A Gustie Blog » Uncategorized http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:37:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 Roomies! http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/11/10/roomies/ http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/11/10/roomies/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:37:32 +0000 Stephanie Duley http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/?p=287      It’s hard enough transitioning into college your first year, and one of the biggest challenges is learning how to share your space with another person; more often than not it’s someone you’ve never met before. Talk about daunting… luckily Gustavus’ residential life utilizes a method similar to eHarmony.com when it comes to matching up first year roommates by hand selecting students with similar sleep habits, neatness, personalities, general interests, etc. This helps make the adjustment much easier as you and your roommate learn how to live with one another. Even if you don’t become best friends who spend every waking moment together it still helps make everything else about living away from home a little easier, and as the school year goes on you’ll more than likely find a really close friend that you’ll want to live with. Sometimes that person is your first year roommate, sometimes not. My first year roommate and I are still roommates as sophomores and we plan on living together next year (hopefully in one of the apartment style dorms) and this year we were lucky enough to live in the same building as a lot of our friends, so instead of having to walk across campus, we just have to walk across the hallway to see them! There are of course a few “bad” roommate stories that I have heard at Gustavus, but nothing overwhelming. So chances are high that if you’re a country music fanatic you won’t get paired up with a hard core death metal enthusiast, and vice versa.. you might just be like my roommate and I; we have our differences but they aren’t strong enough to prevent us from living together and being close friends.

]]> http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/11/10/roomies/feed/ 0 Travel Season by the Numbers http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/11/03/travel-season-by-the-numbers/ http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/11/03/travel-season-by-the-numbers/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:54:16 +0000 Megan Coe http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/?p=285 2066 – Number of miles racked up on my most recent road trip through Iowa and Illinois

10 – Number of college fairs, and number of days over which they occurred, on that trip

29 – Number of nights spent in hotel rooms so far this fall

25 – Approximate number of subs I have eaten while on the road (Sub City in Cedar Falls gets my vote as #1 sandwich!)

Fall travel season is finally beginning to wind down, with only one week remaining.  Next week I’ll set out on my final trip across Iowa, where I’ll bounce from Spirit Lake to Iowa City to Decorah, stopping at 16 high schools in 4 days.   This might all seem a bit grueling, and I’ll admit, I’ve just about had it with rain and road construction, but it’s not all bad.  My Sirius radio keeps me up-to-date on football scores and new music to download.  I enjoyed 60 degrees and sunshine in Fairbanks, Alaska.  I’ve had wonderful dinners with the families of former, current, and (hopefully) future Gusties.  And, best of all, I’ve had great conversations with many of you!

So now it’s your turn…. if you haven’t already, come and see us!  We look forward to welcoming you to campus.

]]> http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/11/03/travel-season-by-the-numbers/feed/ 0 Halloween… the Gustavus way! http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/11/02/halloween-the-gustavus-way/ http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/11/02/halloween-the-gustavus-way/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:08:19 +0000 Stephanie Duley http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/?p=282 Friday afternoon right after classes and work, in desperate need of a sugar fix, I headed straight to the bakery in the caf to find much to my delight, pumpkin and ghost shaped sugar cookies complete with orange and white frosting  and sprinkles; a sure sign that its almost Halloween! Whether you think you’re too old to participate in the merriment of Halloween there was something for everyone this weekend from frosted cookie addicts (like myself) to swing dancers. For example, earlier in the week groups of kids accompanied by their big partners, who are Gustavus students that volunteer to mentor a young child from St. Peter, descended upon campus trick or treating in the dorms while wearing their costumes. It brought back a lot of great memories!  There was also a Halloween themed swing dance complete with live music, a substance free rave, a haunted mine in the basement of Norelius, a first year residence hall,  (seriously, the basement looks like a dungeon without trying), and a free showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, all events completed with the option of wearing a costume.  Every weekend there’s tons of fun on-campus events for students, but with a holiday falling on a Saturday it gave many organizations a reason to go all out and give the students of Gustavus even more to do to celebrate Halloween.

