Not much more to say

When it’s all said and done, what is an education worth? A student spends four years in a college (on top of the twelve or so years it took to get there first), working away, spending time, money, and effort, and what does he or she receive at the end? Well, a diploma, if you’re looking for a physical, tangible product. And a degree, if you ask about something that’s not physical, but still pretty easy to understand. A college education certainly makes an individual a more lucrative employee; ask anyone and they will probably say that an educated workforce is good for everyone involved. But there’s more to it than that. A laundry list of intangible, nebulous benefits comes with a college education, and the vast majority of them have nothing to do with a slip of paper stating that you completed a series of course requirements.

College is an experience. On tours all the time I will say that “if a student just goes to class, goes back to their dorm, studies, sleeps, and repeats, college will probably be a boring time.” And I’m not just referring to relaxing and having fun (which are still important), but instead I’m talking about a little introspection and self reflection. Not to sound too philosophical, but college is one of those times when people young and old can “find themselves,” seeing as you spend four years trying a variety of classes or activities, and, in some cases, living on your own for the first time. I would go as far as to say that a college experience wouldn’t be complete without a little self exploration.

But education is still the goal of college; it’s called “higher education” for a reason. And yes, a professional education that focuses on a major and a presumptive career path is vital, but, again, there’s more to it than that. Universities date back pretty far, and the mode of operation hasn't really changed: people who want to learn come together to listen to the words of men or women who are wiser than they (admittedly, tuition has risen since the time of the Greeks, but who’s keeping track, right?). Someone spends all of this time studying and, in return, they learn. They learn a profession, learn how to solve problems, or learn about the world around them and how their choices or actions interact with that world. Though on this count I may be biased; having a liberal education lends itself more to a broad understanding of the world, if you ask me.

And, to be honest and simple, a lot of growing up happens in college. In a very pragmatic sense, college can teach a student how to become an adult. Not just if you're living on your own, but in a host of other ways. For the first time ever (in many cases), you’re paying for your education, whether through out-of-pocket money, loans to be paid back later, or scholarships earned and kept through good grades. No one is chasing after you to complete homework or spend time studying. A pretty large portion of my instructors have told my classes, “I want you all to succeed, and I will provide the tools to help you get there, but ultimately, that journey is on your shoulders.” There’s no designated “lunch period” or “free time,” you’re planning your own day out. The resources to succeed or catch up if you fall behind are readily available, but it is the student's responsibility to seek those out. It boils down to the fact that college is a process, one which is remarkably difficult to complete without growing into a hard working, mature individual.

Plus, it’s totally fun. Seriously, I wouldn’t go as far as saying “best four years of your life,” but if you make the most of it, it will be pretty far up there. And that’s kind of the centerpiece of this whole argument: college is what you make of it. 30 seconds ago, I said that college is a process, and I still say that it is, but it may be more accurate to call it an opportunity. It can be as great or as dislikeable as you want it to be, or anywhere in between. Someone always tells me that I should be a "glass half full" kind of guy, and that's true when looking at one's education, as well. Your experience depends upon what you want to get out of it, how hard you’re willing to work for it, and how you react to the results.

I know there are several, several more reasons why a college education is worth the time, effort, money that it costs, but I’ve already droned on and lectured all of you for way longer than I should. Since we’re in the middle of the holiday season right now, I suppose I should wish everyone happy times and a safe new year, and, as always, ask questions if you have them.

-Kyle

More photos

I figured, since I'm more or less on my way out, I'd leave behind one more large set of photos. I wish I could say that I have some pictures of the downtown campus to share, but I'm afraid I don't. You'll just have to trust me when I say it's great. I should probably add the disclaimer that about 90% of these photos were taken five months ago; the campus sisn't this green in the middle of winter.

It's not a great angle, but this is an average classroom at Grand Valley; the average GVSU class is 28 students and one professor.

Here's a view from inside the Shakespeare Garden, one of my favorite spots on campus. You can't see it from this angle, but right next to me in this photo is a bust of William Shakespeare's head which, interestingly enough, was made by a member of the psych department.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Eh? Eh? Too much?

Some students playing some soccer in the Laker Turf Building.

The number 50 bus is the Campus Connector. During the weekdays, one of these buses comes through GVSU every six or seven minutes, and it takes about a half hour to reach the downtown campus.

Some students relaxing in The Connection.

What, no saxes?

Here's a hallway leading to the Neimeyer Great room.

The 20/20 Info Desk is the place to go (or call) with any GVSU related questions, or if you want to pick up free student athletic tickets. I don't actually know these two people behind it, but they were nice enough to say "sure, take a photo!"

And speaking of people on campus, here we are. Or at least our office, as seen from an elevator. Caitlin looks surprised.

The Carillon Plaza and Tower in the summertime.

Hopefully we'll get some images of the downtown campus up at some point, and maybe a few winter weather shots, but until then, this will have to do.

-Kyle

Commencement

There's absolutely nothing special about this picture, and it has nothing to do with today's post, I just thought it looked nice

So here we are, on the last day of exams for the fall semester of 2010. It’s definitely quiet on campus, seeing as quite a few students are leaving or have already left for the holidays. As for myself, exams went pretty well. My senior project was submitted last week, I’ve been receiving feedback on presentations and tests, and there have been lots of end-of-the-semester festivities for clubs, organizations, and on campus jobs. Also, I graduated last week. I would shout “surprise!” but that doesn’t usually come through clearly in text. Did I just spoil the twist ending to this entry? Oops.

Well, as long as it’s fresh in my mind, I suppose it’s worth talking about. Commencement was last Saturday, which made coming back for exam week kind of weird, but what can you do. The event was at Van Andel Arena, and a shade more than 1000 seniors walked that day. It was actually pretty fun; I found another admissions student (she was walking for her masters in OT), found a few students I knew from classes, and listened to some commencement speeches. The recognition ceremonies for some of the distinguished faculty and the awarding of a pair of honorary doctorates was great, but the highlight (for me, at least) was the speech from former president Lubbers. It was fitting, since this fall GVSU celebrated its 50th anniversary, and while modern Grand Valley has been shaped by many hands, the work of Arend Lubbers played a very big role in the institution we see today. In 1969, when the university was still just Grand Valley State College, President Lubbers was 37, one of the youngest college presidents in the nation. Fast forward 32 years, to 2001, and he retired as the longest serving president of a public university in America. And from listening to him, anyone can tell that he had and still has a passion for the world around him, both as an educator and as a citizen. If you want to read/listen to his whole speech (it’s worth it), check out this link: http://www.gvsu.edu/gvnow/?articleId=F6841701-D940-0E19-D8717ED5AB0F18E9. There should be another link on that page to a youtube video of the address. But even aside from the great speech, it was very fulfilling to walk across the stage and acknowledge the hard work that went into getting there. I would encourage any student (at least any Grand Valley student) to walk at commencement.

