from the other side of the desk

Happy Trails

2010-05-17T13:17:00.000-05:00

Hey All - Well, our numbers look good, and we're ready to put this class to bed. So, I'm gonna hop on my horse and ride it into the sunset....or into another Wyoming vacation, as the case might be. Though, no ranch this time, just Yellowstone.

Soon, the freshman class will be hitting our campus for Orientation in June, and we will start the cycle all over again for the class of 2011. But for now, enjoy the break.

Happy Graduation, everyone!

Kris

May 1

2010-04-30T11:03:00.001-05:00

May 1 is the date that all colleges and universities aim for. It is the day that students need to tell us their intentions on enrolling....either, "Yay, I'm coming in the fall," or "Sorry about that, but I am headed somewhere else." Although we do our best trying to predict what an 18-year old is going to do, it is hard.

Our year this year looks good but there are still a lot of unknowns. Will the economy mean that students might live at home and commute at higher numbers? I know I have received a few phone calls to that effect in the past few days. Will our competitors take more students off their waitlists? Will financial aid come through in the amount students expect? All of these factors come into play this time of year. For me, I'll know more on Monday when I get a report on cancellations.

Ultimately, I hope students make the best decision for themselves and make it based on the priorities that are important to them. But in the meantime, we all wait.....

Kris

safety first

2010-04-20T15:55:00.002-05:00

Hi All - As I was listening to NPR on the drive in to work this morning, I was reminded that today is the anniversary of the Columbine shootings. Although Columbine sticks in many of our minds, the sad fact is that violence in schools is not a new phenomenon - in fact, the deadliest school violence occurred in 1927 in Bath, Michigan when a bombing left 45 people dead.

We are asked about campus safety frequently when talking to prospective students and parents. They are not necessarily interested in crime statistics - although some are - but rather are asking the basic question of whether their daughter or son will be safe.

Last year, I served on a campus working group called the Emergency Response Team. The ERT has been testing and implementing a variety of protocols in case of a campus emergency. So far, we are finding that a combination of both high-tech and low-tech methods are effective in alerting the campus community to any kind of emergency - weather, human, etc. For example, we now have cell phones registered to send text messages; Voice over Internet Protocol phones which can display an alarm; an emergency screen that displays on our computers; loudspeakers in all buildings; and emergency messages that can be piped through our fire alarm system. For more information: http://emergency.uwec.edu/

Our campus police http://www.uwec.edu/police/index.htm works in tandem with the larger Eau Claire city police to respond to various emergencies and then, of course, less serious campus issues. Our campus has emergency phone in parking lots, an escort service for late-night walking assistance, locked residence halls, and lots of programming for safe choices regarding alcohol use and sexual encounters.

It's next to impossible to prepare for or prevent every random possibility. And we all need to use common sense as individuals. But I hope parents and students know that we take their safety very seriously and want the next 4 years of their lives to be healthy, challenging, productive, and safe ones.

Kris

April Fools - well, in a week....

2010-03-26T13:23:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday, Everyone!

It's one more week until crunch month in our office. April is the month where everything comes together. Students get financial aid/scholarship notifications, come back to visit campus, sign up for Orientation, and ultimately, make the final decision whether or not to attend. It keeps us on pins and needles sometimes...particularly this year with the economy making our predictions less certain.

Usually, an office like ours has years and years of statistical models that are pretty accurate in predicting how many of our admitted students will actually enroll. And here you all thought you were individuals with free will;-). We take into account tuition deposits, housing deposits, Orientation sign ups, what our competition is doing, etc. And usually, we're accurate with our predictions. One year, we were off by only one student! :) This year? Sheesh. I don't know. Some indications suggest we're right on target and some say we might have fewer/more freshmen than we thought. It all depends on what is important to our families right now.

Potentially, with the economy being dicey, maybe students will stick closer to home so they can commute and save money. But maybe not. Maybe with our scholarship offers being down, some students may choose to go elsewhere where they have been offered one. But maybe not. It's kind of like doing your NCAA brackets...always a surprise or two.

What I am confident about is that we will have a great class. I have talked to many of you, and you are bright and full of passion, eager to start this exciting journey. And we are excited to welcome you. How many of you will there be this fall? Between 1900-2000 freshmen and 500-600 transfers. I'll know more after April......or May......or June.....:)

Cheers,
Kris

March Madness

2010-03-05T15:16:00.002-06:00

Hey there. It has been a great sunny week here in Eau Claire, but wow is it crazy.

Almost everyone who was on our postponed list knows their admissions decision. Unfortunately, we did not take a lot of them. We are also almost done with freshman scholarships and will notifiy students of their awards soon.We also are gearing up for our Preview Day in two weeks. It's almost full with about 300 people attending but there is still room if you haven't signed up yet. It should be a great day.

Lastly, the results are in from the UWEC mascot poll. See the story here: http://www.uwec.edu/newsreleases/10/mar/0305MascotSurvey.htm

Keeping this short this time.
Ciao.
Kris

Amazing applications

2010-02-19T14:43:00.002-06:00

Hi Group - Well, we finished reviewing all of our scholarship applications last week and are working on notifying students. We read some amazing applications and essays. You all lead really busy, interesting lives. Many of you are super involved, excelling in academics, athletics, music, and community service. A lot of you work to help support yourself and family. Some of you have a lot of breadth in activities - doing everything - and some of you have tremendous depth - doing one or two things for a really long time.

A lot of you wrote about President Obama and how much he has inspired you. A lot of you also wrote about the challenges of technology and how young people communicate (or don't!):). You want to solve poverty and discrimination.

A few essays I read really stand out. Usually they are either ones that made me laugh out loud because your writing was so insightful or they are ones that revealed experiences you've encountered from which you have grown. One of you wrote about your experience coming out in high school and the challenges that gays and lesbians encounter. I was incredibly impressed at the sensitivity, self reflection, and intelligence of your writing. Another of you wanted to invent a very cool time device to help swimmers judge their time.

We wish there were scholarships for ALL of you! But even if not, I am happy that our country's future is in your hands.

Kris

Money Money Money

2010-02-08T16:50:00.002-06:00

Happy February Everyone! The subject of this post is money!

Now, I know a lot of students are going to yawn but stay awake cuz it's your future here we're talking about.

Devoted readers of my blog - I know you're out there - will remember my post on scholarship essay tips. Oh, you didn't see it? Well, check the archives. This is the month that we'll be doing a lot of scholarship awards. We will be busy reading your essays, looking at your grades, your involvement, special circumstances, etc. Some scholarships won't be awarded until later in the year, after we have seen financial aid information.

Speaking of........this is the time of year when you and your family members should begin filling out the FAFSA.....Free Application for Federal Student Aid. See the word FREE? There is no application fee for this document, so do it! Your school guidance offices will have info or just google it. Ideally, you should have your family taxes done ahead of time. Incentive!!What does this form do? It allows the federal government to assess your financial need, and it allows us - UWEC - to then give you a financial aid award based on that need.

