Experiential Learner of the Month Fellowship Recipients
Study Abroad Opportunities at Keuka
Going to college is a great experience, an experience open to so many opportunities, including, but definitely not limited to: making new friends, developing your resume and job skills, exploring career options, learning more about the world in general, and studying abroad. That’s right. But these opportunities should not be limited to your home campus.
This past semester, Keuka College’s Global Education Department has been working diligently with its partner universities to develop Keuka’s official study abroad program for American students, in China, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
International Exchange Students from Keuka's Partner Universities (from Facebook)
In this post, I share information about some of the universities from Vietnamese and Chinese Keuka students studying on our home campus, and information about the overall program from D. Vernon Larson.
How to Fight the Pre-College Jitters
Hello, prospective Keuka class of 2016. This post is particularly for you guys. I have been reading your posts, and a number of you seem to be worried about college and questioning whether or not this will be the right choice to make. Therefore, this post will address those areas of concern so you can have a little more insight and make a more informed decision. I hope this helps!
Photo Scavenger Hunt Challenge
I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of pictures of Keuka College at this point. Or maybe you haven’t. Either way, it’s so easy to find pictures of obvious, common places on campus and important college landmarks, but what about the not-so-obvious?
I enjoyed the b-e-a-utiful weather today, and walked all over campus, taking pictures. I took pictures of the not so easily noticed things, and the more inconspicuous nooks and crannies. I did take a photos of few more well known things, but to a newcomer, it’s all brand new turf. And let me tell you, Keuka College is a quaint place, but paying attention to these more out-of-the-way places expanded it for me–like I was rediscovering my campus.
Where am I?
Therefore, I challenge you. On April 14th 2012–Spring Open House, or whenever you come up to visit, try to find these places, located throughout our beautiful campus, and get to know it a little better, just like I did.
Directions:
- Walk around campus–all locations are outside.
- Look for clues in the pictures (and captions!) to find the landmarks or places you are looking for. (I didn’t go too far off the beaten path.)
- Everything is fair game from between Jephson and Davis.
- Feel free to snap pictures of what you find and share them on Keuka’s Facebook, your Keuka class Facebook group, or as a comment on this blog post.
- Have fun!
What’s with Work Study?
Hello all. I am sorry that posts have been absent for some time, but that is because I was working on a special web project for the upcoming Presidential Inauguration for Dr. Diaz-Herrera. Needless to say, it took a bit of time, but I could only work on so much per week, as I have other work study jobs to attend to.
Therefore, this post is going to be all about the work study program at Keuka College, the various job opportunities, and more. It’s a great way to gain experience and earn money toward tuition, or just extra spending money.
What is Work Study and How Can I Get It?
According to the Office for Experience Learning:
The student employment (work-study) program provides an opportunity for you to practice and learn valuable work-related skills and, at the same time, help meet educational and personal expenses while at Keuka College.
In other words, it’s like killing three birds with one stone: resume development, job skills, and extra cash. Score!
But how do you get it?
Field Period: The Unique Keuka Experience
This Friday culminates the third week back at Keuka College. Unlike most college students who have been taking their spring semester classes for about a month or so, Keuka students get a longer break than normal, not because they need more time to hang out in between classes, but because they need enough time to complete the experience that makes Keuka College unique: the Field Period.
The vision of Keuka College is to become the world leader in hands-on, experiential learning. The Field Period is integral to its mission; it is the “Keuka difference.” At other schools, internships are possible, and encouraged, but at Keuka, a mandatory, 140-hour, 3-credit internship allows students to explore job possibilities, to make professional connections, to apply what they learn from the classroom, and to graduate with a competitive resume. And this happens for every year a student attends Keuka. These outcomes are definitely true for me, and I now have four Field Periods under my belt.
This is Lightner Library, Keuka College's Academic Library
So now, having recently completed my 2012 Field Period, what better to talk about than my experiences and how it has helped me? I can add that when I made the decision to come to Keuka, price, location, and other factors primarily influenced my choice, and the Field Period was merely an added perk. I hadn’t known when I was a senior in high school, making my official college decisions, just how important the Field Period would be to me, so here is my story; I hope it helps inform your decision.
