2009 Alumni Survey

Casady School

2009 Alumni Survey Results

Grads Sing Our

Praises

I

CASADY GRADS SAY. . .

“The Casady community is most passionate about preparing students to be academically competitive while maintaining a sense of balance and perspective.”

“Casady’s strong sense of community will forever be in my heart.”

“Casady forged wellrounded citizens of the world, students of liberal arts who understand diverse fields and ideas.”

n the fall of 2007, we sent a satisfaction survey by email to the Casady classes of 2004 (college seniors), 2005 (juniors), 2006 (sophomores) and 2007 (freshmen).

We heard back from 102 alumni at 63 different colleges and universities— representing an extraordinary 42 percent response rate.

In a profound reaffirmation of the quality of our programs, more than 86 percent of respondents expressed high satisfaction with their Casady experience, and every respondent provided thoughtful replies to the survey’s open-ended questions.

A central finding of the survey is that strength of character truly matters at Casady. A variety of questions in different sections of the survey addressed personal responsibility, ethics, sense of community and the school’s emphasis on character. Across the board, responses were extremely positive.

We care deeply about the results of this survey. The assessments offered by recent graduates are the most effective measurement of how well we prepare our students for life beyond Casady.

THINKING BACK, WHAT DO YOU NOW MOST APPRECIATE ABOUT CASADY? “My professors have been impressed with my writing skills.”

“Looking back, there were a lot of teachers at Casady who had higher standards than my professors do now.”

SOLID PREPARATION FOR COLLEGE In terms of preparation for college, the percentages of responding graduates who felt “exceptionally prepared” or “well prepared” in key areas were: 60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

ABILITY TO WORK Independently 95% Handle college workload 94% personal responsibility 90% study skills 84% ethics/strength of character 91%

“The way in which Casady taught me how to budget my time has prepared me for college.”

ability to work in groups 88%

WHAT COLLEGES ARE SAYING ABOUT CASADY “The quality of the classes was far above those at other area schools. I was well prepared for college classes, especially in my writing skills.”

“Overall, I was ready for college. I feel better suited than some of the students here that attended prestigious boarding schools.” “…learning how to write a good essay. It’s amazing how many kids at college honestly do not know how to write, and I feel empowered knowing I have that advantage…”

“We have a rigorous grade deflation policy.

Every year Casady is one of the least penalized schools in Oklahoma by this policy…what parents need to understand is that we have some pretty smart people working here at Princeton.”

Joseph Ramirez Princeton University Admissions

“Trinity rates every school using a complex analyses... Your community will be relieved that Casady receives our highest rating each year, which is taken into account within our merit-scholarship model.”

Eric Maloof Trinity University Admissions

STRE NGTH OF FACULTY

CASADY GRADS SAY. . .

When asked to identify a single faculty member who had the greatest influence on their learning, our young alumni named an impressive 41 different individuals. As for overall quality of the faculty, 82 percent of respondents rated the caliber of Casady’s faculty as a 4 or a 5 on a 5-point scale. While all top-notch independent schools boast talented faculty, we are particularly proud of the diversity and sheer number of Casady teachers who have a positive and enduring impact on our graduates.

“Casady’s greatest strength is to give its alumni confidence as they head to college.”

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS In looking back at their high school years, our young alumni specified the following areas of genuine strength. A “5” is the strongest rating.

1

2

3

4

5

“Casady truly does produce intelligent, curious, ambitious and well-rounded students.”

“Casady provided a challenging academic curriculum ahead of other area high schools.”

Academic PROGRAM Caliber of Faculty Sense of community competitive sports Extracurricular activities emphasis on character community service

COMMUNITY & C HARACTER The survey included general questions on less tangible aspects of our school

program, including community, diversity and character. Of these, sense of community (4.2), emphasis on character (3.9) and social experience (3.8) received the best scores on a 5-point scale.

“Provided an environment unlike any other where students could grow and mature and develop into incredible people.”

COLLEGE PLAC EME NT Our college counseling program works! In the survey 93 percent of respondents said

their college is a “good match” for them.

Alumni survey respondents attend the following colleges and universities: American University Baylor University Boston University Brown University Carnegie Mellon University University of Central Oklahoma Colby College Colorado College Cornell University (2) Davidson College DePauw University (3) Dickinson College Duke University (2) Emerson College Emory University Findlay University George Washington University Georgetown University(2) University of Georgia Guilford College Harvard University (3) Howard University Indiana University Bradley University Indiana Wesleyan Johns Hopkins University University of Kansas (2) Lake Forest College Limerick University (Ireland) Loyola (LA) Macalester Miami (OH) Middlebury College Massachusetts Institute of Technology New York University North Carolina State University University of Notre Dame (2) University of Oklahoma Oklahoma City University (2) Oklahoma State University (3) University of Pennsylvania Pepperdine University Princeton University

Rhodes College Rice University Rochester Institute of Technology Savannah College of Art & Design University of the South; Sewanee (2) University of Southern California (4) Southern Methodist University (5) Southwestern University Stanford University Stephen F. Austin University of Texas (3) Texas Christian University (6) Trinity University (2) University of Tulsa (2) Vanderbilt University Wake Forest University Washington & Lee Washington University (St. Louis) Westmont College College of William & Mary

COLLEGE MAJORS business, communications, economics 27%

Pre-Professional, law, medicine, veterinarians 16%

English, history, humanities 20%

Math, SCIences, engineering 21%

Social sciences 12%

Foreign language, foreign studies, art 4%

ALUMNI SURVEY RESULTS Casady School 9500 North Pennsylvania Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73120 405.749.3185 www.casady.org

CASADY GRADS SAY. . .

“Casady strives for academic excellence, and I think that comes through while at the same time maintaining a comfortable atmosphere.”

“Casady is passionate about excellence, whether in academics, athletics, arts, etc.

They push you to do your best and achieve your full potential.”

“Casady’s greatest strength is producing good people.”

“We’re well-rounded, welleducated, professional, polite and well-mannered young alumni.”

My college English professors are always asking me, ‘where did you go to high school?’”