What's a financial aid award? Glad you asked:). It's a potential combination of grants, loans, and work study to help you afford school.When should you do this by? NOW and by March 15th. You can apply anytime, but sooner the better.Is it hard? Not really, just takes some time.Have your family circumstances changed? Then tell us. Tell our Financial Aid Office, and they can help you find options....particularly if a parent has been laid off, lost a job, etc.

What if tuition goes up? Well, it never goes down. It probably will go up, given the economy. But the cost of NOT going to college translates into a million dollars in lost income over the course of your lifetime (US Census Bureau says so).

There is no better investment in yourself!!

And we are here to help.

Kris

February 1 deadline reminder

2010-01-29T10:04:00.001-06:00

February 1st. Freshman application deadline for Fall 2010. If you would like to apply for admission for the Fall 2010 semester, you need to remember to get your application in to us by this date. We may admit students after February 1st, but typically the requirements become much more competitive.

February 1st is also our deadline for freshman scholarship applications. If you are an admitted student in the top 25% of your class with at least a 25 ACT, you are eligible to apply for new student scholarships. Again, make sure to get those in by Feb 1. The pdf is available on our scholarship website: http://www.uwec.edu/Admissions/scholarships/Freshmanscholar.htm

February 15 is also important. If your application was postponed (waitlisted) we asked you to send first semester grades to us by this date if you want to be considered for admission.

So, as you can see, February is a busy month in our office. Between reviewing 700 waitlisted students, reading 500 scholarship apps, and reviewing new freshman applications, we keep busy:).

Remember those dates and get ready for spring. It's coming soon!

Ciao for now.

Kris

random

2010-01-21T15:34:00.002-06:00

random photo that has nothing to do with admissions but everything to do with an awesome vacation.

transferring?

2010-01-15T09:47:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!This is the time of year when we hear from students who want to transfer for the spring semester. On the one hand, it can be normal to have a bit of buyer's remorse during your first year of college, especially during the post-holiday January doldrums. On the other, sometimes you may, indeed, decide that you need something else in a college. If you're in that boat, here are some tips:

1. Especially if you're a freshman, it takes a while to get adjusted to a new life in college....different friends, a new routine, harder classes. Give yourself time to make your mark. We often hear from students who have gone home over the break, have talked to their friends, and now want to transfer here for spring semester. Although we'd love to have them, we want them to make a good decision, not a hasty one.

2. If you do find that you want to transfer schools, plan ahead. Every admissions office will have a professional staff member who works with transfer students. Call or email them. They can give you great advice about classes to take, deadlines to meet, etc.

3. The admissions decision is often based on a combination of your high school record and test scores and your GPA in your college classes. The more college credits you have, the less important your high school record is, and vice versa.

4. Will your credits count??? Usually, but there are some important notes. If you are at a technical school or an unaccredited school, sometimes those credits won't. Again, call the admissions office at the school you want to go TO for more info on what they accept. If you are planning at least a semester in advance, that's a good thing because you can then plan to take the right classes for your new school.

There's no shame in changing your mind on which school fits you best. We enroll over 500 new transfer students each fall. Some want to be closer to home, some have discovered they want a different major, and some started at a two-year school first. Over half of all college graduates nowadays have attended at least two different institutions. Some (most) of you will find your perfect fit right away and stay at your school all four years. If you don't, first give it time. Don't give up on your school too quickly. But if you want to change, we can help you.

Good luck!
Kris

Holiday break

2009-12-18T13:20:00.002-06:00

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 hanging out at home for part of the vacation and then heading to see Mickey Mouse. So, it may be the second week of January before I'm back online.

For those of you who submitted scholarship applications for December, the committee met 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 and Happy New Year, everyone.

Kris

Senior sliiiiide

2009-12-03T15:10:00.004-06:00

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 epic proportions or even starting in the junior year. 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, don't let it carry you away. Your success is in your hands.

Kris

my so called life

2009-11-19T15:56:00.002-06:00

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 this blog is 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. I meet a friend and go to our Thanksgiving buffet at The Dulany in the student center.
12:45 - My Associate Director wanders in and we chat 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 and Thanksgiving.

Kris

great SAT video

2009-11-17T18:00:00.002-06:00

Hey All - This video was done by a high school in NY where the SAT is prevalent. Just insert ACT in your mind, and you get the gist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V8ljlj9maI

What if you are waitlisted?

2009-10-30T14:52:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday! It's been a good week in our office. We finished up two days of large visit days, and even though the weather was sketchy, we had a great time welcoming our visitors. We are getting through our applications pretty quickly, but there's always a group of students whose decisions we need to "postpone." And they always call wondering what it means to them. So, this post is for you. I hope after you read it you'll understand how we evaluate our postponed students.

Our postponed list isn't technically a waitlist, but you can kind of think of it that way. See, the deal is that UWEC receives over 8,000 applications for our freshman class of 2000. We just don't have room to admit everyone, and we often need to turn away some really good students. So, this is what we tell some students who are close to meeting our guidelines: Let's see a new ACT/SAT if that's the issue (it often is) and let's see your grades from the first half of your senior year. Then when we know how much room we have left in the freshman class, and you've had one more semester under your belt to build a case, we'll get back together with an admissions decision.Then in late February, we look through all the applications again, see who sent grades, and then make decisions depending on how much room we have.

Now, let me be real about numbers....last year, we had roughly 900 students in that boat, and we admitted about 100. The year before that, we had 700, and we admitted 50. So, it really varies. I have no idea what it will look like for 2010. Too early to tell. So, what should YOU do if you're on the waitlist??

a. If you only took the ACT once, try it again. Often you'll see your scores go up.

b. Make sure your senior year classes are solid. Rigor of senior year is one of the most important factors we look for. Electives are fine, but we prefer to see English, social studies, science, math, and foreign language classes.

c. Make sure you're doing WELL in your senior classes. Senior slide is rampant. Showing us poor grades will send a powerful message to us that you're not ready for college. On the other hand, if you're really rocking in your classes, that increases your chances of coming off the list.

d. Make sure you aren't dropping any of your classes. This goes for admitted students, too!!:)

e. Keep in touch with us. Don't sit back and wait for something to happen. Send us an email telling us about how you're doing this year. Give us a call (you, not your parent) to talk through the process and your options. Make sure to send us your grades and follow up with us. We like to hear from you.

f. Think "options," not "admitted/denied." Even if we find we don't have room for freshman year, we can work with you to transfer in. There are always options if you're willing to work with us. Getting waitlisted is disappointing, I know. We really wish we could admit everyone. But we just don't have space for all 8,000 applicants. So, if you are in this position, talk to us. We are happy to walk you through your options.

Have a good weekend, everyone.

Kris

Homecoming Mania

2009-10-21T15:03:00.004-05:00

Hi Everyone - Hope you found Pam's article last week helpful. Next week I will be posting advice for what to do if you are on a waitlist. But for now, here is a fun interlude of Homecoming shots, taken by our campus photographers Bill and Rick. Thanks!!

What is a rigorous class?