And with that’ we’re drawing to a close on the last week of this semester and my college career. Admissions will still be open during most of next week, and I’ll still be here, so you can probably expect one more post (I’m not going to shut up just yet), but we are definitely nearing the end of the season. So post away if you have questions, and have a great weekend.

-Kyle

Faculty attention

The main entrance to GVSU's Honors College (this picture actually relates to today's topic)

Here we are, at the end of the semester, with less than a week left of regular classes. Exams will start next week, on the 13th, and wow, am I ever not ready. This semester seemed to last forever up until the start of November, and now I can’t figure out where the time went to. Still, my first exam is on Monday, so that leaves six days for me to prepare. That’s still enough, right?

Finals worries aside, there was another topic that I wanted to bring up today, and that was the close attention that students receive from instructors on campus. This is one of my favorite subjects, and probably something that I already bring up so much that I bore everyone to sleep with it, but there are two stories from yesterday that I wanted to share. The first is an Honors related tale: yesterday morning, I dropped by the Honors office to clear up a few details regarding a recognition ceremony, something that I’ve been communicating with the office about by way of email. At first, I thought I would have to run through my entire story again to explain my issue, but the girl at the front desk stopped me about three words in and basically said “no, that’s okay, I know what you’re worried about.”
After kind of an awkward pause, I asked if it was because she knew me, and she very calmly replied “yep.” Which wouldn’t really be that significant, except that I don’t make it into the Honors office very often. I drop by every once in a while for senior project concerns, or to drop guests off to explore the facility or during scholarship competitions, but I don’t live in the structure, and as much as I love the Honors community, I don’t make it into the office very often. Yet despite all this, the staff in the buildings central office knew exactly who I was, without looking me up on file despite the fact that the total Honors population (freshmen through seniors, living in or out of the building) is pushing 1000. If that’s not an endorsement for quality of attention found in the Honors College, I’m not quite sure what is.

The second story relates to an individual class: for about the last month, one of my courses has been “out of class,” not because we haven’t been doing anything, but because the entire class has been taking part in a number of individual presentations with the professor during the time that the class would usually meet. Keep in mind that my presentation was on the first day, November 8, and we just received our evaluations and grades yesterday, December 6. I scored relatively well on it, but I had a few questions, so I walked with my professor while he was on his way back to his office, and talked with him as we moved. The impressive part was the fact that as we’re walking, my professor is talking to me about some pretty specific details regarding my presentation, which occurred 28 days ago, without me having to remind him of my subject or talking points.

So I guess the long story that I’m trying to make short here is the fact that a GVSU student is not, by any stretch of the imagination, just a faceless number (and my imagination can stretch pretty far). Faculty on campus go out their way to learn who their students are, and you mean more than just “seat #117, who got an 84 on his exam.”

But I’m on my way out, so as always, be safe, send in applications, and ask any questions you please.

-Kyle

Almost out the door...

A lounge in the corner of South C Apartment Complex

Well, I suppose there’s time for one more update before the holiday. I hope everyone has a fun weekend (but restful certainly wouldn't hurt, either).

As long as I have the moment here, I wanted to mention how impressed I have been with a lot of the GVSU administrative staff lately. I’ve been interviewing several members of varying levels of administration over the course of this semester, and there are quite a lot of cool people working here. Aside from the fact that they’re all very enthusiastic about the jobs they do, I have a very strong understanding that the experience and welfare of the students at this university is top priority for them. I’ve had the chance to talk to a few staff members who have been here for quite some time, and it’s been very interesting to hear some of the stories of how the campus has changed or how the social atmosphere here has evolved, and most of them have more than a few humorous anecdotes to share. And that’s about all I have to say; just a little praise for Grand Valley administration. I’ve known for years now that GVSU has top rate faculty, and that the staff in dining, athletics, facilities and maintenance are some of the best you can find, but I didn’t realize until recently that this university is in as good hands as it is in terms of policy and direction.

All that aside, I think I speak for everyone in the admissions office when I say that we’re wishing all of you guys a safe and fun holiday weekend. Take care, and we hope to see some of you soon.

-Kyle

Odds and ends

Some of the artwork inside Padnos Hall of Science (photos are back)

Well, the weather has certainly taken a turn for the colder, and with Thanksgiving break just around the corner, it means we’re at the end of the fall. You might say that it’s the autumn of… well, autumn, I guess. Anybody have big Thanksgiving plans? I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m just looking forward to having an extended weekend. Classes finish up on Tuesday of that week, but Admissions will be open on Wednesday, and then it’s four days off. But I wouldn’t say it’s all break that weekend, I still have a senior project on my mind.

So lately I’ve been working on a few other projects for the admissions office, and have had a chance to talk with a lot of current students in an informal capacity about GVSU and the services offered here. There’s been a lot of talk about activities on campus, meaning that it’s probably a good time to make an update on campus life. Clubs and student organizations have surpassed 320 at this point, meaning that there are no fewer than 320 ways to get involved on campus (and, as always, it only takes four students to start a new club). Athletic events are going quite well lately; we have the first football playoff game of the season on Saturday, and tickets are free (which is nice; I didn’t know for sure if playoff games were covered for students). It also looks like the Padnos International Center is having a few on campus events, such as information meetings for students considering study abroad programs or a study abroad photo contest. And with the holidays approaching, there are quite a lot of fundraisers and charity events ramping up on campus. Blanket drives, book/toy drives, and winter clothes collections, they’re all taking place in the coming couple of weeks. It’s nice to see the student body get as excited as they do for on campus events, and to see as much spirit as you can find on campus for athletics, but it’s also great when the student body joins together and reaches out to the community.

But things here are getting a little too sentimental for me, so I figure it’s a good time to sign off, before I need a box of tissues. Post any questions or any break plans you have.

-Kyle

Visits, interviews, and competitions

Hello, everyone, it’s been a little bit longer than I’d like, but things are back up and running smoothly again (hopefully). As always, it’s been a whirlwind of activity around here; our counselors are right in the middle of their travel season, so keep an eye out, you may have one of our representatives visiting you soon. If you’re interested in visiting the campus, definitely consider giving us a call soon; a lot of our visits are starting to fill in for the remainder of this semester. Not that I’m trying to rush anyone, since there’s still plenty of time to make final decisions on college (refund dates haven’t changed, it’s still May 1 to withdraw most deposits), I would just really encourage any student considering Grand Valley to get an application in. December 31 is the deadline for the merit award scholarships, but don’t think that you have to have visited the campus to apply.

As a last note on career services, they seem to be pay off for me. Maybe. The update here is in the fact that I had a major interview this morning, and all week long I’ve been asking advice of staff members and working with career services (I had a staged interview just this Wednesday). From the looks of things, this has all helped; the interview went pretty smoothly, but I’ll know in a couple weeks for certain.

As far as admissions events go we’re just around the corner from scholarship competitions. The deadline for these isn’t until December 31, but for anyone who has already applied for admissions, been accepted, and been notified of award qualifications, December 4 is the first day available and a great chance to get in and take care of your merit competition early.
But it’s just a quick update for today, and hopefully setting us back on your regular blogging schedule. As always, post any questions that you have, and let us know about any college visit plans.

