I hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather, at least those of us in West Michigan, because it definitely feels as though winter is over. I wanted to write about studying abroad today, and, since it’s a lengthy subject, I figured I’d just dive right into it. I have not gone overseas myself, so I’m not speaking from experience here. Actually, the truth is that I have the study abroad brochure open in front of me, so just about anything that you’re about to read can be found elsewhere. Not that I don’t appreciate your readership, but seriously, this isn’t exactly a point of expertise for me. And that is actually something that I do regret to some extent; I feel as though I’ve missed out on a pretty fundamental experience in college. Especially because so many of the other admissions employees have spent time overseas, in Spain, France, and Belize, to name a few.
There are always a lot of objections that students sometimes have for studying abroad, all of which may be well intended, many of which are easily avoided. The first two are always cost and the impact on graduation date. It is true that some overseas programs will carry a higher cost than a semester at Grand Valley (a fact that is also true on the other side of that coin; some programs are less expensive), but in most cases a majority of scholarships and financial aid received to attend GVSU can be applied to a program abroad. This is in addition to grants and scholarships available specifically for studying abroad, both GVSU financed and privately funded. As far as the second concern goes, studying overseas will not set a student behind if they organize their courses carefully. Credit earned abroad can be applied to a major or minor, general ed. requirements, or be part of a student’s theme. In fact, one of the advantages of studying overseas is that students can use the opportunity to create their own theme, taking all three of the courses abroad or taking some at GVSU and some overseas, effectively catering their theme to the experience. Another frequent concern is the time commitment required, and students should understand that they can take programs as short as a couple of weeks or as long as a year.
As far as the programs offered by the Grand Valley, there are essentially three forms. Partnership Programs are what people traditionally think of as studying abroad, where students take courses over a summer, a semester, or a year. Faculty Led Programs are generally done over the summer, and can last anywhere from a couple weeks to a few months. With this option, students will travel with a GVSU faculty member and a handful of students. The third option is an overseas Internship Program, where students can gain work experience abroad. There is additionally a fourth option: if GVSU can’t offer a program that will meet your needs, it is possible to partner with non-GVSU institutions to set up an experience that works for you. In terms of choices, according to the International Center, there are 17 different nations students can visit, in six of the seven continents (my apologies to penguin enthusiasts, Antarctica isn’t an opportunity), and many of these countries have more than one university students can choose to attend.
But I’ve pretty much exhausted my slender knowledge on this topic, though I still can’t stress enough that any student should at least consider spending some time abroad, or at least more than I did. All the same, if you’ve got questions regarding overseas opportunities, feel free to post them and I can do some research to find an answer, or definitely feel free to drop by the International Center’s website.
-Kyle
Friday, March 19, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Spring Break
Well, it has certainly not been busy this past week. Not that I’m one to complain about having it easy, it’s just a little unusual to go from the hustle of normal life on campus to Spring Break, with hardly anything going on. On the bright side, everything’s back to normal on Monday, and this is a great chance to recharge from a half semester of school work thus far. Plus, we’ve had great weather so far; it looks like it’s about to rain, but the temperature is at least warm.
I don’t have particularly much to say at the moment, but figured it might be worthwhile to bring up Student Visitation Days. We have two dates coming up when students can drop by the campus for what is essentially a morning long sequence of information sessions. The event begins at 9:30 (check in is shortly beforehand), and goes until about 1:00 if I recall correctly. It’s a great chance to hear some presentations from the admissions office, financial aid, housing, and a couple of different academic departments. It definitely represents a larger group visit (I think somewhere between 150 to 200 visitors are expected), so there is less opportunity for individual questions, but that doesn’t mean that the opportunity is gone altogether. We do like to make sure that visitors leave without any questions in their minds, so don’t hesitate to ask us either before or after the sessions on that day. Currently, there are two scheduled for this spring: March 26 and April 9. This is a great event for high school juniors to attend, since many of them may not quite be sure what to look for yet in a college, but are still interested in what features a university might have. As for seniors, I might encourage you to give our office a call and set up an individual appointment. With some of the important deadlines approaching or already behind us, it might be a good idea to have a more “one-on-one” type of meeting. Though if you feel as though one or the other might serve your needs more, feel free to ignore my advice; you guys certainly know your situations better than I do. But give us a call if you want to reserve a spot for either type of event. And, as always, don’t hesitate to post questions.
