As a Pat Conroy fan, I had an image of the Citadel in my mind when I went to visit it last week. The reality was not quite as dramatic as depicted in "Lords of Discipline" but still, the Citadel requires a certain kind of student. One who is willing to be busy fourteen hours a day, wear a uniform 95% of the time, sleep on a rock-hard mattress, get up at 5:30 AM, and hold dear the concepts of Honor and Duty. On it's website it says that when you choose the Citadel, you are choosing to be challenged. There is an emphasis on on leadership throughout the four-year experience. Students are called cadets and ROTC is offered in all branches of the armed services. One soon-to-be graduated cadet told me she was off to Colorado Springs next week to take her place as an officer in the US Space Force. One in three graduates go into a branch of the military upon graduation. The Citadel is relatively easy to get into, staying in may prove more difficult. There are five different schools: the Baker School of Business, the School of Engineering, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Zucker School of Education. The Citadel is not for most students, but for a few, it offers an extraordinary experience.

We visited the College of Charleston yesterday and fell in love with one of the most beautiful campuses we have ever seen. As described in the Fiske Guide: The 13th oldest college in the country, College of Charleston was founded as a private college and, after a number of identity changes, became a state university exactly 200 years later. Located in Charleston’s famous Historic District, the campus features many of the city’s most venerable buildings. More than 80 of its buildings are former private residences, ranging from the typical Charleston “single” house to the Victorian, and the clap-clap of horse-drawn carriages bearing tourists is a routine sight. The campus is within easy walking distance of the city’s shopping and restaurant district and offers proximity to beaches. Cistern Yard, the area in front of Randolph Hall lined with moss-draped live oaks, is a student gathering point and the site of May graduation ceremonies. The campus has received countless awards for its design and has been designated a national arboretum and a National Historic Landmark. The college’s core curriculum is rooted in the liberal arts, sciences, and professional programs. The focus is on the development of problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, as well as taking an entrepreneurial approach to addressing global issues like climate change, social injustice, and economic inequality. Each student is required to satisfy credits in English, history, mathematics or logic, social science, natural sciences, humanities, and foreign language. All new students attend Convocation, where they are introduced to the college’s academic traditions, and freshmen from underrepresented groups can participate in several support programs designed to ensure their successful transition to college. All freshmen take part in the First-Year Experience and choose between seminar and learning community options; sample seminars include Charleston Writers, Designing Your Life, and Gateway to Neuroscience.
The College of Charleston is semi-selective, very LBGTQ friendly, and dedicated to sustainability. The campus is almost 70% female, but the nearby colleges even out the social scene. The campus has a pre-med program in conjunction with the nearby Medical University of the South and offers excellent support services for students. Because it is located in the historic section of Charleston, be prepared for very uneven sidewalks. When I mentioned this to a Charleston rep, he told me "Heels down, toes up," which is an important safety tip. If you want to be in an urban campus that includes historic homes as part of the classroom experience, give the College of Charleston a look!

Tulane is a medium sized school with the prestigious R-1 research designation. Service learning is central to the Tulane experience and is a part of the curriculum. Tulane prides itself on offering academic flexibility, when students apply to Tulane, they apply to the school not to individual majors. The school wants students to explore their interests and get involved both on campus and in the larger community. Since it is Mardi Gras season, we stopped by the bead tree on campus, where students toss their beads as high as possible due to the legend that this will increase their grades during finals.

 Next I toured Loyola New Orleans, a great choice for students who want a little more individualized attention. I spent a half-hour learning all about their E-Sports program, and how it can lead to lucrative careers. 

I have been on the road this week in Louisiana visiting colleges. We started with LSU, which is the public flagship of the state and has 330+ academic programs. We even got to see a student demonstration over free speech while we were there, although there wasn't a huge turnout.

The University of Utah is incredibly beautiful. I wish my photographic skills could do it justice. It is home to about 26,000 students, is a R1 research institution, and offers a wide variety of majors from Urban Ecology to Mechanical Engineering. It's also great for the health sciences, with a 425-bed hospital on campus. The nursing program also admits as pre-nursing, and offers a BS in Geriatric Nursing Leadership. Somewhat selective, the average admitted student has a 3.6 GPA and test scores are optional. Best of all for my California students, Utah offers WUE for students with a GPA over 3.3. The University of Utah offers a variety of Living Learning Communities, however these fill up quickly so it's best to apply early. Most students are admitted pre-major, and there is no portfolio required to apply to the architecture program.
The campus is in Salt Lake City, a remarkably clean and spacious city. Californians should be aware that many stores are closed on Sunday and the elevation is 4500. The University of Utah is considered an island of diversity in a mostly conservative, religious city. The people we met were all very friendly and the university wants Californians!