-Kyle

Career counseling and other services

Happy early Halloween, everyone, I hope nobody’s overdosed on chocolate yet. I think trick-or-treating this year is a day early, on the 30th. I can understand that kids have school on Monday, but I still think it’s strange not celebrating Halloween on the 31st. Then again, I’m too old for trick or treating (or at least too old to get away with it), so I don’t suppose my ranting actually means anything.

Not that it has anything to do with Halloween, but I have to say I’m pretty impressed with the Career Service Center as of today. A potential employer told me yesterday to email a copy of my resume, and suddenly remembering the advice I always give younger students, I realized that I should really have someone look over my resume and give me some pointers. But I didn’t have an appointment, so last minute (this morning) I ran into the Career office and asked if anyone was available, and one of the career counselors had happened to have had a cancellation, so I managed to jump in on short notice. And wow, was that time well spent. It’s funny, because we played around with the format and style a little bit, and we definitely expanded on the important points of my education and work experience, but the core items and bullet points didn’t really change, we just kind of expanded them and explained the benefits to my pool of experience.

That’s a great example of how helpful and accommodating the Career Service Center is, the fact that they had the time so they jumped to fill me in, but most of the counseling services across campus will tend to be about that helpful. I’m sitting in the Admissions office at the moment, and one of our other tour guides just mentioned that he has a mock interview scheduled for next week, and that’s another function of Career Services, but the Tutoring Center is just beneath us as well as the Advising Center and Disability Services. Across the way from those three is the Counseling Center, who just finished a depression awareness program earlier this month for National Depression Screening Day. I haven’t noticed all of the student support offices until the last couple of years, but the truth is that there are quite a lot of services available to GVSU students; I’ve only started noticing them as I’ve made better use of them.

I do certainly hope that whatever plans everyone has for Halloween that everybody stays safe. Have fun, but don’t do anything you wouldn’t do any other night of the year, and make sure you guys are all still working on college requirements and keeping deadlines in mind. Do keep working on those college applications, don’t eat any home-made candy, especially if it comes from your parents. Seriously, Mom and Dad, just leave it to the professionals.

-Kyle

Midsemester blues

I suppose you could say we’re right in the middle of fall semester at this point; the truth is, I never really keep track of the weeks. After the first couple classes some time goes by and then I’m just kind of surprised when someone talks about winter break. Maybe that’s just me, but I always seem to lose track of what's going on at this point in the semester. Although part of that may just be all of the activity at the moment in class and on the job; I had two exams last week, an ongoing, major class project I’ve been trying to dive into, and my senior project more or less looming over the whole thing. Here in admissions, we just had one visitation day last Saturday, and our next is this Friday. We’re also trying (somewhat unsuccessfully) to generate a little interest in focus groups for current freshmen, hoping to better understand how well we’re doing in communicating with them as they prepare for college.

The weather has certainly been kind to us lately; it’s raining for the moment, but that’s little more than the punctuation at the end of about two weeks of gorgeous fall climate. Maybe I’m crazy here, but I love this time of year, and I think it’s one of the best times to visit campus. Aside from being beautiful outside without being too hot, visiting around this time will give students an opportunity to see the campus and still enough time to apply before deadlines start rolling in.

But I’m on my way out right now, so as usual, post any questions, and don’t hesitate to give us a call and schedule a tour of the campus.

-Kyle

Reminders for students

Well, this is partly that I don’t have any big subjects to cover today, but it’s also convenient that now is a good time for some reminders and notifications, just so all of those potential students can keep an eye on the future. We’re about five weeks into the semester, and there are a few big events just around the corner. No deadlines have passed just yet, but a couple are on their way.

First things first, I want to remind everyone that there isn’t an application deadline per se; the admissions deadline is determined by a student’s desires as far as scholarships, housing, and orientation. As a rule, I always say that sooner is better than later for a student’s application for admissions (at least here at Grand Valley). Students can’t even sign up for orientation until after the new year, so we’ll skip that topic right now, but one reason for an early application is to be sure that you meet the scholarship deadline. Students who want to be considered for a couple of our automatic scholarships need to make sure that they have a complete application in by December 31.

Along those lines, if any seniors right now are planning to retake the ACT or have not yet taken it, there are a couple more dates you can do that. The October session is of note in particular, just because if a student takes the ACT then, there is still enough time for us to receive the scores by the scholarship deadline (just make sure you select GVSU as one of the schools you want the scores sent to). If you’ve already taken the ACT once, you may be hesitant to take it again (read: really don’t want to spend your Saturday in school taking a larger-than-normal test). From personal experience, you want to avoid this attitude. I took the ACT twice, and the second time my score only rose a couple points, but that was enough to bump me into a new scholarship bracket. Yes, it’s a terrible way to spend a Saturday, and I’m sure I hated doing it when I was a senior in high school, but I’m pretty happy about the money that I’ve saved over the last four years due to that new ACT score. But hey, that’s just my opinion, take it for what it’s worth.

The housing deadline isn’t until May 1, but potential students still want to be thinking about Grand Valley housing, because it’s all distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis, meaning the sooner you apply for housing, the more options that are available to you (students can apply for housing as soon as they’re admitted to the university).

Finally, I wanted to remind everyone that we have a couple of big events coming up soon, namely, the Student Visitation days. These will be large events held in the field house of the Allendale campus on Saturday October 16 and Friday October 22. There will be presentations from admissions, financial aid, and housing, as well as sessions with a wide range of academic departments, student panels, and tours of the campus. So it’s basically one stop for just about any questions you may have.

And one last note before signing off, be sure to leave enough time for your high school counselor to send us your transcripts. Even if you submit your application to us on one day, it doesn’t count as a complete application until we have all of the components (application, application fee, ACT scores, and high school transcript). Keep in touch with your counselors and keep an eye on how much time they need to process and send your transcripts. But that’s about it for today, ask any questions you’ve got on your mind.

-Kyle

Grand Rapids

I suppose I would be surprised if I wasn’t saying this, but the start of this semester has been quite busy, the most recent weeks of which have been no exception. Classes have been in full swing for a while, clubs and organizations have already finished their first meetings, athletics have been doing quite well in several sports, and on campus events (rallies, concerts, guest lecture speakers) have been going strong for some time now. The weather, however, has been a little bit less consistent, but hey, I wouldn’t want anything other than variety in that category.

