Culver Academies - Review #10

At Culver, a student has the opportunity to have a great education in a beautiful setting while participating in top notch extracurriculars and sporting teams. I feel many boarding schools might offer similar things. However, Culver sets itself apart in through its dedication to leadership learning and character development. There are few schools that I know of that do such a fantastic job in developing all parts of the person, the mind, body and spirit. Through the boy's military system or the girl's prefect system, students have the opportunity to have real responsibilities that help them develop the leadership skills that are so necessary to success in life.

Without a doubt, my Culver experience made me a much better person than if I was a student at my local high school, especially in areas of leadership and character. I learned to be assertive and confident. I learned how to make decisions properly by gathering all relevant information, analyzing outcomes, and implementing solutions through real world experiences rather than classroom experiments. I learned the importance of friendship and what it meant to be a good friend. I learned how to exist in a team and how to lead a team. I learned right from wrong and when it was ok to push the envelope and when it was time to firmly say no. Lastly, I know that I achieved a lot of things at Culver and won a few awards - but that is all meaningless compared to the friends I made and embarking on the Culver experience with them.

I think if anything, you have to go into a boarding school experience with an open mind, especially at Culver. It is important to be humble and learn from those who came before you. More than anything, while homesickness is natural, I would bet that anyone who leaves after a few weeks or month will regret.

The people and the relationships that you build with them. Everyone at Culver, form students, coaches, teachers, or administrative faculty exist in a great community. I know that the relationships I have from Culver will be more lasting than anything I have developed at college.

Take the time to get to know your teachers, coaches, and counselors - they are so important to making your experience memorable. Focus on the friends that you can make - they will make the Culver experience. Don't try and buck the system - there's a reason that so many Culver grads are successful, speak lovingly of the place, and donate their personal resources to make sure others can have the Culver Experience. While there are going to be times where you hate Culver, especially at 6:50 in the morning during BRC in near freezing weather and there will be times where you think and talk negatively about the school, I think everyone realizes how being at Culver made them a better person. I will always remember hearing my football coach reading emails from recent grads speaking about how much they miss Culver and Culver people, even from the ones I thought did not like their experience.

The teachers display a real commitment to the student's development. This extends beyond the subject they teach, though not discounting the wealth of teaching ability and knowledge of subject matter in the faculty at Culver. But more than classroom learning, I felt teachers really took an interest into my well-being, both inside and outside the classroom. One advantage to the boarding school environment is that you can interact with teachers after school and in the community. It is not uncommon for teachers to invite students or classes over for dinner and discussion. When I go back to campus, I always make a point to visit or have a meal with my favorite teachers. Developing personal lifelong relationships with the faculty was one of the most important parts of my experience at Culver.

Culver athletic programs are some of the best in the midwest and country, especially in sports such as Hockey and Lacrosse. The facilities for athletic teams are really second to none in prep schools - and I have driven through or toured many comparable schools. Beyond the facilities, I felt that Culver coaches really took the opportunity to use sports as a tool to further develop teamwork and leadership. Going back to previous points, I again think that Culver coaches took the time to develop personal relationships with their athletes. I still keep in touch with many today.

While I did not participate in Visual Arts, Music, and Theatre, the programs were very visible, especially with the new facilities that have been recently added. One unique initiative of Culver is the concert series, in which homework would be canceled for a night and students required to attend a type of performance during the night study period. These professional performances involved all different types of art, theatre, and music, from the Ballet to the music of Buddhist Monks to opera. I believe the goal was to expose all students to different types of arts to both inspire interest or at the least, teach the appreciation of the arts.

The distinguishing factor of Culver is the leadership program - the boy's military leadership structure or the girl's prefect system. While Culver began as a military institution, now the military is used as a tool to teach leadership rather than a ROTC-type training program. Though we have graduates who attend military schools (and do well there - the Regimental Commander from 2008 is now the top cadet at West Point), there is not an emphasis on tactics, etc. Instead, the military system teaches leadership. You enter as a bright-eyed plebe, focusing on following and developing personal discipline. By a sophomore and junior year, cadets are given smaller responsibilities, such as being a squad leader and accountable for the well-being and performance of six to eight peers. By the first class year, cadet's have the opportunity to command a company of fifty or even larger units such as a battalion or regiment. I cannot think of many high schoolers who can tell colleges that they were personally responsible for the well-being, morale, and overall performance of fifty of their peers or that they were tasked with helping new cadets adjust to the boarding school life. To list what the leadership system taught me would take hours - I am without a doubt a better person for it.

I would not trade life in the Barracks for my room at home for anything. Generally the barracks are in good condition and are kept clean by the cadets themselves. Especially now, unit lounges have amenities such as big screen TVs and video game systems and more. Nearly every room is a double and after random selections Freshman year, students have their choice of roommate and room. The unit counselors serve as rector type individuals, available for students needs, while the student leadership itself also plays a large role in maintaining a positive morale and dorm life. The unit structure develops such a community setting - my memories will always be about living with my best friends and late night hangouts.

The dining hall is adequate, though certainly not a mother's cooking. However, it is better than some college facilities I have experienced and I know there is a concerted effort to provide students with the right types of food and best food possible when cooking for 750+ people. Supplementing the dining hall is the Shack, which is a popular hangout area that serves pizza, burgers, etc. And, if students are in need for a real fix, several restaurants in town deliver to campus. Student's are required to eat with their units during breakfast periods, one lunch period and one dinner period a week. I rather enjoyed these opportunities to have everyone around at one time to socialize.

Culver is set on Lake Max and could not be in a more beautiful setting. Especially during the warm months, it is nice to walk through the woods to town and eat Papa's on the park right on the lakeside. There are several restaurants in town, perhaps more than a normal town the size of Culver would have and all are delicious. There is a very picturesque small town feel with a quaint Main Street complete with a one screen movie theatre and popular coffee spot.

The best way to describe social life at Culver is living with your best friends. Perhaps because Culver is so unique, students really develop lifelong relationships. Some high school students might scoff at the curfew or lack of raging parties, but I think many will remember fondly Saturday nights chilling on the Battery steps or piling into one kids room after closing to watch a movie until the early morning. Then there are lazy Sunday's basking in the sun on the field or tossing around a football for hours. By senior year, I will always remember spending nights at Beason Hall, savoring every last second I had with my best friends before graduation.