Challenging Our Top Scholars

Can a school that prides itself on welcoming students of intellectual and academic diversity really challenge its top scholars? We asked Andrew Hard ’06, University of Chicago '10, and Benjamin Miller '06, Yale '10:

“During Orientation at Chicago, older students subjected us to tales of sleepless nights spent working through problem sets on electrodynamics and writing essays about Herodotus," said Hard. "For some people, the stories turned out to be true. Many among my friends had difficulty meeting the expectations of the professors, while others postponed the work until exam week and were unable to catch up. I always completed my work and was able to creatively meet assignment requirements. All of the skills that help me here in Chicago I learned at St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School.”

“Having my peers at SAS always there to support me gave me a tremendous degree of self-confidence," offers Miller. "I know that some people worry that SAS is a small pond and that at some point there will be a reality check but I think that the confidence you build in this small pond prepares you for that challenge when it comes. I took Advanced Introductory English at Yale and we had the opportunity to do a lot of peer editing. I would have no qualms about putting most of my SAS classmates’ papers up against my classmates’ at Yale.”

Miller also credits St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School’s special relationship with the University of the South with providing him opportunities in science and math that his Yale classmates did not receive, not even in their AP courses. “Thanks to the possibilities for SAS students to take courses at the University, there isn’t any limit to how prepared you can be for science courses in college."

Christine Asmussen, Director of College Counseling, explains, “Outstanding students are encouraged to take college courses for credit (and for free) at the University of the South, one of the country’s top liberal arts colleges. We know that AP has become very fashionable among many schools but why give students an artificial college experience through test-driven AP courses when you can give them the real thing? SAS students learn to hold their own and excel in a college setting, with college-aged classmates and with professors who make no allowances for our students’ high school status."

Although SAS does not offer an AP curriculum, many upper level courses are taught at a comparable level. More than 90% of our seniors who take AP exams attain a score that qualifies them to receive college credit. In recent years, several SAS students have aslo been named AP Scholars.

One of the greatest challenges students of exceptional drive or talent face when they leave the academic world is learning to work with people who may not be as fast or as dedicated learners. Our heterogeneous classrooms encourage these students to hone the skills necessary to work in a heterogeneous world – humility and patience – and give them the skills to guide their colleagues in group work.

Our small school size gives us the opportunity to recognize the special skills and needs of each of our students. Standardized tests are not used to make blanket judgments of a student’s ability. An outstanding math student will be challenged to work at a higher level in that subject while also having access to academic support in English, if needed.

And, at SAS victories in the classroom are as celebrated as victories on the playing fields.