The Ins and Outs of College Visits

 

For most of you, going on a college visit is something you’ve never done before.  In today’s post, you’ll learn some of the ins and outs of college visits.

 

What is a college visit?

A college visit is the best way to truly get to know a school.  You actually get to physically be campus, tour the facilities, meet current students, talk with professors, and get your questions answered by the experts of that college.

 

How do I prepare for a college visit?

It is so important to make a plan before visiting a college or university campus.  You’ll want to schedule an appointment ahead of time instead of just showing up.  That way, the campus is prepared for you!  It is best to visit the campus while school is in session so you get the best idea of what that college or university is like on a typical day.  Make sure to tell the admission office what you’d like to see and what areas of interest you have.  These could be potential majors you’ve considered or different extracurricular activities you’re interested in participating in during college.

 

What can I do on a college visit?

Every college and university handles college visits separately, but some things that you might be able to do on a college visit include:

• Visiting the college admissions office and/or attending and admissions presentation
• Taking a campus tour
• Sitting in on a class or two
• Meeting a professor in your field of academic interest
• Meeting and talking to one or more current students
• Looking into your extracurricular, athletic, or special service interests
• Walking or driving through the adjacent college community or town

What should I keep in mind when I’m visiting a college?

You might want to ask yourself the following questions as you’re on your college visit:

• Do I like the look of the campus?  Is it well-kept?
• As I walk around, do I find myself smiling and feeling comfortable with what I see?
• Do the students I see seem to be the kind of people I want to know and spend time with?
• Is the atmosphere friendly and inviting?
• Do I feel excited about the prospect of spending four years here?

It is also not a bad idea to take some pictures of the campus and jot down some of your feelings about the college or university afterwards so that you can have a point of reference when comparing colleges in the future.

 

What questions should I ask when I am on the college campus?

Here are a few questions you might consider asking students and faculty you meet on campus:

• What do you like best and least about this college?
• How is the social life?  What do students do during the week and on weekends for fun?
• Where do students live?  What is on-campus housing like?
• How are the support services on campus (academic advising, internship or career counseling)?
• How accessible are the professors to undergraduate students?
• What are some of the best and worst classes you’ve taken?
• Why did you decide to attend this college?
• If you had to do it all over again, would you choose this college?  If no, where would you go?

If you have other questions, be sure to ask in the comments below!!

Food for Thought

Career Profile: Forester

Foresters mange, use, and help protect forests and other natural resources.  They can either work for private timber companies or state and federal governments.  Foresters who work for private timber companies acquire timber from private landowners.  They appraise the value of the timber, settle on a price, and then draw up a contract for that timber.  They serve as a liaison between the workers and landowners.  Foresters who work for state and federal governments manage public forests and parks.  They also work to plan and carry out conservation programs, control floods and fires, and develop plans for harvesting timber.  They can also conduct educational programs for the public.  Foresters consider the environmental impact of their work, comply with regulations, supervise the planting and growing of new trees, and write environmental reports and recommendations.

 

Helpful high school courses for a career in forestry include:

• Computer Applications
• Forestry
• Horticulture
• Keyboarding
• Natural Resources Management
• Plant & Soil Science

You might also want to look into completing a mentorship or internship with a forester to get a better idea of what they do.

 

Forestry might be the field for you if...

• You like math and science, working with people and things, and communicating with others
• You like to keep physically active and work with your hands
• You enjoy being outdoors
• You work well independently and as a team

Some Minnesota colleges and universities that offer programs in forestry include the University of Minnesota (Bachelor of Science in Forest and Natural Resource Management), Hennepin Technical College (Associate of Applied Science in Urban Forestry Technology), and Itasca Community College (Associate of Applied Science in Natural Resources - Forestry).

 

You can find out much more information on the field of forestry by clicking on this link.

 

Information gathered from www.mncis.intocareers.org.

Food for Thought

College Profile: Gustavus Adolphus College

Gustavus Adolphus College is a private, 4-year college located in St. Peter, Minnesota, about an hour away from Owatonna.  Gustavus Adolphus College is associated with the Lutheran church.
 

Admissions

Gustavus Adolphus College is a highly selective college, with about 60% of applicants getting admitted.  Their average ACT test score is 27, and the average high school GPA is 3.63.
 

To apply for admission to Gustavus Adolphus College, you will need to submit the application for admission (either the application found on their website or the Common Application), a writing sample, personal details, a list of accomplishments and experiences, a teacher evaluation, and the school report form, which is to be filled out by your counselor.  There is no application fee to apply to Gustavus Adolphus College.
 

