Beginning this week, The Phillipian will follow four Seniors throughout their college application experience: Dana Feeny, Hanson Causbie, Nich Koh and Bryce Frost. All four of these students are applying early to colleges this fall. Feeny, a four-year Senior from California, believes that “females are under-represented in the sciences” and will emphasize her passion for science in her application. She hopes to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. Feeny has taken Cosmology at Phillips Academy, and is currently enrolled in Physics 550 and Global Ecological Issues. Feeny also completed Calculus last year and is now taking Linear Algebra. She is also Co-Captain of the Girls Varsity Soccer team. She also participates in the Pen Pals program as well as the PALS program, a tutoring program in Lawrence, as community service. Feeny has high aspirations for her college experience. Although she is applying to over 10 different schools, she said that would like to stay on the West Coast. Her top choice is Stanford University, located in Palo Alto, CA. “I grew up around there,” she said. “My brother and my mom both [have gone] there and I just love the school.” She continued, “[Stanford] is kind of like Andover; there are really well-rounded kids.” Feeny plans to apply during to Stanford during the non-binding Early Action period, by the November 1 deadline. So far, Feeny has finished the Common Application portion but still needs to complete the supplementary portion of the application and edit her essays. Her college list also includes University of California-Berkeley, University of California-Los Angeles and University of South California, also situated in Los Angeles. The college application process has not been an enjoyable one for Feeny. “[The college application process] sucks. The best thing to do is do the entire application over the summer,” she said. Causbie, a day student from Methuen, MA, has had a strong desire to serve in the Armed Forces since fourth grade. He first became interested when he borrowed a book on the Naval Academy from a local library. Causbie’s grandfather was a member of the Naval Academy’s Class of 1955. Causbie said that he has emphasized this in his applications. Causbie’s first choice is the United States Coast Guard Academy, located in New London, CT. “The Coast Guard Academy has more humanities to offer, this is something I want in a college,” he said. He said that ideally, he would like to double major in political science and economics. The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland is Causbie’s second choice. An important aspect of choosing a college has been spiritual life. Causbie, who was a Deacon at a local church, believes both the Coast Guard and Naval Academies provide “excellent ways to practice [his] faith.” Like Feeny, Causbie will be applying during the Early Action time frame to his first-choice school. Causbie said that he still needs to finish his essays for the application, which does not follow the Common Application but is also due on November 1. Currently, Causbie serves as the Day Student Representative to Student Council and was previously was elected as Day Student Representative to West Quad North. He serves as the Executive News Editor for Frontline magazine and is also the Director of Public Relations and Business for the Phillips Academy Historical Review. Causbie said, “[The college process] is a lot of work but I have received a lot of support from my parents…The College Counseling Office has been excellent.” For Koh, a three-year Senior from Singapore, faces a different situation from many college applicants. Although he is applying to colleges this year, he will not matriculate into college until 2010. Singapore has instituted a peacetime draft which requires all male citizens and permanent residents to serve in the country’s army for two years. Even with these interim years Koh has a full list of colleges he will apply to. He will be applying to the University of Chicago through the Early Action program. UChicago is currently ranked number one in the world for economics, Koh’s chosen major thus far. In addition to UChicago, Koh will be applying to all the members of the Ivy League with the exception of Cornell. In his application, Koh is playing off two major points: the first as a hardworking, well-rounded student, the second as a varsity golf player. Koh is expected to play number one on the golf team this year. In addition, Koh has built up a résumé of extracurricular activities throughout his Andover career. Koh is co-president of Catholic Student Fellowship, of which he has been a member since his Lower year. Koh is also the News Director for WPAA’s new show “Newsdesk.” His other duties include being a proctor in Fuess House, where he has lived since his Lower year and serving as the News Editor for Frontline magazine. Koh, who is hoping for the best in his college admissions process, also said he is excited for the whole process to be over soon. Frost hopes to attend the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business, a program whose students earn two Bachelor’s degrees: in Economics from the Wharton School and in International Studies from the College of Arts and Sciences. He said he hopes to fuse his “love of Japanese and economics.” The selective school looks to accept around 45 students per year. Frost looks to highlight his passion for Japanese and other foreign languages, economics, social science and humanities as a forte in his admissions process. Frost has shown dedication to the aforementioned passions by becoming the events coordinator for Andover Japanese Connection (AJC) and forming the Phillips Academy Language Mentors and Scholars (PALMS) club this year. PALMS, a club in which students teach each other new languages, currently offers a wide range of languages, from French to Thai. In addition to Huntsman, Frost will be applying to the Wharton School of Business, Georgetown University, Cornell University, Columbia University and New York University. Frost believes his major will depend on which college he chooses to attend. Frost summed up the feelings of many Seniors. “[The admissions process] takes a lot more work than I though it would. You have to drive yourself to work on the application; it is…like another class,” he said.
