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