Paying for College: FAFSA 101
I am sure by this point, most of you have selected and applied to some colleges already. OK, step one is over; step two is making sure you can pay for it. I talked to Keuka College’s Financial Aid Office and got some inside tips, cleared up some misconceptions, and compiled a useful, “how-to,” post to help you and your family find funding to attend college. You can check out independent loan and scholarship options (like from fastweb.com) and apply for separate scholarships (or in Keuka’s case, just apply by Jan. 31, 2012-this deadline is just for Merit aid); however, unless you are an heir to a considerable inheritance, you must fill out your FAFSA, the US Department of Education’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Taken from internet--old picture
But what is the FAFSA? And why is it so important? According to the official FAFSA site, fafsa.ed.gov:
Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, ensures that all eligible individuals can benefit from federally funded financial assistance for education beyond high school. We consistently champion the promise of postsecondary education to all Americans —and its value to our society…
Today, Federal Student Aid performs a range of critical functions that include, among others:
- Educating students and families on the process of obtaining aid;
- Processing millions of student financial aid applications each year;
- Disbursing billions of dollars in aid funds to students through schools…
In a nutshell, FAFSA is the application for federal financial assistance with the costs of college, whether it comes in grants or in loans. FAFSA applications also work for statewide aid. This post will focus on three things: what information you will need to fill out the FAFSA, how and when to fill it out, and other resources that you can utilize to make your college dream a financial reality.
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“What are you most thankful for?”
That time of year approaches, with turkeys, pies, cornucopias, and early Christmas shopping. For students, it is a wonderful time to spend time with family and friends, and perhaps to finish a paper or two.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time, mainly for the company, and also for the food. As a college student, I am very grateful for the opportunity to just be with my family and unwind a little before crunch-time. But as a college student, I also belong to another, bigger academic family. I owe a lot of who I am today to the successes and struggles I have undergone as an undergraduate. My classmates, housemates, and professors have played an integral role in my development at Keuka. But what about the other key players?
Today, I went around and asked faculty and staff who (with one exception) did not teach courses, but still had integral roles to the day-to-day functions of Keuka College. These are the people that work with student life operations or help run offices or other vital components of the college. I am thankful for them because without them, my college experience would not be the same, and the college would not be as smooth running. These are important members of our college community, so it is important to hear what they are thankful for.
The College Admission Essay: How to Successfully Write One Without Having a Mental Breakdown
This post will focus with one of the most important features of a college application: the essay. I was fortunate enough to have guidance from my high school English teacher, but even then, it was one of the most stressful papers I had ever had to write. Perhaps I wanted more structure than was given. I was afraid of saying the wrong things and not doing the right things.
Now that I have been in college for almost 5 semesters, I have had a little more experience with what is required for college writing. I also just recently applied to and was accepted to Semester at Sea, a relatively challenging program to get into. And finally, I did an exclusive interview with Keuka College’s own, John Cokefair, Assistant Director of Admissions Counseling.
Here, I will show you examples of a desirable essay and a poor essay. I will share what I have learned, and I will outline the advice that John gave me. So for all of you stressing over that admission essay, this is the post for you!
Refining Your College Search: Finding Variety
Seniors, our last blog post focused on searching for degree options at potential colleges. This next blog focuses on the benefits of applying to a variety of different types of colleges, including private schools and state universities and community colleges; large and small schools; school close to home and much farther away; and schools that you feel comfortable about being accepted to, and some schools that are more of a stretch.
My first visit to Keuka College, Spring Open House 2008, a kid asked about the size of classes, and when he was told that classes are usually small, so it’s hard to blend in, he responded that he would rather just lay back and go unnoticed. The response was, “Well, then this probably isn’t the school for you.” At the time, I was mainly concerned with whether or not Organizational Communication was right for me, if I so chose to go to Keuka. So when we were talking to majors and professors about the benefits of the major, I was a little thrown off by the turn of conversation. It made me consider something I hadn’t before: I had always been comfortable in a small setting—I always raised my hand and shared my two cents in high school—but what about other people? Furthermore, I had never really considered the implications of attending a much larger school: Would I get the attention I needed? Would the large population make it hard for me to stand out? Would I be comfortable in a lecture hall class?
These are all important questions to ask, and because there are so many different types of colleges you could attend, it is important to consider the benefits and setbacks of each, and to apply to a good variety of these schools to keep your options open.
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Refining Your College Search: Major Selection
High school seniors, our last blog discussed tips to help you finish your senior year and begin preparing for college. This time around, our hope is more specifically to help you figure out precisely which colleges to apply to (that’s always the hardest part). One of the most important things that you will need is options. Believe it or not, at least 50% of undergraduates change their majors at least once before graduation (msn.com; psu.edu; purdue.edu). I can attest to that.
So how do these options factor into your college selection? Your potential career should have plenty of flexibility, so any college you choose should have several majors that will fit your needs.