Georgia Tech Admission BlogRead on blog or ReaderThree Messages about College Admissions for JuniorsRick Clark
April 15

Warning: The subtitle is this blog is “That you may not like to hear.” And unlike most of my intros, we’re not going to waste time or words on analogies, personal anecdotes, or admittedly stretched parallels. Instead, after watching this cycle repeat itself, here are the three direct messages/ primary hopes I have for juniors entering the college admission experience.
Don’t apply to a college you would not actually attend. Seniors did this. I know, right? They basically walked into a store looking for jeans and went to the section three sizes up from theirs and were like- “Yea, I'll put those in my cart just to have a few extra.” Does that sound dumb? It is. Think about it this way- there are 2000+ four-year colleges in America, not to mention the thousands of other post-secondary options around our country and abroad. I’m guessing if someone lined up that many pairs of jeans you could easily find 7 or 9 or 11 that you could afford, fit well, and you would be excited about/proud to wear. Many application fees are $50 or more. Need suggestions for better uses of that money? Donate to a local non-profit, take your mom out to lunch, Venmo me, basically do anything with it except what the seniors just did. Want more details and insight? Check out this podcast with Rachel Hernandez, vice provost for student affairs at Johns Hopkins University. Not a podcast listener? Ok. Then hear this: Don’t apply to a college you would not actually attend!
The “College Search” is internal. See, the seniors heard “search” and they went looking like a Survivor contestant scouring the island for immunity idols. This ain’t that. How do you know what to plug into a Google search if you haven’t taken time to reflect on what you value, or your hopes and goals for college and life beyond? So, yea. I’m going to be that guy and tell you to get off your phone. Worse still- I'm telling you to go somewhere quiet on your own and really listen to yourself...more than once. And too really go overboard here, maybe even bring a pen and paper and right stuff down about what you really need and want. Again, the subtitle is, “that you may not like to hear.” Promise made- promise kept.
Look. As a talented student and a relatively good person, an annoyingly large number of people are going to have opinions about where and why you should visit, apply, or attend certain schools. Oh... and they’re going to tell you whether you like it or not. At the end of the day, we live in a noisy, busy world. My hope is that you will consistently pull away for a few hours to listen and be honest with yourself. The truth is that these decisions just keep getting bigger- where to apply becomes where to attend. Where to attend becomes what to major in. What to major in becomes job, city, community, family. Oh, yea. I can draw a throughline from today to one far in the distant future based on how you approach this. But hey- you are a junior and we are just on #2, so let’s start with and commit to this. Don’t do what they seniors did! Don’t begin by searching Google with criteria someone else told them was important. Don’t start by looking at rankings or lists of colleges that a marketer developed to sell ads and peddle clicks. The college admission search is internal.
Nothing happens to you in college admission. Read that carefully. I did not say “nothing happens.” Just that nothing happens to you. Now, to be fair to the seniors, this has been a tumultuous and unprecedented year, particularly in light of the FUBAR FAFSA situation, the first cycle following a landmark SCOTUS case, and noise and variance in testing policies around the country.
Still, there was way too much why did this happen to me mentality and not enough why did this happen for me? inquiry. Here’s the truth- next year there will also be change, unexpected events, personal and macro challenges, and general unpredictability. This spring, as admission and scholarship information has come out, a lot of seniors (and their parents) have effectively said: “What did I do wrong?” or “What else could I have done?” or (directly or indirectly) “This whole thing is broken and unfair.” Well, in the spirit of “messages you might not like to hear,” that’s college admission, that’s college, and really that’s life.
As a junior, however, you have a choice. When things don’t go exactly as you hope/plan, i.e. you get deferred, denied, waitlisted, or you don’t receive the amount of money you need to attend a particular school, you can cry/wallow/point fingers/ take your ball and go home OR you can re-frame from why is this happening to me?to why is this happening for me?
Ok. I got deferred. “Why is this happening for me?” Now, I get to decide if I’m still really interested in this school. If so, I get to send my fall grades and submit updated information.
I didn’t get admitted. Or I didn’t get into the honors program. Or that scholarship amount is just not enough to make it affordable... why is this happening for me? Now, I get to pivot. I get to figure out another way or explore a different option. I get to show up somewhere else committed to succeeding, building a network, maximizing my opportunities. Nothing happens to you in college admission.
What messages do we like to hear? I can help you control this. I can make this easier for you. You are special and amazing and it’s all going to work out. I get it. I’m human. That all sounds good to me too. But it is not true (well, you’re kind of special and amazing). And you best believe you can find (often for $$) lots of people who will guarantee you things in college admission. If you see an ad online or have someone approach you claiming to have the magic formula, the secret sauce (or some other noun preceded by a descriptor), RUN!
So, I will not make any guarantees, but I will make you a promise. If you will only apply to places you really want to go and would be excited to attend; if you will begin with asking yourself big and tough questions; and if you will adopt the mindset that the year ahead, while absolutely not predictable or fully in your control, will be one of formation, transformation, growth, discovery, and opportunity; then on the Ides of April 2025, you will have been truly successful in your college admission experience.