2009-10-16T14:44:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone - I am posting a blog entry from a fellow admissions director this month. Pam Harvey-Jacobs from UW - Green Bay has written a great piece on the concept of rigorous classes. I don't think I could have written it any better, and in fact, most of the UW admissions directors have affirmed her post. I think it's a very worthwhile topic. So, thanks, Pam. Here it is:

“Reflections on Rigor” – What Does It Mean, and Why Does It Matter?
I’m continuing to reflect on the topics that were covered during the UW System School Counselors’ Workshops in September. One recurring theme, at least among the messages that the UW Admissions Directors were delivering, was the concept of rigor. I apologize in advance for the length of this post, which I know may be daunting to the reader, but this is a big topic worthy of a big entry.

I believe the directors are in agreement that rigor is a factor when evaluating a student for admission. “Rigor” can be defined in various ways, but I think it’s safe to say that there are elements common to most of our evaluations:
1. the level of challenge of a given class – for instance, AP, IB, “advanced” and “honors” courses would generally be recognized as more rigorous, while courses that are remedial, basic in nature or meant to review/reinforce earlier studies would be recognized as less rigorous. Naturally, there’s a continuum with many courses between the two extremes. Course descriptions can be very instructive when we try to evaluate the rigor/challenge of any given course.
2. the specific discipline of a course – there are five general disciplines that fall into commonly-accepted definitions of “college preparatory” – English, math, science, social studies, and foreign language. These are the disciplines that most directly prepare students for the expectations that will face them in a competitive college environment. College professors expect students (even freshmen) to be able to research and write essays and papers; to gather, synthesize, and present information; to have an understanding of national and international issues and social structures; to be able to use mathematics not only in respect to pure math, but also in relation to disciplines in natural sciences and the social sciences; to have knowledge in the natural sciences that prepare them for college laboratory science courses; and to communicate effectively verbally and in writing. These skills will be necessary for all students, regardless of their eventual major, since all students will devote a significant proportion of their college degree to general education-type requirements.

At this point I think it’s very important to stress that this does NOT mean that we think courses outside of the “college-prep” disciplines are unimportant. Indeed, studies in the fine arts, computers, family and consumer education, business, agriculture, technology, and the like are all very important in defining a well-rounded person, and a well-rounded education. Courses that prepare students for life are important! The UW System reinforces this in its overall admission policy which allows for the inclusion of these courses in campus admission evaluations. Please understand: Students are not penalized for taking these courses! Rather, it would be the absence of core college-prep courses that might reflect negatively in an evaluation.

Rigor in the senior year is especially important. We know that some students will satisfy most graduation requirements prior to their senior year. It may be tempting for them to take a less-challenging schedule during the senior year in an effort to increase/maintain their GPA, or to simply “take a break” after working hard the previous years. This strategy, however, can backfire. Here is an analogy frequently cited by Alan Tuchtenhagen, Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services at UW-River Falls: If you have a student who is a candidate for a college athletic scholarship, is it likely that the student would tell the coach that s/he wants as little challenge as possible during the senior season? No! The student will want to maintain or improve their skills in order to be better prepared for college-level competition. This is exactly what should be happening academically during the senior year – academic conditioning! Students need to be prepared for the academic competition inherent in the college environment, and this means taking a challenging senior schedule.

ACT has also taken a strong stand on high school rigor – on its importance, that is. Please see my October 1 entry, and the links to ACT research, for more details.

A final note on rigor, as it applies to students who begin high school science, math, or foreign language in 8th grade. The purpose (in our minds, at least) for starting high school work in 8th grade is so that the student can go farther in that discipline in high school, not so they can quit sooner. If a student takes algebra in 8th grade, then quits math after algebra 2 in 10th grade, we would not view that as a good thing.

The bottom line is this, in regard to rigor: We are trying to admit university graduates. “Getting in” as a freshman really isn’t the point. Graduating from college IS the point. We’re not trying to make it harder to get into college; we’re trying to make it easier to graduate from college. Expecting and enforcing rigorous high school preparation for college-level study simply makes sense. It is in the student’s best interest to do so. And, ultimately, I think that’s what we all have in mind: the student’s best interest.

Affirmations: Because of broad agreement about the importance of rigor among my UW System Admissions colleagues, I asked them to let me know if they were willing to affirm their agreement with this entry. Those who affirmed this entry are:
UW-Eau Claire - Kris Anderson, Executive Director of Enrollment Services
UW-La Crosse – Kathy Kiefer, Director of Admissions
UW-Madison – Tom Reason, Interim Director of Admissions
UW-Milwaukee – Beth Weckmueller, Executive Director of Enrollment Services
UW-Oshkosh – Jill Endries, Director of Admissions
UW-Parkside – Matthew Jensen, Director of Admissions
UW-River Falls – Alan Tuchtenhagen, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services
UW-Stevens Point – Catherine Glennon, Director of Admissions
UW-Stout – Joel Helms, Assistant Director of Admissions
UW-Superior – Tonya Roth, Director of Admissions

campus visit tips

2009-10-07T09:06:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone - Well, Minnesota National was a blast. We talked to thousands of students from MN and WI. Our booth was on a corner in the UW System aisle, so we had a lot of traffic which was great. I have to remember to order carpet next time because standing on concrete for 4 hours at a stretch was tough!

But now, we're on to hosting visitors. October is really busy. A lot of students have days when they're off from school for teacher conferences, so they hit the college visit trail! By the end of the month, we will have talked to probably 3,000 students and parents about UWEC.
That makes me think that it might be helpful to tell you some tips to getting the most out of your college visit. Here goes:

1. Plan ahead. Since lots of students are out of school at the same time, our visit days fill up quickly. Give a school at least two weeks' notice....that way we can also email you your parking permit, map, etc. No one wants to be late for their tour, fumbling with a map in the car, losing the parking permit, etc.

2. Pick a day when classes are in session. This time of year is great for visiting because campus is hopping. The weather is still good, campus is pretty, students aren't too stressed yet:).

3. Wander around on your own after your official tour. There's nothing like just sitting in the student center and getting a vibe on the campus. Eat the food. Check out the res halls. Read the student newspaper. Visit your academic department. Ask yourself, "Can I see myself here? Do I fit here? Can I thrive here?" Ask your parent/s - nicely, of course - if you could have 30 min to do that on your own. Then you can really get a feel for the place and soak it in.

4. What to wear? You don't have to dress up. Jeans and a sweatshirt are just fine. Of course, don't wear the competition's sweatshirt to a different school, though! That's just goofy:). Wear comfy shoes. Oh, and take off your baseball caps, please!!

5. Ask lots of questions. We really like it when students ask the questions. It's your education, and we love it when you take ownership over it. Sometimes I see students sitting in the presentation room, and their mothers are picking up all the brochures. Come on! I know it can be intimidating to visit a college but we really are nice people and want you to be engaged in this process. After all, you'll be the one in class, right?