I don’t have particularly much to say at the moment, but figured it might be worthwhile to bring up Student Visitation Days. We have two dates coming up when students can drop by the campus for what is essentially a morning long sequence of information sessions. The event begins at 9:30 (check in is shortly beforehand), and goes until about 1:00 if I recall correctly. It’s a great chance to hear some presentations from the admissions office, financial aid, housing, and a couple of different academic departments. It definitely represents a larger group visit (I think somewhere between 150 to 200 visitors are expected), so there is less opportunity for individual questions, but that doesn’t mean that the opportunity is gone altogether. We do like to make sure that visitors leave without any questions in their minds, so don’t hesitate to ask us either before or after the sessions on that day. Currently, there are two scheduled for this spring: March 26 and April 9. This is a great event for high school juniors to attend, since many of them may not quite be sure what to look for yet in a college, but are still interested in what features a university might have. As for seniors, I might encourage you to give our office a call and set up an individual appointment. With some of the important deadlines approaching or already behind us, it might be a good idea to have a more “one-on-one” type of meeting. Though if you feel as though one or the other might serve your needs more, feel free to ignore my advice; you guys certainly know your situations better than I do. But give us a call if you want to reserve a spot for either type of event. And, as always, don’t hesitate to post questions.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Quiet Friday
Wow, hectic is an understatement at this point. I apologize for the lack of updates in recent history; time is a commodity that I don’t seem to have enough of lately. But, on the bright side, we’re now at the start of Spring Break, so I have an entire week relaxation. Except for the fact that I’m still working all week. Which isn’t a complaint, seeing as I have no serious schoolwork for the week, but it is a humorous statement that I’d rather stay home and work than go somewhere nice. In all fairness, though, the weather has a bit of a push in that respect. We’ve had about a week of gorgeous weather, which is a welcome change from the up-and-down unpredictability of Michigan Winters.
So, getting back to business, I’m mostly updating to remind High School seniors that they should definitely start making decisions on colleges at this point. Nothing has to be finalized just yet, but there are a few deadlines that are either coming up or already past. The housing deadline, for instance, was this last Monday, March 1st. If you missed that, and haven’t signed up for housing yet, it doesn’t mean that you can’t live on campus, it just means that we can no longer guarantee a spot for you in the freshman living centers. March 1st is the date before which we know we can fit all of our admitted students into housing, so if you haven’t signed up for housing, don’t panic just yet, but I would still encourage getting your choice and deposit in soon. Housing will start filling up relatively quickly, but we can still refund your deposit up to May 1st.
I don’t have the same deadlines to worry about that a lot of you readers do, but there are still a few dates keen on my mind. Most of the ones lately have been for tests; I’ve had a fair few in the last couple of weeks, not to mention presentations and group projects. Long story short, it’s most definitely “crunch time” in terms of school work. It’s kind of strange, but the bus ride to and from the downtown has more or less become my time to “decompress.” It’s kind of therapeutic to have that half hour to myself, with no worries until I make it to Grand Rapids. Not that my life is all that stressful, but this last week in particular has been quite a whirlwind. I’ll try to make sure to give an update next week, to fill you guys in on Breaks here on campus, but until then, don’t hesitate to post questions or comments.
-Kyle
So, getting back to business, I’m mostly updating to remind High School seniors that they should definitely start making decisions on colleges at this point. Nothing has to be finalized just yet, but there are a few deadlines that are either coming up or already past. The housing deadline, for instance, was this last Monday, March 1st. If you missed that, and haven’t signed up for housing yet, it doesn’t mean that you can’t live on campus, it just means that we can no longer guarantee a spot for you in the freshman living centers. March 1st is the date before which we know we can fit all of our admitted students into housing, so if you haven’t signed up for housing, don’t panic just yet, but I would still encourage getting your choice and deposit in soon. Housing will start filling up relatively quickly, but we can still refund your deposit up to May 1st.