Lately, I’ve had my mind on the big city down the road. Grand Rapids, aside from being the home of our downtown Pew campus, is also a pretty active city. With a population around 190 thousand, it’s the second largest city in Michigan, and Grand Valley students have easy access to this city with free busing, and there is a lot to do in the city. Gerald R. Ford Museum is phenomenal, the restaurants are great (although you may need reservations for some locations), and there’s dancing and music in warm weather or ice skating in cool weather. I would say that the local art galleries and sculptures around the city are also great (which is true), but most of the buzz lately regarding art has come from Art Prize in the fall and the Festival of the Arts in the summer. Art Prize, in particular, is kind of a big deal, because it’s happening right now, and this year is already looking great. I’ve barely even scratched the surface of the tip of the iceberg myself, and that’s mostly because it’s huge this year. Over 1700 displays, in 192 venues spread across the city, making for one colossal festival of creativity.

What’s funny is that this post isn’t really even about Grand Valley. Sure, students basically have free, easy access to all that Grand Rapids has to offer, but anyone could also check out some of these events and locales. As much as I would like all of you readers to take this info into account as you weigh your college choices, I think anyone could benefit from a visit to Grand Rapids. But on that note I’m signing off, so post away if you have any concerns.

-Kyle

The value of a (GVSU) education

Well, I won’t say things are slow at the moment. Last week was a day shorter than a usual school week, and it was still about as busy as could be. Which was kind of funny, since we didn’t have very many high school seniors visiting the campus, being the first week of high school for most of Michigan. I suppose that’s a sign that I just had a lot of class work right away (not that I’m complaining; I’d rather be active than bored). And we finished it off some athletic achievement, so there’s a plus.

Speaking of last week, someone on campus happened to talk to me about the merit of college on Thursday, and whether or not higher education was worth the cost. So is it really worth taking on heavy student loans to attend a college or university?

Yes. Easily. Everyone talks about how college grads will make more money over the course of their lifetime than high school grads, but instead of just writing that here and calling it good, I wanted some hard numbers. According to a 2002 report by the US Census Bureau, over the course of an (average) adult working life, a high school grad will earn about $1.2 million, an associate’s degree holder will earn $1.6 million, and a bachelor’s degree holder will earn about $2.1 million (again, these are all averages).

Of course these are just strictly economic benefits, and there’s a lot more to college than economy. I’m a far more critical thinker now than I would have been without a college education, and I definitely feel as though I’m a socially, politically, and culturally more aware person for my time spent at GVSU. That’s not counting the number of friends that I’ve made here or the connections that I’ve made with faculty who also work in their respective fields of study. And I don’t mention the experienced faculty just to say “look at how professional the professors are,” but to point out a general advantage of education in the first place. College is a location where students can gather and learn from others rather than from trial or error, making them far more prepared for the world ahead of them regardless of the path that they may choose. College is an investment, one where a student spends time, effort, and money in an institution which will allow them to enter into their professional lives at a higher level or perhaps even enter into a higher profession than if they had chosen not to attend.

In my opinion, Grand Valley presents this service of education in a far more extensive variation. I can’t speak to other universities, and whether or not they offer this same value, but with GVSU I feel as though this idea of education extends far beyond my professional life and into all facets of who I am. Yes, I will be professionally more able upon graduation, but I will also end up leaving this institution with an advanced understanding of myself; my social, emotional, cultural, political, and ideological values and the ways in which those interact with the world around me. If time spent at Grand Valley can be marked by one word, it would probably be “growth.”

Does that mean that it comes without a price? No. You still have to pay for college, and you still have to work pretty darn hard after you’ve paid for it, but in the end your education will pay you back beyond that which you’ve put in.

But I’ve already taken way longer to explain a topic that I could have just finished with “yes, trust me,” so I think that’s my cue to sign off.

-Kyle

Fall semester underway

It has been an eventful week, to say the least. Classes started on Monday, the buses are back to a regular schedule, and campus dining is finally on its normal school year hours. Speaking of which, I had a chance to check out The Connection yesterday, the newest dining facility on campus, and calling it a nice building would be an understatement. I didn’t get a chance to eat there; I was just walking through taking photos, so keep an eye out for those in the future. I also took a quick spin through the newest housing units on campus; also a great addition.

It was a little bit rainy yesterday and today, but the Lakers won the first football game of the season, 34 to 31. Ladies soccer and volleyball have also had an impressive start to the season, both with wins this last week. Classes are definitely looking up this semester, for me at least. My senior project is still kind of a looming obstacle, but one that I’m looking forward to diving into. But I’m on my way out the door, at the moment, so it’ll just be a quick update today. Feel free to ask any questions, and everyone have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.

-Kyle

Move in week

With class beginning on Monday, all of the freshmen student body finished moving into the living centers just yesterday. Maybe I’m just never there when it’s really hectic, but it always seems as though moving in goes remarkably smoothly. Traffic is usually funneled through one of the upperclassmen/commuter parking lots that isn’t in use yet, and from there families can drive right up to the structure into which a student is moving. After dropping the student off by the living center, parents or guardians can go park the car and come back to haul everything into the dorms. Which would be a huge hassle, if you were hauling all of those items yourself. Thankfully, GVSU has a wonderful move in staff to help all of the new students out. Volunteers range from housing employees, to faculty and staff, to current students. If I recall correctly, President Haas also made an appearance to help carry microwaves and bins of clothing up staircases.

After students are all moved in, they have a chance to participate in Transitions, a program loaded with icebreaking activities and chances to explore and familiarize you with the campus. Clubs and organizations pile into the Kirkhof Center to allow students to sign up, credit unions stop by to talk about student banking, and RAs take the time to get to know their residents. The poster sale always takes place around this time in the Carilon Plaza, but I was kind of disappointed; I didn't get a chance to swing by and see what was available this semester. The dining hours are still not quite back to normal, but food is available at pretty regular hours across the campus.

On a different note, changes seem to be a running theme here in admissions. Among other things, there are quite a few new handouts, materials, and information for potential students, and several new faces in the office. But I hope you guys all enjoyed the summer, and are looking forward to a new school year.

-Kyle

Updates and changes

With fall classes right around the corner, activity around campus is picking back up to the regular fall schedule. Sports camps are taking place all this week, freshmen will move into the living centers next week, and fall semester begins August 30. So to make a long story short, summertime is at an end. Can’t say I’ll miss the heat, but there’s something to be said about missing the general feeling of a summer break.

Still, I’m excited for classes to start, because, quite frankly, I could use a few changes around here. I still have to buy my textbooks, so I’m hoping that used versions are still available. I usually procrastinate when it comes to my school supplies, so do as I say and not as I do: buy your books and supplies early.

With the freshmen class moving in next week, there’s a lot of last minute cleaning being done. New lights are being put up in the housing area, fresh paint on all of the field house doorframes, and a lot of landscaping. This time of year also means, unfortunately, that tours on campus will no longer have access to all three styles of housing; they’ll only see the apartment style. Today was actually the last day that the tour guides even had keys for all of the living styles. Still don’t feel like you’re missing out if you didn’t physically visit all of the options, just be sure to ask your tour guide to describe the other options, as just about all of them can give pretty vivid accounts of the styles they lived in or what they’ve seen of the other options. Also, be sure to check out the housing website since all of the choices for an incoming student are listed online.