6. Write down some notes afterwards. If you're doing a lot of colleges in a short timeframe, they'll begin to blur. Keep a log with your impressions, questions to follow up on. Better yet, take a few pics with your cell phone to jog your memory. (But note to self: only use it for that. I once saw a student texting during the whole campus tour, looking shocked when she ran into things. That is SO high school. lol).

Well, time to go sign a bunch of admission letters. Yup, I sign them myself. Great part of my job...to see who you all are and where you're from.

Kris

college essay tips

2009-09-23T09:40:00.005-05:00

Hi Everyone -I have a little time this Wednesday morning to give you a few tips on your college application essays. I know a lot of you are applying right now and are wondering, "What do they want me to say??"

1. Our "essay" is really an applicant statement. It's your chance to tell us anything you feel is important for us to know about you.

2. Be yourself! Trying to impress will come across fake. Giving us something you think we want to hear won't be genuine. Be candid and be honest. There's no one right answer or perfect statement. You're all unique individuals, so your statements will be as individual as you all are.

3. So......tell us your dreams, your goals. Tell us something we can't already see in your list of activities or on your transcript. Tell us about a particular event that helped shape who you are.

4. Use the chance to explain a life event that may have impacted your academic background. It's not cool to blame your D in Algebra II on having mono or a "bad teacher," but if there are extenuating circumstances you feel we need to know about, please share them with us.

5. Proofread!! And do it with more than just Spellcheck. The extra 5 minutes you spend are worth it. You want to put your best foot forward.

6. Don't submit your latest paper on Macbeth or the Holocaust. We've all written them ourselves, too. We want to know about YOU! Oh, and keep it short. Less is more.

7. Make sure you individualize your statements for each individual campus. (Kinda gets back to that proofreading thing). Telling UWEC about how much you want to go to another school isn't real impressive. LOL.

8. Lastly, relax. Your academics are way more important than your essay to us, so spending 3 hours agonizing over your essay instead of your AP History reading is probably not a good use of your time:)

Good luck!

Check out some photos of our faculty from our new STEM website:

http://www.uwec.edu/Admissions/stem/index.htm

Ciao,

Kris

Ready...set...apply

2009-09-11T13:10:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone -It's Friday afternoon, and I'm preparing for a retreat for our Campus Ambassadors. September 15th is the first official day you can apply to the Wisconsin System campuses, and we'll start evaluating and processing your apps really soon. Every year we hit the same questions, so I thought I'd list some of the most popular ones here:

Q. Who needs letters of recommendation?
A. Letters of rec are not required. However, if you choose to send them, keep in mind that 1 or 2 are more helpful than tons. Also, they are really more helpful for students who are "on the bubble," meaning our postponed list.

Q. Do you require official ACTs?
A. UWEC doesn't require official ACTs for an admissions decision but it is a lot faster for us if you do submit them right from ACT when you take the test. If not, we can take them from your high school transcript if they are listed.

Q. Do you require the writing portion of the ACT?
A. Nope.

Q. Which is better? Taking an AP class and getting a B or taking a regular class and getting an A?A. Taking an AP class AND getting an A:)

I'll keep this short but I'll give you a taste of application numbers this week, and I'll be back with tips on how to make the most of your college visit.

Happy applying!

Kris

They're here

2009-09-08T11:09:00.001-05:00

It is the second full week of classes, and the campus feels vibrant. Check out the Twitter feed story to see some great photos of move in day.

We also are getting applications for Fall 2010 already!! Looks to be a busy fall. Stay tuned.

Kris

Hello Fall, Goodbye Summer

2009-08-27T08:52:00.002-05:00

Welcome to my blog, future Blugolds! My name is Kris Anderson, and I'm the Admissions Director at UW - Eau Claire. OK, actually my title is "Executive Director of Enrollment Services/Director of Admissions," but that seems way too long. Yep, it takes two lines on my email signature file!:)The goal of this blog is to welcome you to the EC community, keep you in the loop of what's going on at UWEC, and to give you a behind the scenes glimpse of what happens when you apply here. Having said that, I'm really open to what you all want to know. What topics would you guys find helpful? Fun? Boring?

Since this is the first post of the season, I'll be brief. But wow, it's been a really busy summer here in our office. Beginning in June, we had probably 120 visitors each day to our campus. Just in July alone, we had 400 more visitors than July of last year! A lot of family vacations! If any of you took a tour, let us know how your visit was. If you haven't visited yet, we have lots of options for you this fall. You can set up all your arrangements here: https://www.uwec.edu/admissions/visit/index.htm

Many of you are also getting ready to apply, and I'll be back with some tips for you soon. You can apply anytime between Sept 15th and December 1st for priority consideration. You will have the chance to check the status of your application via our application status check which is online. You get log in info after you apply.

Our freshmen are getting ready to come to campus on Monday. Yippee!

Check out my profile to learn more about me and tell me about yourself, too.

Back soon,
Kris

Welcome Students!

2009-06-04T12:20:00.002-05:00

Well, this will be my last post of the summer. On Monday, we will start welcoming our 2009 freshman class to UWEC for Orientation. It is an exciting time for them.....selecting classes, meeting roommates, checking out housing assignments. Our transfer students have been registering all along but many of them will sign up over the summer as well.

So, on the one hand, our work as an Admissions Office is done for another year. On the other, we will begin the cycle all over again for the class of 2010. Oh, yeah, and we are converting software systems which will keep us busy. Oh, yeah, and we're renovating and expanding our office. Oh, and we are trying to squeeze in vacations. Oh, yeah, and........and......:)

Best of luck to everyone and enjoy the summer.

Kris

Happy Trails

2009-05-18T16:01:00.002-05:00

Hey All - Well, our numbers look good, and we're ready to put these little dogies to bed. So, I'm gonna hop on my horse and ride it into the sunset....or into another Wyoming vacation, as the case might be.

Soon, the freshman class will be hitting our campus for Orientation in June, and we will start the cycle all over again for the class of 2010. But for now, enjoy the break.

Oh, and if you think you know what a "dogie" is, email me:) or post it.....no googling first.....

Kris

May Day

2009-05-01T08:39:00.002-05:00

safety first

2009-04-20T10:01:00.002-05:00

Hi All - As I was listening to NPR on the drive in to work this morning, I was reminded that this is the anniversary of the Columbine HS shootings. Although Columbine sticks in many of our minds, the sad fact is that violence in schools is not a new phenomenon - in fact, the deadliest school violence occurred in 1927 in Bath, Michigan when a bombing left 45 people dead.

We are asked about campus safety frequently when talking to prospective students and parents. They are not necessarily interested in crime statistics - although some are - but rather are asking the basic question of whether their daughter or son will be safe.

I serve on a campus working group called the Emergency Response Team. The ERT has been testing and implementing a variety of protocols in case of a campus emergency. So far, we are finding that a combination of both high-tech and low-tech methods are effective in alerting the campus community to any kind of emergency - weather, human, etc. For example, we now have cell phones registered to send text messages; Voice over Internet Protocol phones which can display an alarm; an emergency screen that displays on our computers; loudspeakers in all buildings; and emergency messages that can be piped through our fire alarm system. For more information: http://emergency.uwec.edu/

Our campus police http://www.uwec.edu/police/index.htm works in tandem with the larger Eau Claire city police to respond to various emergencies and then, of course, less serious campus issues. Our campus has emergency phone in parking lots, an escort service for late-night walking assistance, locked residence halls, and lots of programming for safe choices regarding alcohol use and sexual encounters.

