9:40 A.M. Senior Seminar

By Andrew Goldstein

How many of you are not planning on going to college?" asks David Cady to the 61 seniors in his senior leadership seminar. No hands go up. Cady, who plans on having his class begin to fill out college applications next week, knows this is the first discussion of college many of these seniors have had this year. "How many have taken either the SAT or the ACT?" Fewer than half raise their hands. "How many of you have been to our career library?" Five hands go up.

Cady knows he's got a lot of work to do. A goal of his class, he says, is to help students make more informed decisions as they leave high school. "We're trying to help kids get their act together," says Cady. "We want to help them prepare for the next step in their lives." This includes not just college but also "alternative enrichment" options. At last week's open house, Cady told parents he thinks too many kids go to college for no particular reason, then drop out. He wants kids to know there are alternatives, such as hiking the Appalachian Trail or joining AmeriCorps.

Up at the blackboard, Cady divides four-year colleges into three groups: competitive colleges, including those in the Ivy League; less competitive ones, among which he includes the private, local St. Louis and Washington universities; and state universities, such as Missouri and Truman State. "You need to have a conversation with your parents about what you can afford," Cady tells them. So, next to his competitive and less competitive lists, he writes $30,000. "And this would be just for tuition." Next to Truman State, he writes $8,000 and calls it "the best value in Missouri." At Truman, he adds, "you'll find Missouri people. If you go to a competitive college like an Ivy League school, you'll probably be with elitist people."

Later in the week Cady plans to have the class play the "decision game" to help the students explore both college and noncollege possibilities.

--A.G.