Catching Up

Between spring break and a college tour, I have not been at my desk since April 4th! I have just returned from visiting five colleges in South Carolina and I can't wait to post the highlights here. But first I have to attend to my overflowing inbox (the physical one on my desk and the very scary gmail one as well).

Seniors, we want to hear your college decisions so keep us posted.

Juniors, we want to hear about your Spring Break visits so keep us posted. If you haven't turned in a draft of your college essay, we know you you are and would like to invited you to submit a draft before the end of the year. YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID. I promise.

Serious highlights from my South Carolina trip are coming up, but here are a few silly highlights:

Number of colleges visited: 5
Number of hours on the bus: 8
Duration of a direct flight from DCA to Greenville, SC - About 1 hour
Number of chicken biscuits consumed by yours truly - (hangs head in shame) 3
Number of glasses of sweet tea consumed - too many to count
Number of colleges that gave us tours in golf carts - 2 (Furman and Wofford)
Number of shops I would have loved to visit in Charleston if I had more time - too many to count
Number of times I have texted the image of my name in lights at Clemson - 12 (how's that for a teaser?)
Number of flat tires on aforementioned golf carts - 1
Number of dorms I toured that were nicer than my current house - 1 (Wofford!)
Number of dorms I toured that were nicer than any place I lived in college - 5

More details to come!
Published by: TSM

Five Minutes with Wofford College

Last spring, as March Madness approached, I sat down to work on my picks for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and came across an underdog team who caught my attention. As I consulted my expert bracketology advisor, (aka my brother - while he gets a little frustrated with me when I make my decision based on which team has a player with a heartwarming story or a good mascot, if I bribe him with a free dinner he will help me with the important discernment process of choosing the teams certain to win!) I became more and more intrigued by this small liberal arts school in Spartanburg, South Carolina. After watching Wofford College lose a heartbreaking, but very close game against a Big Ten powerhouse, I started looking more closely at this school, wondering if it would be a good match for Visitation students. After meeting today with one of Wofford’s Admissions Representatives, Jenni Lister, I think that Wofford’s school spirit, close knit community, and strong academic programs offer a great fit!

Wofford has about 1500 students enrolled - and is growing. They pull in a large percentage of their population from South Carolina but 40% of its students enroll from out of state. They offer a unique January Interim program that allows students to earn credit while participating in experiential, real-world learning via internships, study abroad, guided research projects and service learning opporunities. One thing that Jenni Lister wished that everyone knew about Wofford is that they send at least 3 students each year to The Aspen Institute – a prestigious leadership opportunity. When describing the co-curricular programs, Jenni mentioned a short video created last year that is set to Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do It” that captures some of the fun-loving nature of the school.

Here are some other excerpts from our “five minute interview":

This or That about your school…

Dining Hall or Eat off Campus: Eat off campus

Dress Up for Class or Wear Sweatpants: (without any hesitation) - Wear Sweatpants

Starbucks or Local Coffeehouse: There is a Starbucks right off campus – but the on campus coffee – Java City – is 10 times better!

Students Can Name the Quarterback or “We have a football team?": Students can name the Quarterback – and since we are a small community - are probably good friends with him!

Speakers/Groups who have drawn the biggest crowd on campus:
• Paul Farmer, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine
• Marian Wright Edelman, President and Founder of Children’s Defense Fund
• Jerry Richardson, Owner of the NFL Team - Carolina Panthers
• The Wofford Men’s Basketball Team! – especially for the 2009-2010 Selection Show. One of Wofford’s Alum even sponsored 10 charter buses to help students get to the Round 1 game in Jacksonville to support their team.

So, you just never know where you are going to find a hidden gem of a school – just another excuse to enjoy March Madness! If you’d like to learn more about Wofford College, you can get Jenni Lister’s contact information from your college counselor.


Published by KMH