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

Spring break pt. 2

Being the first of April, I was sorely tempted to write something along the lines of “I will no longer be writing for this blog,” but then I realized that I was going to be posting something new in the near future, so I’d rather hold on to any readership available. Still, I’ve yet to see a good April 1st joke today, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Most high schools will be taking Spring Break next week, which means that we are quite busy; a lot op people want a chance to get in for tours and meetings at times that they won’t have to skip school. And if you’re leaving Michigan for the break, you would seem to be less fortunate than spring breakers normally are. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous for over a week, so it’s not as if you’re escaping something bad. Staying home and relaxing would not be a bad decision this year. Speaking of which, does anyone have any special plans for break? Cruises, overseas travel, or inter-state vacations?

So you may have picked up on it from above, but I do have something new in mind for this blog. I won’t say anything right now, because I’m not totally sure if it will come together, but just keep your eye out here in the next couple weeks, you may see something a little different.

But in the meantime, that’s all, and I’ll see all of you next time.

-Kyle