I don’t have the same deadlines to worry about that a lot of you readers do, but there are still a few dates keen on my mind. Most of the ones lately have been for tests; I’ve had a fair few in the last couple of weeks, not to mention presentations and group projects. Long story short, it’s most definitely “crunch time” in terms of school work. It’s kind of strange, but the bus ride to and from the downtown has more or less become my time to “decompress.” It’s kind of therapeutic to have that half hour to myself, with no worries until I make it to Grand Rapids. Not that my life is all that stressful, but this last week in particular has been quite a whirlwind. I’ll try to make sure to give an update next week, to fill you guys in on Breaks here on campus, but until then, don’t hesitate to post questions or comments.
-Kyle
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Career services
After a pair of pretty busy weeks, we’re back in business. I’ve had a couple of stressful stretches of class, but I’ve got a little break for the time being, and figured it was about time for an update.
The weather on campus has been pretty varied for the last couple of weeks; everything from sunny skies to a winter storm warning. Things are relatively busy on parts of the campus this weekend, as there’s an indoor track meet going on in the turf center right now. On that note, I just finished a long day of work, so I’m debating as to whether I want to go watch part of the meet or head to the gym myself.
But I’m willing to bet that you guys aren’t interested in my weekend plans, so I thought we might talk a little about GVSU’s Career Services office. If you’re worried about the job market after college, or want an advantage in said market, this is the place to drop by. They offer a really wide range of services, from individual appointments to simulated interviews. If you have a question about resumes, this is a great place to get some tips. They have databases of contacts in several career fields if you want some real life examples, a career library, online services, and they also keep track of on campus recruitment as well as the many career fairs that take place on campus.
Career Services also keeps track of several statistics as far as job placement goes. A breakdown for all of Grand Valley’s colleges can be found in their brochures or on the website, but I believe the most recent count of alumni employment comes from either 2007 or 2008, and 96% of grads were either employed full time or in a graduate program.
But it isn’t just employment after graduation that the office keeps an eye on. According to the office, 6918 current Grand Valley students are participating in internships, co-ops, and practicals. A majority of those are in education (due to student teaching requirements), with nursing and the health sciences close behind. For those of you not sure what that number means, a little less than 40% of the campus’ full time undergrads are involved in internship or internship-like experiences outside of their academics.
To be honest, though, I’m now thinking more along the lines of grabbing food on campus, rather than heading to the gym, so I think I’ll call it a day. Don’t forget to post any questions that you have.
-Kyle
The weather on campus has been pretty varied for the last couple of weeks; everything from sunny skies to a winter storm warning. Things are relatively busy on parts of the campus this weekend, as there’s an indoor track meet going on in the turf center right now. On that note, I just finished a long day of work, so I’m debating as to whether I want to go watch part of the meet or head to the gym myself.
But I’m willing to bet that you guys aren’t interested in my weekend plans, so I thought we might talk a little about GVSU’s Career Services office. If you’re worried about the job market after college, or want an advantage in said market, this is the place to drop by. They offer a really wide range of services, from individual appointments to simulated interviews. If you have a question about resumes, this is a great place to get some tips. They have databases of contacts in several career fields if you want some real life examples, a career library, online services, and they also keep track of on campus recruitment as well as the many career fairs that take place on campus.
Career Services also keeps track of several statistics as far as job placement goes. A breakdown for all of Grand Valley’s colleges can be found in their brochures or on the website, but I believe the most recent count of alumni employment comes from either 2007 or 2008, and 96% of grads were either employed full time or in a graduate program.
But it isn’t just employment after graduation that the office keeps an eye on. According to the office, 6918 current Grand Valley students are participating in internships, co-ops, and practicals. A majority of those are in education (due to student teaching requirements), with nursing and the health sciences close behind. For those of you not sure what that number means, a little less than 40% of the campus’ full time undergrads are involved in internship or internship-like experiences outside of their academics.
To be honest, though, I’m now thinking more along the lines of grabbing food on campus, rather than heading to the gym, so I think I’ll call it a day. Don’t forget to post any questions that you have.