It's next to impossible to prepare for or prevent every random possibility. And we all need to use common sense as individuals. But I hope parents and students know that we take their safety very seriously and want the next 4 years of their lives to be healthy, challenging, productive, and safe ones.

Kris

April showers bring May flowers...or do they?

2009-04-06T10:14:00.003-05:00

Happy Monday, Everyone!

It's crunch month here in our office. April is the month where everything comes together. Students get financial aid/scholarship notifications, come back to visit campus, sign up for Orientation, and ultimately, make the final decision whether or not to attend. It keeps us on pins and needles sometimes...particularly this year with the economy making our predictions less certain.

Usually, an office like ours has years and years of statistical models that are pretty accurate in predicting how many of our admitted students will actually enroll. And here you all thought you were individuals with free will;-). We take into account tuition deposits, housing deposits, Orientation sign ups, what our competition is doing, etc. And usually, we're accurate with our predictions. One year, we were off by only one! :) This year? Sheesh. I don't know. Some indications suggest we're right on target and some say we might have more freshmen than we thought. It all depends on what is important to our families right now.

Potentially, with the economy being dicey, maybe students will stick closer to home so they can commute and save money. But maybe not. Maybe with our scholarship offers being down, some students may choose to go elsewhere where they have been offered one. But maybe not. It's kind of like doing your NCAA brackets...always a surprise or two.

What I am confident about is that we will have a great class. I have talked to many of you, and you are bright and full of passion, eager to start this exciting journey. And we are excited to welcome you. How many of you will there be this fall? Between 2000-2100 freshmen and 500-600 transfers. I'll know more after April......or May......or June.....:)

Kris

Spring Break

2009-03-16T10:36:00.003-05:00

Spring Break on campus today, and it's supposed to be in the low 60s! Yay! It's quiet, and our office is catching up on paperwork and reading and general office work. We love students but it's also nice to have a little breathing room.

Some of our counselors are on the road this week....there's a swing of college fairs in Minnesota that we will attend so some of you folks in the Twin Cities may see them. Come out and say hello.

Our current students are doing all kinds of things for spring break. Many are enjoying some R&R but many are taking advantage of travel. Our women's concert chorale is in South Africa, for example. And softball and tennis are in Arizona and Florida, respectively, getting ready for their seasons. Oh, and we have another national champion in the men's weight throw at the DIII track and field championships. Congrats to Sam!

For you seniors, remember:

- File for financial aid if you haven't already
- Take placement exams
- Sign up for Orientation date on March 3oth

Enjoy the break.....

Kris

March Madness

2009-03-03T14:17:00.002-06:00

Hey there. On a personal note, I just returned from a little R&R in sunny Florida. The Gulf Coast was amazing, and it was great to soak in the sun. I left the morning of the big snowstorm up here and came back when it was raining in Florida.....my timing was perfect:).

I also came back to March madness around here. Almost everyone who was on our postponed list knows their admissions decision. Unfortunately, we did not take a lot of them. We are also almost done with freshman scholarships and notifying students of their awards.

We also are gearing up for our Preview Day on Friday. It's almost full with about 300 people attending. It should be a great day.

Some random campus news: women's basketball is headed for NCAA postseason and we have a new site determined for our new student center, due to open 2012. Check out both stories on the homepage: http://www.uwec.edu/

Keeping this short this time.

Ciao.
Kris

Amazing applications

2009-02-16T09:26:00.002-06:00

Hi Group - Well, we finished reviewing all of our scholarship applications last week and are working on notifying students. We read some amazing applications and essays. You all lead really busy, interesting lives. Many of you are super involved, excelling in academics, athletics, music, and community service. A lot of you work to help support yourself and family. Some of you have a lot of breadth in activities - doing everything - and some of you have tremendous depth - doing one or two things for a really long time.

A lot of you wrote about President Obama and how much he has inspired you. A lot of you also wrote about the challenges of technology and how young people communicate (or don't!):). You want to solve poverty and discrimination.

A few essays I read really stand out. Usually they are either ones that made me laugh out loud because your writing was so insightful or they are ones that revealed experiences you've encountered from which you have grown.

One of you wrote about your experience in high school becoming a young father and the double standard in how you and your girlfriend were treated. I was incredibly impressed at the sensitivity, self reflection, and intelligence of your writing. Another of you wrote about being displaced from a natural disaster and how you came to become interested in UWEC through contact with our students who were doing service projects in your area. And yet another of you wrote about your experience in working with service dogs for the disabled and how much joy it gave you to be a part of that community.

We wish there were scholarships for ALL of you! But even if not, I am happy that our country's future is in your hands.

Kris

Money Money

2009-02-05T08:26:00.002-06:00

Happy February Everyone!

The subject of this post is money! Now, I know a lot of students are going to yawn but stay awake cuz it's your future here we're talking about.

Devoted readers of my blog - I know you're out there - will remember my post on scholarship essay tips. Oh, you didn't see it? Well, check the archives. This is the month that we'll be doing a lot of scholarship awards. We will be busy reading your essays, looking at your grades, your involvement, special circumstances, etc. Some scholarships won't be awarded until later in the year, after we have seen financial aid information.

Speaking of........this is the time of year when you and your family members should begin filling out the FAFSA.....Free Application for Federal Student Aid. See the word FREE? There is no application fee for this document, so do it! Your school guidance offices will have info or just google it. Ideally, you should have your family taxes done ahead of time. Incentive!!

What does this form do? It allows the federal government to assess your financial need, and it allows us - UWEC - to then give you a financial aid award based on that need. What's a financial aid award? Glad you asked:). It's a potential combination of grants, loans, and work study to help you afford school.

When should you do this by? NOW and by March 15th. You can apply anytime, but sooner the better.

Is it hard? Not really, just takes some time.

Have your family circumstances changed? Then tell us. Tell our Financial Aid Office, and they can help you find options....particularly if a parent has been laid off, lost a job, etc.

What if tuition goes up? Well, it never goes down. It probably will go up, given the economy. But the cost of NOT going to college translates into a million dollars in lost income over the course of your lifetime (US Census Bureau says so). There is no better investment in yourself!!

And we are here to help!

Kris

February 1 deadline

2009-01-21T20:14:00.004-06:00

February 1st. Freshman application deadline for Fall 2009. If you would like to apply for admission for the Fall 2009 semester, you need to remember to get your application in to us by this date. We may admit students after February 1st, but typically the requirements become much more competitive.

February 1st is also our deadline for freshman scholarship applications. If you are an admitted student in the top 25% of your class with at least a 25 ACT, you were sent a postcard telling you about the online application available. Again, make sure to get those in by Feb 1.