]]> http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/11/02/halloween-the-gustavus-way/feed/ 0 Reading Days… http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/10/26/reading-days/ http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/10/26/reading-days/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:02:48 +0000 Stephanie Duley http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/?p=279      Today marks the end of a short, but much needed break for Gusties after a grueling week of midterms. Ok, maybe grueling is a little extreme, but nonetheless this long weekend is always eagerly looked forward to and provides a great opportunity for students to travel home. Like my first year at Gustavus, this year Reading Days is the first weekend that I went home to be with my family and enjoy some of the comforts of home that you just can’t get when at college, like my own bedroom and bathroom, and of course my family.

     You don’t always realize it from a students’ perspective (I still don’t) but it’s a HUGE transition for families when one or more of their children goes away to college, so those long weekends and holidays when many students return home are really special for many families with college students because for that space of time it’s like everything is back to the way they used to be. Of course I always look forward to going back to Gustavus to be with my friends, not so much for the homework, but at the same time it’s nice having some of my own living space again, and being able to spend time with my family and friends from high school. This afternoon when my mom drops me off at GAC, I look forward to catching up with my group of friends over a big pan of cheesy bread, complete with plenty of laughter and planning what we’re going to do for Halloween this weekend…

]]> http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/10/26/reading-days/feed/ 0 “Without other people around, you may as well be a zombie” http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/10/20/%e2%80%9cwithout-other-people-around-you-may-as-well-be-a-zombie%e2%80%9d/ http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/10/20/%e2%80%9cwithout-other-people-around-you-may-as-well-be-a-zombie%e2%80%9d/#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:48:52 +0000 Stephanie Duley http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/?p=276 A couple weekends ago a group of friends and I crammed into my roommate’s Honda Civic down to the old St. Peter 5 Cinema to see the latest R-rated comedy Zombieland. Now this flick may seem like it has the depth of a puddle, but there actually was a deeper meaning imbedded in this film. At the very end the main character, “Columbus” says, “without other people around, you may as well be a zombie.” At 11:00 on a Saturday night wound up on McDonald’s, that quote didn’t really sink in until I was studying for Imperial Russia the next night when I realized that it’s impossible to walk around the Gustavus campus like a zombie. It simply can’t be done. Each time I walk out the door no matter where I’m headed I run into a friendly face. Sometimes it’s one of my closest friends on their way back to the dorm, or someone I have a class with, or even a professor. That’s one of the things I love about going to a college with no more than 3,000 students on campus at a time, it’s easier to get to know people, even if you don’t know their name or year, you at least recognize their face and smile easily when you pass by them. I don’t know about you, but that beats walking amidst a sea of expressionless zombies that I’ve never seen before.

]]> http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/10/20/%e2%80%9cwithout-other-people-around-you-may-as-well-be-a-zombie%e2%80%9d/feed/ 0 Nobel 45 http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/10/06/nobel-45/ http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/10/06/nobel-45/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:18:39 +0000 Stephanie Duley http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/?p=273 Every year at Gustavus students eagerly await the Nobel Conference, or at least I do, because no classes! And of course to listen to the visiting speakers as well. Professors cancel classes these two days because they want the students at Gustavus to take advantage of all the brilliant minds that will be arriving on campus to share their wealth of knowledge with us. With all the posters around campus proudly announcing the 45th annual Nobel Conference you can’t help but be reminded of how unique Gustavus really is for having the privilege of hosting this conference every year. Out of all the colleges in the nation, it’s our small campus in rural Minnesota that attracts thousands of people each year, and hosts scholars and researchers from all over the world. With an event like that, how could you not be honored to go to an academic institution like Gustavus? Even with no classes these two days, there will still be a lot of active learning going on around campus.

]]> http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/10/06/nobel-45/feed/ 0 “On the road again…” http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/09/30/on-the-road-again/ http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/09/30/on-the-road-again/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:08:21 +0000 Megan Coe http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/?p=268 This was the classic tune that marked the beginning of all of our family vacations when I was younger.  My dad would pop his Willie Nelson cassette into the tape deck and croon right along with the country legend, over the groans of his two daughters, who would have preferred Bon Jovi or Michael Jackson.  (Bonus points if you’ve ever even seen a tape deck in a car.  Double bonus points if you know this song!)