-Kyle
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Third week
It has certainly been a whirlwind of classes for me so far, and it’s only the third week of Winter Semester. I should have expected this, though, seeing as I’m enrolled in a capstone class; that in particular will definitely make for a challenging semester. But it isn’t just classes on my mind; I’ve been thinking an awful lot about internship opportunities, particularly for this coming summer. On the bright side, AMA as well as a lot of my current professors will likely serve really well in networking, so I think as long as I get moving I shouldn’t have a problem.
It’s also pretty fortunate that, despite a pretty heavy work load, I’ve managed to stay on top of my gym habits. Sort of. I’ve been making it in at least three times a week, and my goal is four times. I also say “sort of” because I should be training for the River Bank Run, but the truth is that I haven’t been doing very much so far in the way of long distance. Still, I can’t help but be reminded of how great it is to have a free pass to GVSU’s gym, especially when I actually make use of it. On the downside, I haven’t been to the pool since Fall Semester, and it would definitely be good to get a little swimming in each week.
Aside from that, I’m not entirely sure what to write about today. It’s been quite busy for me; I’ve had mostly class work on my mind, and I’m pretty sure you guys don’t want to hear the details of my MGT 495 exam. That being said, if anyone has a subject that they want to hear a little bit about, let me know. Even if it’s something outside of my knowledge, I wouldn’t say no to a little admissions research project.
-Kyle
It’s also pretty fortunate that, despite a pretty heavy work load, I’ve managed to stay on top of my gym habits. Sort of. I’ve been making it in at least three times a week, and my goal is four times. I also say “sort of” because I should be training for the River Bank Run, but the truth is that I haven’t been doing very much so far in the way of long distance. Still, I can’t help but be reminded of how great it is to have a free pass to GVSU’s gym, especially when I actually make use of it. On the downside, I haven’t been to the pool since Fall Semester, and it would definitely be good to get a little swimming in each week.
Aside from that, I’m not entirely sure what to write about today. It’s been quite busy for me; I’ve had mostly class work on my mind, and I’m pretty sure you guys don’t want to hear the details of my MGT 495 exam. That being said, if anyone has a subject that they want to hear a little bit about, let me know. Even if it’s something outside of my knowledge, I wouldn’t say no to a little admissions research project.
-Kyle
Friday, January 15, 2010
Winter Semester
For anyone who read my comment last week about being happy to be back to doing something and said “you’ll regret saying that,” congratulations, you called it. It’s Friday of the first week of the semester and wow, this is going to be tough. Which is a good thing; I’ll complain all day long about extra class work and so forth, but anyone who knows me has figured out by now that I like a good challenge, especially academically. This will (hopefully) be a very fulfilling semester.
It’s not like I really have much to complain about, anyway. Earlier this week I stopped by for an advising appointment and had a degree evaluation done, and it’s looking as though I’m in for some smooth sailing. The degree evaluation filled me in on a number of different things, namely those classes that I hadn’t yet completed, what I have completed thus far and where in my major it applies, as well as a “what if” analysis, for students thinking about changing their major. It goes pretty far in depth, though. Aside from the breakdown of general education courses, courses applied to majors, or courses for a theme, a degree analysis will also give you other helpful insights, such as which course will allow you to “double-dip” (meaning apply a single course to two different requirements. In this case, I think I had a Sociology class that took care of two categories for me). To be honest, though, most of the help doesn’t come from the analysis itself but from the interpretation of the advisor. The advising staff is great, they really know how to get all the information you need across to you in a really understandable manner. I tell most of my tours that one of the first things a new student on campus should do is get to know their academic advisor.