We’re also going to start a slightly different schedule up here on the third floor, beginning with the start of classes. We won’t be offering GVSU previews every day any more, but we still have standard tours five days a week and counselor appointments based on availability. A few weeks into the fall we’ll begin having previews two or three times a week, but we’ll also have Saturday visits available starting on the 11th of September.

At this point, though, I’m pretty much out of info for today, so I think I’ll sign out. Post away if you have any concerns, and be sure to enjoy the rest of the summer.

-Kyle

The cost of higher education

Without too much intro today, I thought it might be smart to mention the cost of attending GVSU, mostly because I’ve been working with our financial aid office a little, taking care of loans for next semester. But before covering anything I should make a quick disclaimer: I am not a financial aid advisor. I’m in no way, shape, or form capable of giving any financial advice, student related or otherwise, and, frankly, wouldn’t want to be responsible for someone else’s choices regarding money. I just thought it would be great to give a student’s eye view of the costs. Seriously, if you’ve got questions, give our financial aid office a call, because I don’t really know any situation other than my own.

All of that aside, cost is something that I should have covered sooner, because if a student acts fast enough, they can reduce it by a lot. The cost of attending Grand Valley is broken into four components; tuition and required fees, room and board, books and supplies, and stuff you don’t actually have to pay. As you may have guessed, the last one is optional.

All of the numbers I’ll mention here are based off of the 2010-2011 school year, and will typically change from year to year. Tuition can seem a little complex at first, but it’s really not. Students pay a per credit amount for zero to twelve credits at $395 per credit, but just a block rate for twelve to sixteen (meaning that taking sixteen costs the same as taking twelve). The block rate is $4544, so a student with 13 credits and a student with 16 credits both pay $4544. If a student takes eighteen credits, they pay the block rate, plus the cost of two extra credit hours (meaning $4544 plus $790).

Room and board and books and supplies are far more variable than tuition, depending on where you live and what classes you take. There are way too many housing options for me to list them here, but if you’d like to see them all, definitely check our housing website or search “tuition and fees” from the GVSU homepage. Typically, though, housing for a freshman will cost between about $3700 and $4200, depending on which living center you choose (that cost includes the 14+ meal plan). We also suggest setting aside about $900 for books and supplies, but again, this depends on what books you’re using and whether or not you got the message about printing on campus (it’s free, don’t bother buying ink).

Which brings us to costs that you don’t have to pay. These are just items that are available to students, but you don’t need them. You don’t even need them to get a totally fulfilling experience here at GVSU. For instance, a parking permit costs $155 per semester, but there’s a free busing system. Fitness classes cost about $20 or $25 per semester, but just using the gym is free. Some club sports have travel costs associated with them, but there are some intramurals with no cost. You get the picture.

In total, an average student for the 2010-2011 school year can expect to pay $17,612 if they take 12-16 credits and live on campus. But bear in mind that this is what you might consider a “sticker price,” or the cost of GVSU before grants, scholarships, and loans, not to mention whatever a student receives after filling out the FAFSA. So even though $17,612, it’s very unlikely that any student will pay that total in any given year.

And with that, I’m going to wrap things up here. Post any questions you have, but don’t hesitate to give GVSU’s financial aid office a call, as well.

-Kyle

Technology, computers, and labs

Getting right down to business today, I thought I should discuss technology across campus (mostly because I’m sitting in a computer lab at the moment). I may or may not have covered this topic previously, but at this moment I’m not feeling the urge to sift through a year and a half of posts to find out for sure. As far as access to technology on campus goes, GVSU is certainly not lacking. There are multiple computer labs across campus, with two large facilities in Henry Hall and Manitou Hall, as well as a facility in Lake Ontario Hall that houses both Mac and PC labs, and a myriad of other, smaller locations. For example, there is an entire row of classrooms on the second floor of Mackinac Hall devoted to small computer labs, and, in the same building, we have the Modern Language Center, a large, three room lab for students with foreign language classes. There are also labs on the downtown campus, with at least six rooms of computers, and a mixture of operating systems. The hours aren’t half bad, either; Henry Hall, for instance, is open until 1:00 AM weekdays during the fall/winter semester, and while the other labs still have great hours, they’re not quite as convenient as Henry is.

All that being said, though, I do kind of encourage a student to buy their own computer. It is most definitely not a necessity here at Grand Valley; any student could easily survive off of GVSU resources. But I would definitely call it a convenience, and while it’s not required of students at GVSU, I would say that (in my opinion) it is becoming a norm for Americans to own a personal computer beyond college. Again, and I can’t stress this enough, you are not required to purchase your own computer to attend class at Grand Valley State University, I just think that it’s helpful to have one. But I do really discourage most incoming student from buying a printer right away, because printing is free for students on campus. No lab fee, no charge for paper or ink, no page limit, all you need is your GVSU login.

If you do buy a computer, understand that we have no requirement in terms of operating system. So whichever side you identify with on those “I’m a PC, I’m a Mac” commercials, just choose whatever you’re most comfortable with. Laptops are helpful, since all of the classroom structures are wireless, but they aren’t a requirement, and each instructor can choose to or choose not to allow laptops in class at their own discretion. But all of the academic centers have wireless internet, so it is possible to access the internet from any given classroom. A majority of housing has wireless internet, but not 100%. All of the living centers, however, do have Ethernet outlets, so every room has internet access, it’s just not always wireless.


Well, that's about it for today, but as usual, post any questions you have.

-Kyle

Bonus pictures

At this point we're returning to your regularly scheduled blog, but I'v got a handfull of images that weren't included in previous entries. They aren't really connected in any way, shape or form, but I took them, so I figure it's worth using them.



Here's a nice view of the Kirkhoff Center, Carillon Tower, and Student Service Center. It probably wouldn't look bad on a post card.



I'm not sure why, but I love the stained-glass paper airplanes. These are in Kirkhoff, right in the middle of the building.



There's also a small fountain on the inside of Padnos Hall of Science, right next to the lecture halls.



Here's a quick look at the great room in Neimeyer Living Center. All of the housing units have these commons areas, but each one is slightly different.



I'm not sure why, but there's an obelisk right in the middle of the campus. It's next to Fresh Foods company, which is geographically pretty close to the center of the campus.



And here's the last photo I took. It has nothing to do with Grand Valley in any way, shape, or form, and for the life of me I can't remember why I asked to have it approved, but it's a photo that was taken by me on campus, so here it is.

-Kyle

Pictures part 2

As promised, here's day two of photos. And yeah, it's sort of "facilities on campus," but it's also mostly "more pictures, yay." So here we go.



It's probably worth it to start with a familiar sight. Coincidentally, this angle of the Carillon Tower is also a really popular view for GVSU brochures.



The University Book Store can be found inside the Kirkhoff Center, where you can pick up textbooks, campus apparel, study supplies, etc.



