Counselor uses Wabash as Barometer for Other Schools
by Patrick McAlister '10
Greg Birk helps parents find the right college for their high-achieving high school students. The former Wabash cross country runner has done his homework, visiting colleges all across the country. "I might have done as many as 40,000 miles around that Wabash track," said Greg Birk ’77 with a straight face. "I figured I hold the record for the most laps."  Between his four years of school at Wabash, the many times he came to visit his brother Jeff Birk ’74, and his long stint employed by the college’s admissions office, the number seems possible. Yet Birk, an avid marathon runner, has another number equally impressive. He believes he has visited over 500 college campuses in his capacity as Director of College Counseling for the Kincaid School, an elite prep school in Houston.
Birk’s professional experience in the admissions process began on the college side at Wabash five years after his graduation. He came to work for the College in 1982, and served as a recruiter for the Admissions office before becoming Director of Admissions in 1987, working there through 1996. Like many elite prep schools, Kincaid’s students are expected to go to college, most of them to elite colleges and universities across the nation. Birk’s opinion and advice can weigh heavy on students weighing their college decision. He wants his students to understand the importance and magnitude of their choice. "You want them to go to a place where they can start wherever they need to and go as far as they can in four years," Birk said. Many times, unfortunately, students are attracted to large research universities that lack the individual attention smaller schools offer. "There is, for the most part, a lack of knowledge and a lack of appreciation for liberal arts colleges," Birk said. "Those high achieving, highly-motivated students believe you have to go to one of the big name universities at the undergraduate level." Because of his Houston location and the attraction of big name universities, Birk has not "created a pipeline" of young men to Wabash. Personal selectivity plays a role. "I have to admit, I am very selective in terms of who I recommend," Birk said. "I think I have a sense of who would fit here." Birk’s most common client usually isn’t a student. "Probably 90 percent of my counseling is with parents," he said, "I tell the parents that your input is good and important, but I really want to hear from your sons and daughters." Birk sees that autonomy of decision as essential for the student’s growth. "Its kind of like Wabash and the Gentleman’s Rule – they (students) will step up and take charge if you let them," he said. "This is such an opportunity for their sons and daughters. This is their first major life decision and they need to be given the opportunity to make that choice." The environment that Wabash provides is something Birk celebrates and looks for in the colleges he recommends to students. "An alumnus told me once that at Wabash ‘Tides come in and all ships are rising,’" he said. "You can bring in all of these kids at lots of different levels and they are all going to be brought up."
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