From the Director's Chair

The University is closed for the holidays and all the students are gone.  In fact, everyone is gone, except for me, it seems, and the squirrels playing on the Horseshoe.  I like this time of the semester because the campus takes on a serene mood.   A quiet campus is the perfect setting for scholarship screening, which is why I am at work today.   I just finished reading a stack of applications for the South Carolina Honors College and the McNair Scholarship program, our most prestigious scholarship for non-South Carolina residents.  All I can say is "wow".  I continue to be extremely impressed with the talents and accomplishments of these students.   It is almost an impossible task, to decide who will move on in the competition, when the caliber of applicants is so strong and all are so deserving.   But, I must choose, and choose I will.

Campus is quiet now, but when we return January 2, we begin our final phase of the admission decision cycle for the Fall 2008 freshman class, and things won't be so quiet anymore.  So far, we have received about four applications for each space in the freshman class, a new all-time record for USC.  It's nice to be so popular!

Students that applied by our October 1 early answer date have received their admission status, but for the vast majority of applicants applied after October 1, and  for these we have not yet made a decision and will not be able to do so for some time.  We will send out the rest of our admission decisions in early March, once all applicants have had a complete and thorough review. 

And so, if you are waiting for an answer from us, we appreciate your patience as we work as quickly and carefully as we can to review your application. 

May this holiday season be restful and peaceful for you and your loved ones!

Posted by Scott at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

In addition to my position as Director of Admissions, I also have the opportunity to teach some classes.  I particularly enjoy teaching University 101 each fall to a new group of freshmen.  This year I taught a section of UNIV 101 for Capstone Scholars, and what a great bunch of students they are!  I am amazed by the interests and talents my students have; they are so much more accomplished than I remember being when I was a college freshman some years ago.  In my class I have a musician in the marching band that has played in Carnegie Hall, a pianist, an artist,  a magician/card sharp that has performed on a cruise ship, a hot air balloon pilot, a ballerina, a couple of Eagle Scouts, several students fluent in other languages, and one that once carried the Olympic torch.    Most of my students have traveled extensively, some even living abroad for a time, in places like Japan, Russia, Costa Rica, Germany, and Kenya.   My students were from all over the US:  Maryland, Connecticut, Florida, Missouri, Kentucky, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and of course, South Carolina.  Several of my students have already established themselves at Carolina as rising leaders, participating in the Emerging Leaders program, being very active in campus organizations and holding office in some.  Even more impressive to me, however, is how many of my students give of themselves by volunteering to help others through a variety of organizations and community service activities. I suppose you could consider most of my class this semester to be classic overachievers.  

Each semester I invite my class over to my house for dinner, which is always a lot of fun for me, and hopefully for my students as well.  It gives me a chance to get to know my students better, for them to get to know me, and for them to get to know each other.   A true home-cooked meal is usually welcome by the middle of the semester, as is a chance to get away from campus and relax a bit.  My class this semester is small, only fifteen students, so cooking for them was manageable.  On the menu was Greek salad, Spaghetti with meat sauce, Cajun shrimp fettuccine alfredo, garlic bread, and brownie sundaes for dessert.   College students are fun to be around, so I really enjoy having them over, but I also do this for their benefit.  Sometimes freshmen may feel intimidated and are reluctant to approach their professors, so hopefully by an event as simple as dinner at my place will help them realize that professors are normal people with families just like them.  Maybe this realization will help my students be more comfortable around their other professors, and they will be more likely to approach faculty outside of class if they need something.  Faculty, believe it or not, really enjoy interacting with students, but they are not going to force students to seek them out.  

In college, students need to take the initiative, and if they do they will get much more out of their college experience than if they wait for the college experience to come to them.

Posted by Scott at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)