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