Holiday break

Hey all - Just an fyi that we're going to take a little break from the blog for the holiday season. Here at UWEC it's finals week, and students are preparing to head home for the holidays. Some are taking a longer break in-between semesters and some are coming back for a Winterim class.

As for me, I'm visiting my folks in New York for a few days and then hanging out at home for part of the vacation. So, it may be the first of year before I'm back online.

For those of you who submitted scholarship applications for December, the committee is meeting today to do some initial awarding. We hope to get answers back to you soon but it may be after the holidays.

For those of you still waiting to hear your admissions decision, we are plowing through your applications. I just signed a bunch more admissions letters today. Yay!

And for those of you who haven't applied yet? What are you waiting for???:)

Happy Holidays!

Kris

New Major

Hi Everyone - Well, it's official. We now have a new major here at UWEC. It's a major in Materials Science. So......what does that mean? Well, I'll attach a few links for you to check out, but essentially it's the science of stuff, of everything "material." Nanotechnology is one branch of it but not the only part. This major is interdisciplinary, and the bulk of the classes come from our chemistry and physics departments. And, of course, those majors always have cool toys for students to use...our science labs have some of the best instrumentation in the country. What can students do with it? It has a lot of potential for jobs in various industries.

Check out more here:

http://www.uwec.edu/matsci/index.htm
http://www.uwec.edu/newsreleases/08/dec/1205newmajorapproved_MM.htm
http://www.uwec.edu/matsci/UWEC_MSC.pdf

Happy Friday.
Kris

Senior slide

Hi Everyone. This message is specifically for high school seniors:

Don't let your senior grades look like this photo!

Unfortunately, the senior slide is a frequent event, in some cases equaling avalanche proportions. Here's how to avoid it:

1. Any student athletes or musicians out there? Well, preparing for college is a lot like preparing for a game or concert. Taking your senior year off, or putting in just enough effort to get by, will make your freshman year that much harder....just like taking time off from practicing means your skills will be weak when it's game time.

2. We know your senior year is full of activities and distractions, but make it worthwhile. Think beyond the short-term, and if you feel yourself getting burned out or bored, get with some friends for a study session and then reward yourself with some fun time. Talk to your teachers about making up assignments before they come and find you! It will pay off in your midterm and final grades.

3. This is the lecture part. Remember that your admission is contingent on successfully completing your senior year. When you were admitted, you listed the senior classes you were taking as well. You cannot now drop those classes without asking us. Similarly, you will submit a final high school transcript after graduation showing your senior grades. And it's not like we won't notice! Students whose grades are poor risk being placed on academic warning or having their admission rescinded (uh, that means denied).

4. So, finish strong! If you feel the slide coming, get on that ski lift and work your way back to the top of the mountain. Don't let the avalanche bury you. Your success is in your hands.

Kris

my so-called life

Ever wonder what an admissions director does? What a typical day is like? Yeah, probably not. Well, I'm going to tell you anyway because it's all about me:). I'm not sure today was typical but it sure felt busy and somewhat random.

8:00 - arrive at work and walk from parking lot. Brr, it got cold quickly. Go get coffee!
8:15 - Start on emails. I have a lot today. It's the time of year when students who are enrolling for spring semester have questions on their residency. I pull their files and investigate their appeals. It takes a looooong time trying to figure out options and respond to their unique situations.
9:00 - talk through denied student situation with high school counselor.
9:15 - Go through my mail, sign various forms. I sign my name a LOT....admission letters, travel reimbursement forms, application fee waivers, special student application residency determinations, staff vacation logs. I think, "Can't this all be electronic?" Some is, some isn't.
10:00 - Meet with father of prospective student and talk through case and options. The dad is very cool, and we have a great conversation.
11:00 - Go to meeting about our computer conversion.
12:00 - lunch. I'm starving. Get potato soup, chips, some juice concoction by Naked. Eat at my desk. That sounds kind of pathetic, doesn't it? I mix it up during the week....sometimes on campus, sometimes off. Sometimes I just want some quiet time, and today is one of those days. I close my office door, let the sun stream in, eat my soup, and check the news headlines.
12:45 - My Associate Director wanders in and we chat over the last of our lunch. We talk about some new ideas on how to recruit international students.
1:00 - Look over some student applications and make decisions on tough calls. I don't see a lot of applications, actually. That might surprise you. When I see an application, it usually means that there are extenuating circumstances that require the director's decision.
1:30 - Another staff member comes in and asks for some advice on a few student cases. We decide to waitlist one student and ask for grades on another. I have 100 admission letters to sign in time for our student worker to come in to mail them, so I sign my name as we talk. We also talk about a few scholarship dollars that are available for spring semester and how to award them.
2:00 - Return voicemail.
2:30-4:30 - Frankly, I have no idea where the time went for these two hours!! I know I talked to a bunch of my staff members who wandered in and out of my office asking questions, looking for ideas/feedback. I get interrupted a lot but that's part of the job, and I like to be available to my staff. I know I answered the phone several times and talked to parents/students. I answered more email and evaluated more applications. I know I talked to our Financial Aid Director. I think I even got up, went over to the student center, and grabbed a Coke at some point...but it's all a blur.

Today was kind of what I call "an office day," where I was able to catch up on things. Yesterday I had meetings for several hours and tomorrow I give presentations to visitors. Every day is different, but they all revolve around students and how we can make our office and campus the best experience possible for our students. Hope that gives you a glimpse of what I do.

Next blog topic: How to avoid the senior slide!

Have a great weekend.

Kris

December 1st deadline extension

Hi Everyone - I understand that the UW System application had bugs this weekend and was down. Many of you were trying to apply by our December 1st priority date. Be assured that we will officially extend it until December 5th to give you time to get your applications in by our first priority date.

Kris