On August 24th, 2009 Steve Colee from Macalester College made a visit to our Shanghai office and gave a brief presentation on his school. Introducing Macalester, he said that liberal arts colleges prepare students with a broad set of skills and knowledge that will serve them their whole life, much like a Confucian model of education. Although Macalester is often known in China as Kofi Annan's alma mater, Macalester's deep and genuine commitment to global citizenship is part of a long-standing, 70 year history. This commitment to global citizenship has been realized in many ways, through the establishment of the brand-new Institute for Global Citizenship, and the academic programs that all incorporate this global perspective.

On the Macalester campus, there is a culture of collaboration, not competition. Students refer to many of their professors and administrators on a first name basis. Also, there is no particular dorm for specific groups of students, such as international students or athletes - all freshman students live together their first year. Furthermore, at Macalester, they believe that learning is spontaneous, so they foster the idea of a learning community. This includes giving students the chance to apply their knowledge to real world situations through internships and other opportunities that a location near an urban setting has to offer, an advantage that Macalester has through the city of St. Paul, Minnesota.

In addition to Macalester's academic programs and unique characteristics, Steve also talked about something that was of great interest to the students in attendance - the financial aid packages that the school offers to international students - and stayed to answer their many questions. Afterwards, he conducted individual interviews with students who were interested in applying to Macalester.

The following Wednesday, on August 26th, Steve traveled to our Nanjing office to meet with students there, and gave an Essay Writing Workshop open to the public. Steve included tips on how to write a successful college application essay, and what admissions officers in general are looking for. Selective universities and colleges are "Not just academic factories," said Steve, they are proud of their school culture and seek out diversity of backgrounds, interests, and experience in their applicants. As an admissions officer, Steve is on our side in the pursuit of helping students find the right fit.

Taurus would like to thank Steve for all the advice and information he brought to the students. We are sure those who met with Steve left with more insight into the application process than with what they came.