The largest classrooms on campus can be found in Loutit Lecture halls, part of Padnos Hall of Science. The max occupancy of these rooms is right around 200, but the largest class I've ever seen listed was around 160 or 170 students, and those will break into discussion groups once a week. We don't usually get to show these lecture halls on the tour, just because classes are typically taking place here, but at least here's one view of it.



Here's another view of Mackinac Hall, our largest classroom structure. Among other things, Mac houses the math department, statistics, history, and modern languages.



Fresh Foods Company, a buffet style dining hall, is my personal favorite spot to eat on campus, but it's just one of the many locations that a student could spend their meal plan. It's also conveniently next door to Mackinac Hall.



Speaking of Campus Dining, here's a look at the outside of Kleiner Commons. While it's not a buffet style hall, it's very convenient; located in the middle of freshmen housing, and the main cafeteria there is open until midnight (the convenience shop is 24/7)




Here are two of our athletic facilities, with the outside of the rec center on the top and the pool on the bottom. Both of these are free for student use.



Here's a quick look at the inside of the library. We can't show the library on the tour, because it's a quiet structure.



And to finish up, here's a glance at the inisde of the honors college. The main office for the structure is down the left hallway, just past the staircase

But, I'm off, so send a question if you've got it.

-Kyle

Pictures, part 1

If you remember, back in May or so I alluded to doing something new and relatively big. Flash forward to now, and now there are photos on the blog. I figure it's a refreshing change from about a 15 month wall of text, but it's mostly because I'm drawing a blank on a subject worth talking about. I was thinking about starting with landmarks and landscapes on the campus, and then moving on to facilities on campus, but it will probably just turn into "pictures this week" and then "pictures on the next week."




The Student Service Center is where our admissions office is located, and typically one of the first sites incoming students see.




The fountain is one of my favorite spots on campus, but I wouldn't suggest dancing in it with any friends.



The Carillon Tower is another recognizable sight on campus.




Here are two different views of segments of Mackinac Hall, the largect academic structure on campus.



This is a hidden courtyard, somewhere in the middle of the Neimeyer Living Center, part of the Honors College.



Here is the Transformational Links sculpture, as well as a little courtyard in the middle of the Neimeyer Living Center.



And finally, here's a nice view of Zumberge Pond, which lies between Zumberge Library and the Kirkhoff Center, with the tower visible in the background.

Looking back, I'm sure I could have just as easily pulled promotional photos that looked better off of the website and filled them in, rather than taking my own, but hey, where's the fun in that?

-Kyle

Student employment

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Independence Day, preferably without too much Will Smith included. As summer marches along, we might as well mention student employment.

The two things that college students seem to typically have in short supply are time and money. Which works just fine for student employees, because the work load is usually very manageable, but still provides a steady source of cash. During the academic year, GVSU employs between 2500 and 3000 students for on campus jobs. These can range from working in campus dining to monitoring the rec center, from landscaping to tutoring, and even working as a campus tour guide (a position held by yours truly). The pay for all of these positions varies, and while I know a few rates, I don’t know them well enough to post here.

If you’re interested in working on campus, one of the best things you can do is check out the Employment web site. Just head over to www.gvsu.edu/studentjobs or search “student employment” from the home page, and it’s really easy to sign up from there. On the web site is the university’s Job Board, an exclusive posting of GVSU on campus jobs and students looking for jobs (though there are a few instances where off campus employers can also post there). That’s the best first step, but the best second step is to physically walk around campus and ask different employers if there are positions available, and apply in person (which is how I found both of the campus jobs I’ve had). We also encourage students to apply early for on campus jobs, as they will tend to go very quickly in the fall. This seems to set incoming freshmen at a disadvantage, since you guys won’t be here until the Fall Semester, but realize that you can apply for a job during the summer preceding the fall that you would be employed.

Another common question is “can I qualify for work study?” And the answer is “maybe,” but not everyone really understands how work study works at Grand Valley. Here at GVSU, work study is a form of need based financial aid; in so many words, if you qualify for it, the government will subsidize a portion of your wages, meaning that even though you get the same paycheck, GVSU pays for less of it, making you a pretty lucrative employee.

A lot of students are also unsure if they should even take on a job, being a full time student. The best answer here is that you should evaluate your own situation and determine how well you can balance your time, but the employment website also cites studies that show that work and learning go hand in hand. Additionally, on campus employers realize that you are a student first, and your schedule and workload are based around your classes. Finally, don’t think that the only jobs are on campus; between Standale, downtown Grand Rapids, and Rivertown Mall, not to mention everything inbetween, there are plenty of businesses where a student could work during the school year.

But that's about it, so go ahead and post any questions.

-Kyle

Midsummer (Night's post? No?)

If there was ever a beautiful day to visit a college, you could say it’s today; sunny, with just a little cloud cover, a nice breeze, just a little warm for my tastes, but I’m not complaining. The summer semester is about two weeks in, and orientation is on a short break. Which doesn’t mean that there isn’t work to be done; there’s a lot of catching up being done on behind the scenes tasks. It just means that there aren’t quite as many visitors on any given day as there would be during orientation. Still, freshmen will come back and start registering in a couple of weeks, and summer session will continue rolling along, so you could say that we’re kind of at the midpoint of the summer.

The construction on campus is looking great, it just looks as though some of the buildings will need to be cleaned out, but the new dining hall and housing structures look to be pretty much done. I’m really looking forward to the new dining hall; as much as I love the current locations, a little variety never hurts. But most of all I’m just excited to check out the interior architecture of the building, and the dining room layout.

On a personal note, my internship is going great; things have been a little slow over there for the first half of the summer, but it’s really picking up over the next couple of weeks. Combining that with work here in Allendale, plus getting prepped and starting the initial research for my senior project means that I’m a pretty busy guy. But I certainly don’t mind. Speaking of which, I should probably wrap up and finish some other jobs around the office, there’s still a lot to be done.

Let me know if you have any questions.

-Kyle

Advice from admissions students

Well, I’m feeling rather lazy today, so rather than come up with a topic to write about myself, I decided to ask some of the other tour guides what they would tell incoming students. So as a result, today you get “College Advice 101” from Leslie and Caitlin.

Leslie said that the defining feature of her experience was that college is a lot of fun, and one should enjoy it and take the time to take it all in. Yes, classes are pretty important; in fact, they’re the central reason that one would attend college, but there are more facets to time spent at a university than academics. Also, she wanted to let students know that GVSU creates a great sense of community amongst its students. Whether it’s through classes or housing arrangements, or perhaps through clubs and organizations, one of the best features here at Grand Valley is the ability to be a part of a welcoming, friendly, and active body of students and peers.

Caitlin echoed Leslie’s advice, but with a slightly different twist. Her advice was for students to get involved across the campus (although this is really applicable no matter where you go for higher education). College probably won’t be an enjoyable experience for someone who simply goes to class and then just goes back to their dorm/apartment. In order to really enjoy the experience she (as well as most students you’ll talk to) suggests being a part of activities beyond the classroom. Whether this is a club, a study group, or just a group of friends who you can spend time with, it’s important for a student to break out a little and see all that a college has to offer. Her second piece of advice was to take advantage of your resources; if you are struggling, it’s not tough to find help. Tutoring is free for all 100 and 200 level classes, there are a number of help offices across the campus for different departments, and students have free access to academic, career, and personal counseling. Even if you’re just struggling to get involved on campus, that’s not a problem; just drop by the student life office or website, and they can help you find an organization you might be interested in.