Gustavus Adolphus College prefers that students take the following coursework in high school:

• 4 years of English
• 4 years of math
• 3 years of a laboratory-based science
• 3 years of social studies
• A foreign language is strongly recommended

Academics

Gustavus Adolphus College has 43 different majors for you to choose from, ranging from Elementary & Secondary Education, Nursing, Physics, English, and History to Japanese, Russian & Eastern European Studies, Film & Media Studies, and Classics (Greek & Latin).  Gustavus Adolphus College also offers several pre-professional programs such as Architecture, Church Vocations, Engineering, Law, and Medicine.
 

Athletics

If you are or would like to be involved in athletics at college, Gustavus Adolphus College has a lot to offer!  They are a Division III school.  Men’s intercollegiate athletic opportunities include baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, ice hockey, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track & field.  Women’s intercollegiate athletic opportunities include basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.  There are also several other club and intramural athletic opportunities that students can get involved in, too.
 

Student Life

Gustavus Adolphus College has over 110 student organizations that you can participate in, including Debate, French Club, Pound Pals, student government, LGBT clubs, newspaper, music ensembles, and various fraternities and sororities.  If there is a club that you’d like to see at Gustavus Adolphus College that they do not currently have, you can also have the opportunity to start your own organization!

 

Notes: Why They Are Important & How to Effectively Take Them

One of the most useful skills to learn in high school is how to take effective notes.  You take notes every day in high school, but are they really effective?  Do your notes help you prepare for tests?  We often find that the better students' note-taking skills are, the better they do in school.

Sometimes students wonder why this is such an important skill to learn.  Here are just a few of the reasons you might consider fine-tuning your notes:

• When you read back your notes, it can trigger memories of the lecture or readings for that day, which ultimately helps you remember what you learned.
• What you write in your notes can serve as clues of what information the teacher thinks is important...or what's going to be on the test!
• Taking notes helps students concentrate and stay focused in class.
• Your notes can be a great resource for preparing for tests.
• Oftentimes, your notes will contain information that cannot be found elsewhere (like a textbook, for example).  In other words, notes give you great information that you wouldn't necessarily get just from reading your textbook.

Have I convinced you yet that taking notes is important?  If you're looking to improve your note-taking skills, here are some things that you can try and keep in mind:

1. Come to class prepared.  How can you expect to take notes if you don't have anything to write on or with?  Bring several sheets of loose leaf paper and your favorite writing instrument to each class.  Students often find that binders are helpful (instead of notebooks) because they get to rearrange their notes, flip through them easily, and see several pages at once.  It also is recommended to bring some highlighters to class as well.  If a teacher says something like, "The really important point here is..." or "This might be on the test..." you can highlight that key phrase or word to indicate that it's something you'll want to look back at when reviewing your notes.
2. Start a new page for every new class.  This just keeps you organized so that you know what order you learned material.  Make sure to put the date at the top of each page as well!
3. Write down big ideas...not every small detail.  People talk much faster than you can write, so you'll want to make sure you're not getting caught up in the little details.  Just write down the main concepts or special tidbits of information that you'll want to remember.  Oftentimes, students try to write down everything the teacher says, even if they already know some of the information.  Save yourself the extra time writing (and the eventual hand cramp) and only write down the information that is new to you.
4. Use abbreviations.  Writing the same words over and over again can take time, so find some abbreviations and shorthand that can save you time.  Some popular examples include "govt" for government, "info" for information, and "w/" for with.
5. Don't feel like you need to stick to just one page.  When people try to limit their space or only have one piece of paper to work with, they wind up abbreviating too much or omitting a lot of information to stick to just one page.  This can actually lead to you missing the important information, simply because you feel you don't have enough room on your page.  Don't be afraid to use multiple sheets of paper during one class period!
6. Use diagrams and pictures.  If you are a more visual learner, there's no shame in drawing pictures and diagrams in your notes to help you organize the information and see it in a more visual way.  Also, if a teacher draws a diagram or visual on the board, you'll probably want to copy it down in your notes as well.
7. Write down corresponding page numbers.  During a lecture or a lesson, teachers will sometimes tell you what page in your textbook they're talking about.  Make sure to jot it down in your notes.  That way, when you're reviewing for the test, you'll be able to reference the text if you need clarification or more context for your notes.
8. Review notes for accuracy.  Studies have shown that if you do not review your notes within 24 hours of writing them down, you forget a majority of what you learned in class.  It's so important to take even just 5 or 10 minutes to review your notes that day.

If you're interested in learning more about different kinds of note-taking systems, their advantages, and their disadvantages, click here for some great information!