To this day, I have a hard time starting out on a trip without those lines running through my head.  It’s “travel season” again in the admission office.  While I write to you from Chicago, my colleagues are journeying to California, Texas, Florida, and Colorado, as well as many more local destinations.  We’re out there… and we look forward to meeting you!

]]> http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/09/30/on-the-road-again/feed/ 0 Home on the Hill http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/09/22/home-on-the-hill/ http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/09/22/home-on-the-hill/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:03:19 +0000 Stephanie Duley http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/09/22/home-on-the-hill/ “…there is no happiness like that of being loved by your fellow-creatures, and feeling that your presence is an addition to their comfort.”
-Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Brontë

As a returning student to Gustavus this phrase seems all the more true to me as I find myself once again surrounded by the many friendly and familiar faces here. As a first year last fall the faces were very friendly, but not that familiar as I was still adjusting to my new home on the hill. As a sophomore moving my things into the dorm a few weeks ago I didn’t experience the same nervous rush layered with uncertainty that I had last year, but instead a warm welcoming sense of belonging, like I was coming home after being away for several months. First year students: once Gustavus starts feeling more like home for you and you find a great group of friends that make you feel like your presence is not only wanted but needed, that’s the type of happiness that makes college the best years of your life.

]]> http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/09/22/home-on-the-hill/feed/ 0 Get Involved… http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/09/15/get-involved/ http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/09/15/get-involved/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:22:34 +0000 Megan Coe http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/?p=262 The view from my window here in the Admission Office is even more interesting than usual today.  Table cloths and banners are being straightened, brochures and pamphlets are being distributed, and email lists are being joined.  No, it’s not a college fair, where I would normally be seeing all of these things happen.  It’s the annual Student Involvement Fair on Eckmann Mall.

There are over 140 different student organizations here on campus, and most of them are represented outside right now.   I can see the Gustavian Weekly, the Biology National Honor Society, Habitat for Humanity, Club Lacrosse, the Pre-Dentistry Club, the Studio Art Club, and dozens more.  There is no limit to the number of groups that can exist at Gustavus, so if you arrive here as a student and discover that we don’t have a club related to your interests, you can start one!

I also see a lot of free food floating around out there!  Several local businesses are giving away coffee, pizza, wings, fruit, ice cream, and other treats.  Even though we have wonderful food at Gustavus, students do enjoy getting off-campus for a bite to eat or a change of scenery.    I think I’ll go grab a cup of coffee myself!

]]> http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/09/15/get-involved/feed/ 0 Welcome back, Gusties! http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/09/08/welcome-back-gusties/ http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/09/08/welcome-back-gusties/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:38:52 +0000 Megan Coe http://admission.blog.gustavus.edu/?p=254 I can’t decide which is the more exciting day on campus.  Is it the Friday before Labor Day weekend, when all of the first-year students arrive on campus?  Or is it today, the first official day of classes?

I’m going to declare last Friday the winner in this very tight competition.  The air was ringing with the whistles and cheers of the Gustie Greeters and the honking car horns of families appreciative of this enthusiastic welcome.  I was able to walk around campus (while detouring around futons heaped with clothes, towering stacks of boxes, and mazes of TV and stereo equipment), feeling the energy and excitement.  I helped wrestle a refrigerator out of a car, gave a tip or two about assembling a loft, got to pet a friendly boxer lounging in the shade, and even carried a box of books up several flights of stairs.  Not a bad day’s work!

Today, I am enjoying the parade of students and faculty walking back and forth outside my window, on their way to classes, meetings, and lunch.  Gusties are running up to give hugs to friends and to their professors, and a few people have already settled into the Adirondack chairs to catch up.  Sure, the lines will be a bit longer in the Caf during the lunch rush, and I might not get my favorite elliptical trainer over in Lund, but I’m ready for the excitement of another year.  Welcome back, Gusties!

And welcome to you… this is the Admission Office blog for the 2009-2010 school year.  I will be posting entries from an admission counselor’s perspective, and I will be helped by two of our tour guides, who will offer their own stories and pictures.  We’ll have new content weekly, so check back often!

Megan

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