And just so I don’t seem too uncommitted, my advice is for any student who will be a senior this fall to start their college visits soon and see a lot of places. Not that I’m trying to put pressure on you guys, but there are a lot of options out there for post high school studies, and if you look around during the summertime, you have less to worry about once school starts in the fall. Plus, as much as I love Grand Valley and love taking classes here, I know it’s not a perfect fit for everyone, and even though I’d love for all of you readers to come here for college it is important to see a wide variety of options and choose what fits you best. Also, I strongly suggest that you guys never think to yourselves “college isn’t for me.” Sometimes students are concerned about the academic challenge, or the financial burden, or simply don’t want to spend any more time in school, and I really recommend that those students reconsider. A college degree is a vital asset when filling in a resume or a job application, and there is assistance available for any and all of the above objections for attending college (at least at GVSU).

But, I think that’s a good place to finish. We all hope to see you guys come by for a visit sometime, and hopefully you’re enjoying your summer so far.

-Kyle

Renovation, construction, and other stuff

With June in swing, things are starting to get busy again in this office; most high school juniors will be finishing up in the next couple of weeks, so we’re expecting a lot of you guys to come by and visit the campus. Things are a little quiet around campus right now, students are just finishing the spring semester, but there’s a lot going on locally.

The Festival of the Arts was just last weekend downtown, which was great for the city. I was able to see a little of the festival; my internship had me working at an event in the gallery, but I still had a little bit of time to investigate other events and exhibitions.

Since summertime is in bloom, so is construction across campus, mostly just a few renovation/cleanup projects. The Commons roof is being redone, Kirkhof Center’s main entrance was refaced, the pool lobby is being fixed up, and a couple of the smaller bridges and walkways on campus are being taken care of. As far as big projects go, a couple that should be finished up this fall, south campus dining and housing, in particular. Half of the new dining hall will be open as early as August, I think, with the rest opening up when the school year starts. The new housing will be finished this fall as well, but I can’t recall for the life of me who will be living in those facilities. There’s also a new project along the western border of the campus. I don’t really know any details on the project, but I think it’s going to be an outdoor turf facility, which would be great for soccer, lacrosse, and rugby, and just nice I suppose for general student use. I think it will be done by the fall, but again, I haven’t heard any of the details on that project.

But I’m about to head out of the office and grab some lunch, so if there are any questions, post away.

-Kyle

Focus on the finish grant

Just a quick update today, I wanted to let you guys know about a new grant that’s been made available for incoming students. College can be pretty expensive, so to save hard working students some money, GVSU has started a program called the Focus on the Finish Grant. If a new student completes 90 credit hours within three years of enrollment at Grand Valley, they receive $1000 over the next two semesters of enrollment. That’s an average of 15 credits a semester, which is already what we suggest for students who want to graduate in four years. I guess that kind of gets to the point of Focus on the Finish; GVSU wants to keep their students “focused” and on track in completing their education. Transfer students can also take advantage of this grant, if they achieve 90 credits total and average 30 credits for each year at GVSU.

The only stipulation that I’ve found so far is that once you become a Grand Valley student, any credit taken elsewhere won’t apply to the 90 credit requirement (meaning you can’t take summer classes at a community college or other university and have them count for the grant). This isn’t true of classes before becoming a student here, though: dual enrollment or AP credit earned in high school will count towards the grant. If you’d like any more information, just visit www.gvsu.edu/grandfinish for more details, or give our financial aid office a call. I have to say, I’m pretty jealous of new students; looking back at my transcript, I had 88 hours completed after three years plus enough AP credit to have earned the grant. But hey, I guess it’s just proof that I’m old and already saying “when I was your age, I had to walk through the snow, uphill both ways.”

-Kyle

Nondescript summer post

Summertime is moving slowly forward, and we’re not terribly busy here in admissions, at least not just yet (things usually pick up once high school break starts). There really aren’t any major events approaching this summer, but we still have some important activities going on or starting up soon. Orientation is going to continue through August, we’ll have the office open for tours and appointments all summer long, and we’ll have previews every day starting in late June. One thing that might slow down, however, may be larger group visits. In most cases, these groups are organized through high schools, so they usually diminish during the summer (but they won't not stop altogether).

Speaking of which, I’ve given tours for some of these groups lately, and a pretty common question they’ve been asking is “how’s the food?” Well, it’s great, but I didn’t really want to write about dining again just yet. Another frequent question is “why did you choose Grand Valley?” There’s several reasons to attend GVSU, but mine are kind of odd. It’s not so much what made me decide to come here, but what has made me satisfied, and kept me from transferring out. I didn’t do a particularly good job of researching colleges before attending, I only made a small handful of official visits. This was kind of a mistake; I didn’t really let myself know what was out there, and what was available. I didn’t know what I wanted to major in, and thought that I had to know that to choose a college (you don’t). As a result, I didn’t take to the college search with much enthusiasm, but I wound up getting very lucky in selecting Grand Valley. I know that I made the right choice, mostly due to my academic experience. So far, the time learning in and out of the classroom has been my favorite and the most notable experience, on account of the focus on the student; small class sizes and attention from the faculty have meant a lot to me. One feature that I overlook a lot is the fact that classes here are only taught by faculty, not teaching assistants, which I love (not that I have anything against TA’s).

Again, Grand Valley was the right choice for me, but I’m not suggesting that it’s the best college for everyone. What I am suggesting is that any of the readers here who happen to be starting their senior year should learn from my mistakes, and start visiting any college their thinking about (though we would certainly love it if you started with a tour here). This summer or early this fall is a great time to do so, because it will most likely leave you with enough time to take everything in and make the best possible choice for yourself. Don’t get me wrong, we would love for all of you guys to be students here (hence why I’m suggesting you start your college tours here), but I will still say that it’s important for a student to see all of the options they have.

Let me know if you’ve got questions,
-Kyle

Orientation

Well, after a week off, we’re right back at it with Spring Semester. Also, it’s that special time of year again, but not the same way that a holiday is a special time: it’s orientation season. If you’re not familiar with orientation, it's essentially when incoming freshmen register for their classes. The whole thing amounts to an all morning event where students select classes, meet with faculty and upperclassmen, and tour some of the housing options (at either 9:00 in the morning or 3:30). There’s also a math placement test in the morning, at about 8:30, I think. A student’s qualification for this test is based upon ACT scores and the number/caliber of math classes attended in high school, though I’m relatively fuzzy on the actual requirements for taking the test. If you’re attending orientation this summer (there are about 40ish sessions between now and the fall), don’t sweat what schedule you wind up with. The orientation leaders are well trained, and will make sure that each student not only has a workable schedule, but is taking classes that they either need or are deemed helpful for their college career. If you’re a junior right now, keep in mind that you’ll want to keep an eye out for orientation information this winter. I can never recall the exact month, but sometime shortly after the new year students who have applied and have been admitted either receive an information packet on orientation or will hear from us about signing up for orientation. It’s a pretty important step in attending GVSU, so if you’re planning on doing so, keep an eye out in the winter.