All that said, it has been quite a busy day, at the end of a very busy week, a week that is notably not over with (we have a scholarship competition tomorrow). It would seem that now is a pretty convenient time to sign out, so let me know if you’ve got any questions,
-Kyle
It’s not like I really have much to complain about, anyway. Earlier this week I stopped by for an advising appointment and had a degree evaluation done, and it’s looking as though I’m in for some smooth sailing. The degree evaluation filled me in on a number of different things, namely those classes that I hadn’t yet completed, what I have completed thus far and where in my major it applies, as well as a “what if” analysis, for students thinking about changing their major. It goes pretty far in depth, though. Aside from the breakdown of general education courses, courses applied to majors, or courses for a theme, a degree analysis will also give you other helpful insights, such as which course will allow you to “double-dip” (meaning apply a single course to two different requirements. In this case, I think I had a Sociology class that took care of two categories for me). To be honest, though, most of the help doesn’t come from the analysis itself but from the interpretation of the advisor. The advising staff is great, they really know how to get all the information you need across to you in a really understandable manner. I tell most of my tours that one of the first things a new student on campus should do is get to know their academic advisor.
All that said, it has been quite a busy day, at the end of a very busy week, a week that is notably not over with (we have a scholarship competition tomorrow). It would seem that now is a pretty convenient time to sign out, so let me know if you’ve got any questions,
-Kyle
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
First post of the decade
First post of the decade
As great as breaks are, I’m pretty happy to be back to doing something. A week and a half of nothing is very restful, but I think the term “crippling boredom” may have been applicable at certain points throughout the holiday.
On a related note, I hope that that I’m not the first to wish you guys a happy new year, seeing as it is 5 days late here, but I do hope everybody had a safe and enjoyable holiday season this year. With that in mind, I do have some bad news: Our scholarship deadline has passes. December 31 is the deadline on a couple of our scholarships, the awards of excellence in particular. That doesn’t mean that financial aid isn’t available anymore, and it doesn’t mean that you can’t get scholarships, it just means that there are a few scholarships and scholarship competitions for which you can’t apply. On the bright side, if you applied and sent in ACT scores by December 31, you may be eligible to receive some awards, so keep an eye on the mail.
Another thing to keep an eye on, which is coincidentally also money related, is FAFSA. In all fairness, it’s been quite a while since I’ve had to worry about this, but if I recall correctly it’s early to mid winter when that information has to be filed (I think March 1 is the priority deadline, but I’m definitely not the guy to ask on that).
All business stuff aside, it’s tough to believe that we’re in a new decade. I can remember quite a few moments from the last ten years pretty vividly, as far back as middle school and as recent as the last three years here on campus. I’m pretty excited to keep moving forward, but if anybody asked me to, I wouldn’t hesitate to do most of it over again. And yes, I would still choose to come to Grand Valley, hands down.
That’s about it today, so don’t hesitate to ask questions. I know I said I probably couldn’t answer FAFSA stuff, but ask anyway if you’ve got a concern, and I’ll be sure to ask around myself.
-Kyle
As great as breaks are, I’m pretty happy to be back to doing something. A week and a half of nothing is very restful, but I think the term “crippling boredom” may have been applicable at certain points throughout the holiday.
On a related note, I hope that that I’m not the first to wish you guys a happy new year, seeing as it is 5 days late here, but I do hope everybody had a safe and enjoyable holiday season this year. With that in mind, I do have some bad news: Our scholarship deadline has passes. December 31 is the deadline on a couple of our scholarships, the awards of excellence in particular. That doesn’t mean that financial aid isn’t available anymore, and it doesn’t mean that you can’t get scholarships, it just means that there are a few scholarships and scholarship competitions for which you can’t apply. On the bright side, if you applied and sent in ACT scores by December 31, you may be eligible to receive some awards, so keep an eye on the mail.
Another thing to keep an eye on, which is coincidentally also money related, is FAFSA. In all fairness, it’s been quite a while since I’ve had to worry about this, but if I recall correctly it’s early to mid winter when that information has to be filed (I think March 1 is the priority deadline, but I’m definitely not the guy to ask on that).
All business stuff aside, it’s tough to believe that we’re in a new decade. I can remember quite a few moments from the last ten years pretty vividly, as far back as middle school and as recent as the last three years here on campus. I’m pretty excited to keep moving forward, but if anybody asked me to, I wouldn’t hesitate to do most of it over again. And yes, I would still choose to come to Grand Valley, hands down.
That’s about it today, so don’t hesitate to ask questions. I know I said I probably couldn’t answer FAFSA stuff, but ask anyway if you’ve got a concern, and I’ll be sure to ask around myself.
-Kyle
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