JUNIORS. . . .JUNIORS. . . . JUNIORS JUNIORS JUNIORS

GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP……WHEW!!!

GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP……WHEW!!!

Growing up, I remember hearing our cheerleaders doing this cheer umpteen million times at our football and basketball games and I recall that when they got to your class, the students of that class went crazy! Ahhh, the memories!

 I figured that that was the perfect lead into what I wanted to share with you today…..JUNIORS, that’s right, your time has come.  This is the time for you to get your college selection process underway.  It’s time to start preparing for the ACT; its time to start visiting college campuses and it’s time to make sure that you have all your ducks in a row so that when September hits, you can start getting your applications out to those schools that interest you most!

 1) Most of you will be taking your first ACT here in a few weeks when you take the Praire State Achievement Exam.  For many of you, this will be your first time taking this exam and that can be a scary thought.  However, it’s good that you are getting this opportunity as you can see what you score, then if you desire to take it again to try to improve your score, you have quite a few chances over the summer and early during the 1st semester to take it to try to improve your score.  Also, many schools accept this ACT score as an “official” score so be sure to do your best!

2) This is also the time to actually start visiting college campuses.  Many colleges offer Open Houses, Special Tours, and even Summer Programs just for Juniors.  Take advantage of these opportunites.  Data shows that the campus visit is the #1 factor in the college selection process.  Go on several visits.  Go to different types of schools…..public vs. private, in-state vs. out of state, large vs. small, etc.  There are all sorts of institutions out there, you just need to find the right one for you and the campus visit will be a big help in doing so!

3) Stay on top of your grades.  Something that I don’t think a lot of students realize is that, when you initially apply to college, we are only seeing your first 3 years of grades so if you’re a student who’s struggled during freshman and/or sophmore year, you’ve got some work to do.  Furthermore, colleges love to see students on an upward trend as far as their grades or concerned but a downward slide has the opposite effect.  Keep your grades strong!

4) Start investigating scholarships, financial aid and loans.  Many families haven’t or simply can’t afford to save for their students college expenses.  That’s just the way it is during these economic times.  However, there are still plenty of ways to help you finance a college education.  Scholarships, grants, and LOANS (yea I said it!) What families have to remember is that, this is more than likely the 2nd biggest investment you’ll make, next to purchasing a house, in your lifetime!  With that being said, there is a very real possibility that you’ll have to take out some sort of loans.  If you need them, TAKE THEM.  I haven’t quite figured out why so many families are scared of loans but if that’s whats needed to help your student get a college degree and better their life, I’m just of the mindset that it’s worth it.

Furtermore, there are all kinds of scholarship searches out there to help you identify different types of scholarships you may qualify for.  Our Financial Aid Office has a wonderful scholarhip search on their website - http://www.financialaid.ilstu.edu/scholarships/tips/ I’d encourage you to get on it and start looking around.  You never know what you’ll find and every little bit helps!

Lastly, preparing to apply.  Most institutions have “priority filing periods” so you want to make sure you know when those are.  For example, ours is September 1 - November 15th.  Some are shorter than ours and some are longer.  These dates are important as that is the time when they want you to apply and applying after that could run you into stiffer competition for admission, closed majors, etc.  Get some applications from different schools to look at and see what’s on them.  Look at what’s required for the essay/personal statement.  Use this summer to earn the money for the application fees.  There is a lot you can do between now and the start of your Senior year to prepare yourself for you college selection process.

I hope this has helped.  I just wanted to share a few tips and pointers for the Juniors to help you get ready for this next big step in your life.  Good luck and SPREAD THE RED!!!!

I have officially been back from spring break for 8 days now, and I am just now writing a new blog!  I can hear some of you readers out there wondering, “Aren’t you embarrassed?”  I am.

It is certainly is not that I haven’t been writing because my spring break wasn’t eventful or exciting because by all means, it was!  It all began on Friday, March 6, when 4 of us ISU students and 2 adults piled into a 15-passenger van ready for the long haul down to Matamoros, Mexico.  Yes, long drive.  Thankfully we did make several stops along the way.  One of which included picking up 5 students and 1 adult from SIU (yes…the home of the Suzukis…er…I mean…Salukis!).  We spent the night in a couple of churches, so as to give our drivers a good night’s rest which is always good.  I’m much more inclined to have them set a real alarm clock than use the “trucker’s alarm clocks” along the side of the road (a.k.a. rumble strips)!  After 3 days filled with 24 hours of driving, we finally arrived in Mexico.  Hooray! 