February 15 is also important. If your application was postponed (waitlisted) we asked you to send first semester grades to us by this date if you want to be considered for admission.

So, as you can see, February is a busy month in our office. Between reviewing 700 waitlisted students, reading 500 scholarship apps, and reviewing new freshman applications, we keep busy:).

Remember those dates and get ready for spring. It's coming soon!

Ciao for now.
Kris

Brrrrr

2009-01-15T08:21:00.003-06:00

It's a cold day here in Eau Claire. Minus 20 this morning and worse forecasted for tomorrow. Local schools are closed. But we have hardy visitors all scheduled for tomorrow.

So, what goes on in an Admissions Office in between semesters? Well, we're still catching up from the holidays. A lot of applications were submitted and between vacations, December ACT scores beint sent, and new applications, we're swamped. Hang in there if you haven't heard from us. We should be catching up this week.

We're also wrapping up applications for the spring term. All applications - freshmen and transfers - need to be complete by Friday in order for us to get students ready for the spring semester...seems premature to call it "spring" when it's -20, huh? LOL.

We're doing a fair bit of freshman recruiting....chats, newsletters, factsheets, publication review. Just because we're not traveling doesn't mean we can't keep in touch.

For me, I'm working on various reports that are due by the end of the month. There's a lot of exciting stuff happening on campus but it's also a lot of work. We're also working on our software conversion, which is busybusybusy.

So, even in the dead of winter, there's a lot going on here. But we're ready to start seeing buds on the trees......anytime now......:)

Cheers,

Kris

Exciting news

2009-01-08T13:12:00.003-06:00

Hi All - I usually reserve this blog for behind-the-scenes info on admissions and not a way of promoting UWEC. But this news is too good. The Princeton Review named us a top 100 Best Value of colleges/universities in the US.....the ONLY school in Wisconsin. In this economy, your college choice is even more important. Check it out: http://www.uwec.edu/newsreleases/09/jan/0108PrincetonReview09.htm

Yay:)

Kris

Transferring?

2009-01-07T08:28:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!

This is the time of year when we hear from students who want to transfer for the spring semester. On the one hand, it can be normal to have a bit of buyer's remorse during your first year of college, especially during the post-holiday January doldrums. On the other, sometimes you may, indeed, decide that you need something else in a college. If you're in that boat, here are some tips:

1. Especially if you're a freshman, it takes a while to get adjusted to a new life in college....different friends, a new routine, harder classes. Give yourself time to make your mark. We often hear from students who have gone home over the break, have talked to their friends, and now want to transfer here for spring semester. Although we'd love to have them, we want them to make a good decision, not a hasty one.
2. If you do find that you want to transfer schools, plan ahead. Every admissions office will have a professional staff member who works with transfer students. Call or email them. They can give you great advice about classes to take, deadlines to meet, etc.
3. The admissions decision is often based on a combination of your high school record and test scores and your GPA in your college classes. The more college credits you have, the less important your high school record is, and vice versa.
4. Will your credits count??? Usually, but there are some important notes. If you are at a technical school or an unaccredited school, sometimes those credits won't. Again, call the admissions office at the school you want to go TO for more info on what they accept. If you are planning at least a semester in advance, that's a good thing because you can then plan to take the right classes for your new school.

There's no shame in changing your mind on which school fits you best. We enroll over 500 new transfer students each fall. Some want to be closer to home, some have discovered they want a different major, and some started at a two-year school first. Over half of all college graduates nowadays have attended at least two different institutions. Some (most) of you will find your perfect fit right away and stay at your school all four years. If you don't, first give it time. Don't give up on your school too quickly. But if you want to change, we can help you.

Good luck!

Kris

Holiday break

2008-12-17T11:02:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-12T08:46:00.002-06:00

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

2008-12-08T10:18:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-04T21:30:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-01T08:26:00.002-06:00

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

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T08:48:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone. Just wishing you a great holiday. I plan to take a couple days off, too.

For those of you who still haven't applied for admission, remember that December 1st is our first priority date. We will try very hard to get through all the complete applications submitted by that date and get responses back to you in a timely way. For applications submitted after December 1st, I will first crunch some numbers to see where we are for the freshman class. Then we'll get to work evaluating those applications on a space available basis. I'm thinking we'll still have room but borderline cases might be put on a waitlist for a while. We'll have to see. I'll let you all know later in December.

For now, go eat lots of turkey!:) For me, I'm headed off to a hockey game.

Cheers,
Kris

What's a Blugold?

2008-11-18T08:12:00.004-06:00

Does UWEC need a mascot? A common question we get is, "What's a Blugold?" Blue and gold are our school colors, but there isn't a mascot attached to that concept.....no dancing mammal at basketball games. But after a recent survey, a majority of students and alumni think we do need a mascot to add to school spirit. What do you think?

Check out the news story and add your comments. Oh, yeah, I'll be back with admissions info soon. But, hey, this is a hot topic!

http://www.uwec.edu/newsreleases/08/nov/1117mascotsurvey.htm

Kris

November flurries

2008-11-12T13:36:00.003-06:00

Hi Group - Wow, it's been almost two weeks since I last posted. In that time period, we had another busy Saturday visit and elected a new president! No wonder the time flew by.

I don't have much to post on this time because we're just working on getting through as many of your applications as we can. The bulk of our big visit days are done, so now we shift into hosting some online chats and Students Calling Students. We have our Campus Ambassadors call our admitted students to chat, get connected, and answer questions. Last night, one of our students talked to a mother for 55 minutes! Was a great conversation, and she had a lot of questions. Happy to help!!

A couple dates to keep in mind:

Most of our scholarships applications aren't due until February 1st but our Blugold Fellowship deadline is December 1st. If the idea of working with a faculty member on research appeals to you, this is a great scholarship. It's available for students in the top 25% of their class with at least a 25 ACT. Most info on scholarships is here: http://www.uwec.edu/admissions/scholarships/

Speaking of money - College Goal Sunday is February 22nd at 2:00 in Eau Claire. Financial aid experts will help you fill out the FAFSA - the federal financial aid form. It's a nationwide event, so check out the locations in your home area at http://www.wicollegegoalsunday.org/ (this site is for WI, obviously:-).

And speaking of elections, here are a couple pics from what our campus looked like last week....

Later,

Kris

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T14:37:00.002-05:00

Hi All - We are wrapping up one of our last big visit days of the season. For the past two days, much of the state of Wisconsin had off from school, so we had roughly 500 visitors each of these days. Luckily, it was 65 degrees yesterday and equally nice today. It was a great day for students to be visiting us.

Because it's close to election time, our campus mall is filled with political signs of every variety...national candidates, local candidates, etc. Whatever stereotypes society pushes about an apathetic student generation do not hold true here! During the 2004 presidential election, the line to vote was so long that extra voting machines had to be brought in. I anticipate the same will be true this time.

