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
Monday, June 28, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
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
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
Friday, June 11, 2010
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
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
Friday, May 28, 2010
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
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
Friday, May 21, 2010
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
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
Thursday, May 13, 2010
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
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
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
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
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
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