Once we arrived and had gone through our orientation, we settled in to our hotel in Mexico.  Not too shabby.  We had running water which was definitely a plus!  The toilets didn’t always function properly, but hey, they don’t always do that in the States either.  Merely to have a toilet was an unbelievable luxury compared to the conditions that the people were living in where we worked every day.  We were working with the poorest of the poor.  Many of the people were living in a squatter’s camp which means that they didn’t even have enough money to put a down payment on land let alone money to buy supplies to build a house.  Most of the houses in the area were no bigger than a king size bed and were made mainly constructed of cardboard and plywood.  Although the house we built for Maria del Carmen and Jose and their two children Luis Angel and Mauricio was nothing more than a glorified shed by our American standards, it was mansion in their eyes. 

 This trip was life-changing.  I know that sounds cliche.  But, honestly, I am changed.  I am changed on the surface-level in that I have new friends!  I can’t tell you how much serving with others builds strong relationships.  When you work together on something like building a house, you have to become one body functioning in harmony in order to function at your highest potential and be successful.  In the next couple of weeks, all nine of us are going to be getting together for a little reunion.  I can’t wait!  But, deeper than that, my perspective on why I serve others has changed.  Ultimately, it is more than just doing something nice for someone else because it makes me feel good or feel like I have accomplished something great.  I am realizing now that as a Christian I cannot truly claim to love God and love people unless my heart breaks for them and I give up my own life in service to them.  Powerful! 

Basically, college is amazing!  It really is an awesome time of life where you can discover so much about who you are as a person.  And, of course, the breaks are great too!  My dad always jokes about how he doesn’t understand how he can be paying this much money for college when it is rarely in session!  Believe me, I feel like I am in school enough!  But, that makes the 10-day Thanksgiving break, month-long Christmas break, and 10-day spring break that much sweeter. :)  I guess this blog is an encouragement for you guys to strongly consider spending at least one of your breaks to serve somewhere whether it is with the Alternative Breaks program, Students Today Leaders Forever’s Pay It Forward Tour, or with a campus ministry.  I couldn’t imagine a better way to have spent my spring break or my life!

I have attached a link for 2 pictures.  One of their original house, and one of us finishing putting the roof on the their new house!

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“What should I bring” is one of those questions that has nothing short of a million answers. You should definitely bring clothing. And some notebooks. A computer is necessary. In my opinion, you don’t need a whole lot of food if you’re living in the residence halls. I’ve managed to get through this year on no more than two boxes of granola bars (if you panic though, there are always vending machines). Bring quarters for laundry, or else you’ll be the smelly kid on your floor. That’s important. Speaking of things that smell, bring a garbage can. And an air freshener (Febreeze if you want to wear your clothing more than once).

I could go on, but I think it might be easier to compile a list of the things that people oft forget. For example, frames and pictures are important for discussions like how much you miss your family pet. Other things like cellphone chargers always get forgotten at home no matter how many times you’ve written down to remember it. Bring some cash, thought if your dad is anything like mine, he’ll slip you a twenty in a handshake as you’re saying goodbye.

Move-in is still months away, but it’s better and worse than you’ll expect. Better in the sense that there’s a fair amount of help on hand from other students and Housing personnel. Worse in the sense that there are more people and broken mirrors than you’d ever expect. In my opinion, it’s every man for himself during move-in. If Grandma or your 4 year-old little brother can’t lift 50lbs then leave them at home and videochat them later. Oh, and to specify, if you’re superstitious, don’t bring mirrors to move-in, especially those cheap mirrors–they fall, shatter, get crushed, etc..

Alright, I don’t know why I’m talking about move-in. Maybe I’m just looking forward to the warmer months.

Drop me a line if you want to know more about the residence halls or move-in

Coming from a small town I am used to having only one town library, one fire station, and one high school.   I am used to having a town square with a courthouse in the middle.  I am used to walking into Walmart or any restaurant in town and knowing at least 15 people in there.  I am used to being able to look at anyone’s license plate and know who it is and their family’s history.  I am used to having farms everywhere and even having a “truck farm “with trucks literally coming out of the ground.  I have grown accustomed to this place.  

However, this weekend all of that changed for me.  I took four of my friends who are from the suburbs down to my hometown.  My friends could not believe it when we walked in to the restaurant for lunch on Sunday, and I said hello to almost everyone in the restaurant.  They didn’t realize that it was possible for family names to be so ingrained in a small town society.  They were flabbergasted as we drove in town past the car dealership that there were trucks “growing” out of the ground; we even had to get out and take pictures with them!  They had never seen a town library, courthouse, firehouse, etc. 

I loved giving them the tour of my town.  A certain pride filled my bones as they oohed and ahhed over things that I had long forgotten or not appreciated.  In fact, I remember so many of my friends in high school just begging to get out of our little town because “there’s nothing to do.”  But, I just wonder if perhaps they’d grown too accustomed to the place.  Sorry for all of the mushy, small town talk. :)  I guess I am just feeling a little sentimental.  Anyway, just appreciate where you are now.  Don’t overlook the good things you have, and don’t wish them away too quickly.  You just might miss them.