If YOU are politically minded, check out the websites for our student organizations....
http://www.uwec.edu/studentorgs/active/show/85
http://www.uwec.edu/studentorgs/active/show/99
http://www.uwec.edu/studentorgs/active/show/246
http://www.uwec.edu/studentorgs/active/show/255

Those organizations are just a few, and the whole list is here:
http://www.uwec.edu/studentorgs/active

Certainly, in looking for a college, you'll want to check out the political environment. Will there be students who share your values? Will there be students who challenge them? Is the culture on campus conducive to civil discourse? Are differing opinions encouraged and honored? It's hard to get a sense of the culture through a brief visit or through surfing one website, so don't make snap judgments. Ultimately, college is what you make of it. But doing your homework ahead of time and asking lots of questions will help you make a good choice.

Enjoy the weekend.

Kris

What if you're waitlisted?

2008-10-24T13:21:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday! It's been a good week in our office. Today, we saw a preview of the new software we'll be using for recruitment next year. It looks great, and it should help us communicate with students more effectively. We also had some school counselors over to campus for lunch on Tuesday. They were here doing a financial aid workshop, so we were able to tag-team with that event and talk to them about our STEM majors (science, technology, engineering and math). And a couple of our counselors are taking off for Milwaukee this weekend for the National College Fair. Check us out if you're in the neighborhood. Finally, here's a shout out to Keith from Ohio!:) Awesome to talk to you this week.

We are getting through our applications pretty quickly, but there's always a group of students whose decisions we need to "postpone." And they always call wondering what it means to them. So, this post is for you. I hope after you read it you'll understand how we evaluate our postponed students.

Our postponed list isn't technically a waitlist, but you can kind of think of it that way. See, the deal is that UWEC receives over 8,000 applications for our freshman class of 2025. We just don't have room to admit everyone, and we often need to turn away some really good students. So, this is what we tell some students who are close to meeting our guidelines: Let's see a new ACT/SAT if that's the issue (it often is) and let's see your grades from the first half of your senior year. Then when we know how much room we have left in the freshman class, and you've had one more semester under your belt to build a case, we'll get back together with an admissions decision.

Then in late February, we look through all the applications again, see who sent grades, and then make decisions depending on how much room we have. Now, let me be real about numbers....last year, we had over 900 students in that boat, and we admitted only 50. It was really tight! The year before that, we had 700, and we admitted 100. So, it really varies. I have no idea what it will look like for 2009. Too early to tell.

So, what should YOU do if you're on the waitlist??

a. If you only took the ACT once, try it again. Often you'll see your scores go up.

b. Make sure your senior year classes are solid. Rigor of senior year is one of the most important factors we look for. Electives are fine, but we prefer to see English, social studies, science, math, and foreign language classes.

c. Make sure you're doing WELL in your senior classes. Senior slide is rampant. Showing us poor grades will send a powerful message to us that you're not ready for college. On the other hand, if you're really rocking in your classes, that increases your chances of coming off the list.

d. Make sure you aren't dropping any of your classes. This goes for admitted students, too!!:)

e. Keep in touch with us. Don't sit back and wait for something to happen. Send us an email telling us about how you're doing this year. Give us a call (you, not your parent) to talk through the process and your options. Make sure to send us your grades and follow up with us. We like to hear from you.

f. Think "options," not admitted/denied. Even if we find we don't have room for freshman year, we can work with you to transfer in. There are always options if you're willing to work with us. Getting waitlisted is a bummer, I know. We really wish we could admit everyone. But we just don't have space for all 8,000 applicants. So, if you are in this position, talk to us. We are happy to walk you through your options.

Have a good weekend, everyone.

Kris

Wow

2008-10-21T10:25:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone - Sorry to be offline but we've been swamped with visitors this week. We have had 5 visit days in one week, seeing almost 2000 people!! It's been awesome. Campus looked great, and the weather was warm. It was a perfect time to show off our beautiful campus.

We had lots of questions from visitors, so let me share the most common one. It revolved around when to apply if you're retaking the ACT this Saturday. Often the question is: "Should I wait to apply and see what my new score is or should I apply now and just update you with the new score?" Bottom line answer: It doesn't matter.

Here's why: We will always take whichever test score is highest. So, if you were unhappy with your score and are retaking it, and if your new score goes up, that's the one we'll use for an admissions decision...the higher one. So, say you applied now and were denied or got a waitlist (postponed) letter. If your new score is higher and might make us change our decision, we'll pull your application right away and reevaluate it in light of the new score. The ultimate decision may change or it may not, but it will always be reevaluated.

Similarly, if you wait for your new scores, you'll typically get them a couple weeks after taking the test. That is still plenty of time to apply before our December 1st priority date. So, really, the choice is yours. Make sense?

Good luck for all you test takers! My ACT tips? If you don't know an answer to a question, move on and come back to it. Don't agonize over one question for 10 minutes. Relax, get a good night's sleep the night before, eat breakfast, and just do your best.

Cheers,
Kris

Visitors galore

2008-10-10T09:53:00.007-05:00

But now, we're on to hosting visitors. October is really busy. A lot of students have days when they're off from school for teacher conferences, so they hit the college visit trail! By the end of the month, we will have talked to probably 3,000 students and parents about UWEC.

That makes me think that it might be helpful to tell you some tips to getting the most out of your college visit. Here goes:

1. Plan ahead. Since lots of students are out of school at the same time, our visit days fill up quickly. Give a school at least two weeks' notice....that way we can also email you your parking permit, map, etc. No one wants to be late for their tour, fumbling with a map in the car, losing the parking permit, etc.

2. Pick a day when classes are in session. This time of year is great for visiting because campus is hopping. The weather is still good, campus is pretty, students aren't too stressed yet:).

3. Wander around on your own after your official tour. There's nothing like just sitting in the student center and getting a vibe on the campus. Eat the food. Check out the res halls. Read the student newspaper. Visit your academic department. Ask yourself, "Can I see myself here? Do I fit here? Can I thrive here?" Ask your parent/s - nicely, of course - if you could have 30 min to do that on your own. Then you can really get a feel for the place and soak it in.

4. What to wear? You don't have to dress up. Jeans and a sweatshirt are just fine. Of course, don't wear the competition's sweatshirt to a different school, though! That's just goofy:). Wear comfy shoes. Oh, and take off your baseball caps, please!!

5. Ask lots of questions. We really like it when students ask the questions. It's your education, and we love it when you take ownership over it. Sometimes I see students sitting in the presentation room, and their mothers are picking up all the brochures. Come on! I know it can be intimidating to visit a college but we really are nice people and want you to be engaged in this process. After all, you'll be the one in class, right?

6. Write down some notes afterwards. If you're doing a lot of colleges in a short timeframe, they'll begin to blur. Keep a log with your impressions, questions to follow up on. Better yet, take a few pics with your cell phone to jog your memory. (But note to self: only use it for that. I once saw a student texting during the whole campus tour. That is SO high school. lol).

Well, time to go sign a bunch of admission letters. Yup, I sign them myself. Great part of my job...to see who you all are and where you're from. Here are a couple pics from Homecoming last weekend. We pounded Oshkosh:).

