Happy Trails

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

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

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....

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

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

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

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

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

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

transferring?

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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?

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

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

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

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