On an unrelated, personal note, I’m currently in the midst of applying for an internship, which is pretty exciting. My interview was yesterday, and if everything works out, I’ll be applying through the advising office to earn credit for the experience. I was really surprised at how flexible the system is for interning; it’s clearly understood that businesses don’t operate on semesterly schedules, so I don’t have to begin the internship at the start of a semester, I just have to apply for credit for it before spending two weeks employed there. Even though the position I’m applying for is unpaid, I’m still really excited, since the experience will be invaluable in trying economic times. I’m not required to complete an internship for my degree, but I’ll be happy for the experience.

But with that, I’d better get going, I was planning on swinging by the gym before heading home. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to submit them.

-Kyle

Finals week... again

I’ve decided that I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with exam weeks. On the one hand, there’s a lot less required class time, since we only meet once this week for the exam. On the other hand, I have to do about twice as much time outside of class for studying, just by virtue of it being exam week. Or at least I should do that much extra time, I suppose you’ll have to ask me next week about the time and effort I wind up putting into my studies compared to the results that I get out of them. But we are in the middle of another set of finals, and I’ve come to realize that I’m starting to live my life in semesters. I don’t think of it in years, or count months, it’s like my year is made up of two 16-week halves with a surprise break every summer.

Finals week also means book buy-back, which is also usually nice. Again, I suppose you’ll have to ask me next week, as I’m still using three of my textbooks and don’t know how much they’re worth. On top of that, I may keep one of the books. My capstone class has been pretty difficult, but also very educating, so I may keep that one for future reference. Still, it’s money that I didn’t have before, so I’m not complaining. Another nice bonus of finals week is the 24-hour schedule for the library; it’s certainly not the only study-spot on campus, but I would go as far as to say that it’s the best. Though I do wind up spending a lot more time in the Grand Rapids campus library, rather than the Allendale location.

Finals week also usually feels kind of odd, in that there’s only this week left in the semester. Maybe I’m strange, but I don’t usually count down the days until class is out, so I feel like I’m always surprised when one session is over and the next begins. Speaking of which, after this week there’s going to be a week of nothing, followed by spring classes. Spring/summer semesters are always really interesting; I’ve only taken classes during this period once and didn’t mind it, but the accelerated 6-week semester is a lot more fast paced than a usual period. Also, it’s pleasant to get out of class and then consider going to the beach.

But I had probably better get going, after I finish up work I’ve still got three exams to study for and a final paper to review. Let me know if anybody has any concerns.

-Kyle

Week before finals

Well, this “big thing” I mentioned a couple weeks back is kind of taking longer than I thought, so for the time being it’s on the back burner. Have I dropped the idea altogether? No, I’ve still got something special planned, but we may not see it here for a couple more weeks.

So what is going on at the moment? Quite a lot. It’s the week before finals, so everybody is busy in classes with final projects and exam reviews. I’ve got an easier exam schedule this semester; four, as opposed to the six I had last semester. That doesn’t mean the classes are easier or I have fewer final deliverables to take care of, it just means I only have four exams next week. Final papers and the like are being taken care of this week, I’m just happy that next week is a little bit lower stress than previous semesters.

I do also have a pretty important update for you guys: if anyone will be visiting here from the east side of the state, you’re going to want to leave yourself a little extra time when driving to Allendale. Whether or not you’ve noticed, I-196 is under heavy construction, and the entire segment between Fuller Ave. and US 131 is completely closed down, so we’re encouraging visitors to leave an extra half hour or so to get here. The best way to do so is probably to either continue along I-96, past the 196 onramp until you reach 131, or else to avoid the entire thing by taking M-6. But then again, I’ve gotten myself lost before on a straight road, so you probably don’t want to take directions from me.

Hope everybody’s ready for nice weather, because it certainly seems to be on its way. But as always, don’t hesitate to ask any questions,

-Kyle

Common college application myths

Given that we have a quiet moment this Saturday, now’s a great time for an update. What’s today’s topic, you ask? Common college application myths sounds like a good subject, so let’s go with that.

Specifically, a lot of students have objections to applying based on myths they’ve heard, so why don’t we clear the air on a few of those. Three of the more common concerns are the cost of applying, essays and letters of recommendation, and grades. First off, the application process is a pretty low cost endeavor; there’s a $30 one-time application fee that is nonrefundable, but if a high school counselor can show financial need, that fee can be waived. The other major fees, $150 for housing and $95 for orientation, are both refundable up until May 1. Other student worry that their grades aren’t high enough or they don’t have the proper high school schedule, and while we do have recommendations for incoming students, they are not carved in stone. The admissions counselor’s take a very holistic approach to reviewing applications, which kind of goes hand in hand with myth #3. Students will often ask if there is a letter of recommendation or an essay required for the application. Nope, it’s a pretty pain free application, just about four pages of questions. That being said, if there is any other information or materials you want to provide us with (including an essay, should you wish) to help inform us of a larger picture we will accept and review it with your application. A rigorous schedule, lots of extracurriculars, if you let us know about any of these, they will play a part in your application.

Another objection is “it’s too early for me to apply.” Not always true; students are able to apply as soon as they finish their junior year, and the earlier a student applies the better. Applications are reviewed beginning at about mid-September, but when students are admitted early, they are able to apply for housing earlier and (if they applied before December 31) have access to a number of scholarships, depending upon GPA and ACT. And again, most deposits can be refunded should a student change their mind on colleges.

Finally, I wanted to address a pretty big and very damaging myth about first generation college students. A lot of these students believe that there’s no point in attending a university, either because they feel that they can’t or because those around them haven’t. Fortunately, one of our student employees in the office, Cortney, is a first generation student, and she said the following:

“If you’re the first student in your family thinking about college, it’s all the more reason to go. You have an opportunity to not only influence those around you to achieve more now, but to set a precedent for everyone else in your family to continue your hard work. Especially if other people tell you that you can’t do it; there were a few individuals in my life who said I wouldn’t be able to make it, but with some help from scholarships I have a lot more doors opening for me now and in the future. I’ve met people and had experience that I wouldn’t have been able to without attending college.”

So there you have it, I tried to avoid Mythbusters jokes, but hopefully that enlightens you guys as to the truth about some common college myths, clearing out some negative misconceptions, and hopefully encouraging some students who may not have been thinking about applying to submit an application. But not all college myths are false; that one about Transformational Links on the Allendale Campus? Totally true, it’s bad luck to walk underneath it.

-Kyle