Kris

Minnesota National College Fair

2008-09-29T19:00:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone - I'm off this week to a couple college fairs. The Minnesota National College Fair is at the Mpls Convention Center on Wed and Thur of this week. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello at the UWEC booth. It's the largest college fair in the country and is really fun to see all these great schools represented.

Then I go to the Univ of Minnesota on Friday from 2-5 for the LGBTQ college fair, sponsored by Campus Pride. It's held in the Coffman Union.

I know a lot of you get your information from the web, but we'd love to talk to you in person about UWEC, too. Take the new quiz about college fairs this fall....

Will talk more when I get back.

Kris

College Essay Tips

2008-09-25T13:33:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone -
I have a little time this Thursday afternoon to give you a few tips on your college application essays. I know a lot of you are applying right now and are wondering, "What do they want me to say??"

1. Our "essay" is really an applicant statement. It's your chance to tell us anything you feel is important for us to know about you.
2. Be yourself! Trying to impress will come across fake. Giving us something you think we want to hear won't be genuine. Be candid and be honest. There's no one right answer or perfect statement. You're all unique individuals, so your statements will be as individual as you all are.
3. So......tell us your dreams, your goals. Tell us something we can't already see in your list of activities or on your transcript. Tell us about a particular event that helped shape who you are.
4. Use the chance to explain a life event that may have impacted your academic background. It's not cool to blame your D in Algebra II on having mono or a "bad teacher," but if there are extenuating circumstances you feel we need to know about, please share them with us.
5. Proofread!! And do it with more than just Spellcheck. The extra 5 minutes you spend are worth it. You want to put your best foot forward.
6. Don't submit your latest paper on Macbeth or the Holocaust. We've all written them ourselves, too. We want to know about YOU! Oh, and keep it short. Less is more.
7. Make sure you individualize your statements for each individual campus. (Kinda gets back to that proofreading thing). Telling UWEC about how much you want to go to another school isn't real impressive. LOL.
8. Lastly, relax. Your academics are way more important than your essay to us, so spending 3 hours agonizing over your essay instead of your AP History reading is probably not a good use of your time:)

Oh, and see two fun pics below from our marching band at opening day at Lambeau Field!

Ciao,
Kris

Application frenzy

2008-09-20T10:56:00.005-05:00

Hi Everyone - Wow. 768 applications in one week! Keep 'em coming. I just signed my first batch of admission letters this week. We'll get back in touch with you as soon as we can, so hang in there if you've applied.

It's also Parents' Weekend today. AND a home football game. AND study abroad orientation for students going abroad in the spring. AND a Saturday Spotlight for prospective students. Campus is hopping. Wish you were here!:)

Kris

Get Ready

2008-09-14T19:30:00.008-05:00

Hi Everyone -
It's Sunday night, and I'm watching a baseball game, checking my email and calendar for tomorrow. I wonder how many applications will greet our staff tomorrow morning! There's always someone who applies at midnight. LOL. September 15th is the first day you can apply to the Wisconsin System campuses, and we'll start evaluating and processing your apps really soon.

I've spent the past week on the road, talking to school counselors in the Marshfield, Oshkosh, Menomonie, and Twin Cities areas. It seemed like they were excited to get the school year started, but they had a lot of questions that could be helpful for all of you.

Q. Who needs letters of recommendation?
A. Letters of rec are not required. However, if you choose to send them, keep in mind that 1 or 2 are more helpful than tons. Also, they are really more helpful for students who are "on the bubble," meaning our postponed list.

Q. Do you require official ACTs?
A. UWEC doesn't require official ACTs for an admissions decision but we will need them eventually.....before you are invited to Orientation. So, best to just get them in now. See my prior post for the link to ACT.

Q. Do you require the writing portion of the ACT?
A. Nope.

Q. Which is better? Taking an AP class and getting a B or taking a regular class and getting an A?
A. Taking an AP class AND getting an A:)

I'll keep this short but I'll give you a taste of application numbers this week, and I'll be back with tips on how to make the most of your college visit. Oh, I didn't find any pics of Orientation on our website, but I did find a cool slideshow from the past year. Here it is: http://www.uwec.edu/ucomm/scenes/endofyear0708/

Cheers,
Kris

They're Baaaack

2008-08-29T12:32:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone - So, I just went outside for lunch today, and our new freshmen and transfers are having a great time at Orientation. Our freshmen moved in yesterday, and the campus was full of parents and students moving in to the residence halls. A lot of current students and staff were on hand to help. It's a big transition, this time of year, and I can only imagine the conversations the parents were having as they left campus...leaving their sons and daughters in our hands. It's a responsibility we take very seriously. It seems like great group of students, all eager to begin this next chapter in their lives.

For YOU, however, those of you who are high school seniors, you are beginning a new chapter in your life, too! Beginning/continuing your college search and application process. I know in a couple weeks our office is going to be flooded with applications, and we're going to do our best to get answers to you quickly. You can help us out by having these 4 things ready:

1. Use the electronic app. There's a link off our website for it. Make sure to fill it out completely and don't rush it. Taking the extra few minutes to double check things can really help us get an answer to you quickly.
2. Pay your application fee with a credit card while you're doing the app. It's safe and secure.
3. Have your high school send an official transcript. That means you ask your school counselor to send it right to us at UWEC Admissions.
4. Send your test scores. Either ACT or SAT will do. If you send them right from ACT, for example, that's best. Go to http://www.actstudent.org/ to do it.

That's it! For most of you, that will do it, and we won't need anything else. If we do, we'll let you know. We use email a lot, so make sure to check whichever email you put down on the app.

All for now. I'll try to find some photos of Orientation and put them up for you to see what this year's new Blugolds are up to.

Kris

Hello Fall, Goodbye Summer

2008-08-20T18:20:00.002-05:00

Welcome to my blog, future Blugolds! My name is Kris Anderson, and I'm the Admissions Director at UW - Eau Claire. OK, actually my title is "Executive Director of Enrollment Services/Director of Admissions," but that seems way too long. Yep, it takes two lines on my email signature file!:)

The goal of this blog is to welcome you to the EC community, keep you in the loop of what's going on at UWEC, and to give you a behind the scenes glimpse of what happens when you apply here. Having said that, I'm really open to what you all want to know. What topics would you guys find helpful? Fun? Boring?

Since this is the first post of the season, I'll be brief. But wow, it's been a really busy summer here in our office. Beginning in June, we had probably 120 visitors each day to our campus. Just in July alone, we had 400 more visitors than July of last year! A lot of family vacations! If any of you took a tour, let us know how your visit was. If you haven't visited yet, we have lots of options for you this fall. You can set up all your arrangements here: https://www.uwec.edu/admissions/visit/index.htm

Many of you are also getting ready to apply, and I'll be back with some tips for you soon. You can apply anytime between Sept 15th and December 1st for priority consideration.

Well, the Olympics are coming on soon, so best to put the laptop away, but before I do, I have to tell you to check out my profile to learn more about me. You'll see a photo from my most favorite summer vacation ever - an amazing trip to Wyoming I took this June.

Back soon,
Kris