general Journalism courses and focuses on broadcasting. Think baseball announcers, Anderson Cooper on CNN, etc… This is the particular degree I am pursuing. The third area is Public Relations or “PR”. I don’t really have any examples for this one, haha, sorry.

My first semester in the Cronkite School consisted of general Journalism courses. I had to take to specific courses. One was a grammar course that is mandatory of all Cronkite students unless you test out of it (most don’t). It is a pass/fail class meaning it does not affect your GPA but it is essential that you get at least an 80% in the course or you fail and have to take it again. Most importantly, you cannot go on in the Cronkite School until you pass this course. There is only one course you can take at the same time as the grammar course. This is a History of Journalism Class. It teaches you about all aspects of journalism, from print to broadcast and it explores the role that the media plays in our lives today. These are the two courses I took. I am currently continuing on with Journalism Ethics and Writing for Journalists.

The Cronkite School is rather challenging considering that it is unlike other majors and requires a great deal of dedication. The subject matter can be very foreign at times, but in my experience, the professors are very eager to help should you have any questions or concerns. Keep in mind that ASU is a very big school and it is virtually impossible to get the kind of intimate attention that other private universities provide. I believe that the Cronkite School is a very unique institution and that it is one of the best in its field. But remember that attending ASU is attending ASU and that it is quite a unique experience… that’s putting it lightly. But should you decide to pursue this major and attend this university, I am sure that you will find it to your liking. Thanks and I hope this helped.

Filed under: Alumni, Arizona State University, College Notes, Guest Posts | Comments Off on Guest Post: Andy Ellison ’08

Cost of Applying

by Roland Allen ~ August 14th, 2009

The college counselors recommend that students and families plan for the cost of applying to colleges. Here is a list of some colleges and their application fees:

  • University of California $60 (Per campus.)
  • California State University $55 (Per campus.)
  • University of Southern California $50-$65 (Fee reduced if Part I is submitted in advance of Part II.)
  • University of Pennsylvania $75
  • University of Michigan $60
  • University of Washington $50
  • Claremont McKenna College $50
  • University of Virginia $60
  • University of Colorado $50
  • Stanford University $90
  • Harvard University $75
  • Colby College $0 (If the application is submitted online.)
  • Loyola Marymount University $60
  • University of San Diego $55
  • Pepperdine University $65
  • Wellesley College $0 (If the application is submitted online.)
  • MIT $75
  • CalTech $60
  • Duke University $75
  • Chapman Univrsity $60
  • Cornell University $70
  • University of Notre Dame $65
  • Santa Clara University $55

Other costs:

  • Sending SAT scores to colleges: $9.50 (per college)
  • Sending ACT scores to college $9.00 (per college)
  • FAFSA (financial aid – all colleges) $0
  • CSS Profile (financial aid for private colleges) $9 plus $16 per college

Filed under: Application "Tips", College Applications, College Process, Common Application | Comments Off on Cost of Applying

Guest Post: Chris Tokuhama on The College Essay

by Roland Allen ~ August 8th, 2009

Mr. Chris Tokuhama is an admissions officer at the University of Southern California. This is the second piece he’s written for this blog. Here is a link to his first contribution.

There is, quite possibly, nothing like seeing someone finally get it.

I sat across a desk and watched as the student in front of me struggled to form the words that his heart longed to say.

Oh. OH! Ohhhh…

Success.

I had been invited to participate in an essay-writing workshop for a local school and found myself talking to students in various stages of their personal statements. Admittedly excited for this event, I had come prepared with highlighters and a red pen, but discreetly tucked them away within two seconds of meeting my first student. I quickly realized that what we were doing was not about the mechanics of writing—although that might have been a small part of it—as much as it was about a process. More specifically, for me, it was about a narrative process.

Anyone who’s heard any of my talks knows that I believe in the power of narrative. In many ways, I consider stories to be one of the fundamental ways that we have come to understand the world and ourselves. We are most familiar with this idea in the form of myths, legends, tall tales, fiction, lies, or movies—but what about the stories that we tell ourselves? What about the stories that define us? Every time we come to believe that we can or can’t do something (what the professionals would call “self-efficacy”), that we are or aren’t something, we are contributing to the narrative of our lives.

I am an advocate for people telling their stories and I deeply believe that people’s stories matter. Sometimes in our jaded lives, we come across those essay topics that have been used many times before and we feel that students don’t tell the right stories or tell their stories in the right way—but this does nothing to shake my belief that there is a story there somewhere.

This, ultimately, is why narrative and storytelling matters. Stories have the power to stop us from being complacent, to incite action, and to make us feel. In big ways and in small, we begin to realize that everyone has a story, that these stories matter, and that the people telling the stories matter.

Needless to say, this last statement came as a revelation to most of the students.

I challenged the workshop participants to listen to selections from StoryCorps, a non-profit that is attempting to compile the oral history of America. The important thing here, I argued, was to realize that average people have remarkable stories and that they could learn a thing or two from these strangers: all of the stories were engrossing, informative, and unique (quite possibly the jackpot of college admission essays).

One of the most amazing stories was an interview between a mother and her twelve-year-old son with Asperger’s. The interview started with some standard questions but the boy eventually got around to asking his mother if he met her expectations as a child (knowing that he had a disorder) and his mother simply replied he had exceeded her expectations beyond measure. I didn’t really anticipate any other answer, but the way that she said it was, frankly, astounding. This mother’s words were truthful, pure, honest, and full of love.

In the end, I think that this is what occasionally frustrates me about our applicants and their stories: they don’t get to this place of truth. Perhaps it’s the lack of words, or the lack of trying. Maybe some of them aren’t quite ready. In any case, it is infinitely maddening because I believe beyond all doubt that the story is there, waiting to be told. You want to tell kids that they’re already shiny and bright but they could be so much more beautiful than they are, because they could be so much more than they are. And they’ll get there, I guess—that’s what college (and the rest of life) is for. But, at the same time, you want to tell them to shine and to burn bright, burn clear, burn true, burn pure, and burn strong.

And, every once in a while, you see a student break through the pain and the doubt and the worry. You see a student overcome fear and imposed limits. Put simply, you see transcendence happen in front of you.

There is, quite possibly, nothing like seeing someone finally get it.

Filed under: Admissions Officers, Application "Tips", College Applications, Guest Posts, The College Essay, USC | Comments Off on Guest Post: Chris Tokuhama on The College Essay

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