Posts Tagged ‘college campus visit’

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Purdue University’s Bug Bowl: Creepy, Crawly Fun!

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

Those college cafeteria horror stories must be true, just take a look at what’s on the menu at Purdue University: teriyaki meal worms, caterpillar crunch, and, for those with a sweet tooth — chocolate covered crickets on a stick and chocolate chirpy cookies.  We’re only kidding – it’s all part of the fun at the Bug Bowl,  a part of Purdue University’s annual Spring Fest.

Make Pheromones Not Pesticides

johnnyalive/johnny klemme

Colleges and universities usually have their own fun and unique traditions – and we have to say that the Bug Bowl is definitely original to Purdue!  It all started twenty years ago in Dr. Tom Turpin’s Entomology 105 class.  We went straight to the source.  Dr. Turpin shared, “It was supposed to be an opportunity to see how fast cockroaches could run.  A twist of fate intervened.”

“A radio guy came into my office to get the latest corn rootworm insecticide recommendations (I am a corn  entomologist) and spied the marked cockroaches and asked what was going on. He went back to the radio station and announced that they were having  cockroach races at Purdue tonight and invited the listeners to drop in.  So to our surprise some 150 community members showed up.”

A year later it turned into a community friendly event with an “official” racetrack, the RoachHill Downs, and names for the racing cockroaches like “Fluttering Antennae” and “Seattle Sewer.”   Insect displays, honey tasting, the caterpillar canter (a six legged race – how fun is that!), and insects as food demonstrations rounded out the event – and lured in 1300 people.

The Purdue Bug Bowl joined with the Department of Horticulture’s Hort Show and has since incorporated many other college departments, merging into what is now known as Spring Fest!  Today, the Bug Bowl draws in 30,000 people – and has a host of activities: cricket spitting, robotic beetle battles, an insect petting zoo (haven’t you always wanted to hold an anthropod?), The Insect Follies, and street puppets.

Teriyaki Meal Worms -- Mmm Mmm Good!

Randy Cox

If insects are your “thing,” The Bug Bowl at Spring Fest sounds like a good time – and a great way — to check out Purdue University’s Entomology program, one of the few colleges that even offer an Entomology degree — and possibly grab something squirming yummy to snack on.

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Posted in Choosing a College, Choosing a Major, College Campus, College Classes, College Life, Fun Stuff | No Comments »

To be or Not to Be: The College Interview

Friday, February 19th, 2010
The College Interview

madabandon

Considering ditching your college interview? DON’T!  Your grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendations tell admissions a lot about who you are – but many colleges want to know more!

The college interview process, though often optional,  is a great way for you to get your questions answered, put a face to a name, and explain any bumps in your high school record face to face.  We’ve mentioned before that students who vocalize their desire to attend a particular college increase their college admittance odds – what better way than during a college interview?  Show college admissions how much you want that letter of acceptance and it could help you get in!

Not every college or university has the staff (or the time) to conduct college interviews but for those that do (or if you happen to snag one)  – it can be a great way to get a little one on one with someone whom the college trusts, especially if you aren’t sure yet which college would suit you the best.  Some colleges ask you to hit up the campus (not a bad way to make a second campus visit), interview by phone, or, at some schools – they come to you.

Many colleges and universities (think Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Connecticut College, and Vassar College) utilize their college alumni, reaching out to students who live far from the college.  There may be just one – or a panel.

Colleges do value what these volunteers have to say so they should still be treated with the same respect you would show the admissions counselors themselves – and they can still give you the information you are looking for – and from the point of view of a student which could prove invaluable!

While colleges and universities like to say that the college interview isn’t a major deciding factor (the rates for college acceptance are roughly the same with or without the interview) – it’s still not something to be taken lightly and, if at all possible – go for it!  Standing out from the crowd (in a good way), can only help you get in!

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Posted in College Admissions, College Interview | 5 Comments »

Going away to College? Google Buzz Could Keep You Connected

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

clintonjeff/Clinton Jeff

College life: the studying, the papers, the finals (eek!),  make it tough to find the time to keep up with old friends (let alone new ones!) across the oh-so many social networks.  Even before you ever get to college, those campus visits, financial aid forms, and college applications are enough to keep you busy!

Google Buzz, very recently unveiled by Google (we’re talking February 9, 2010),  wants to be your one stop shop: upload your photos, videos, and your status all from one place.  We’ve all got friends who use Facebook or MySpace but don’t Twitter, who favor Flickr over Photobucket  – and vice versa.  Instead of signing into all these separate social accounts Google Buzz aims to replace them all, so you have one place to keep track of everything – and that’s the big difference.

Instead of logging in to a bunch of different sites, you simply log in to your Gmail account, hit up Google Buzz, and tweet, upload, and comment away – after carefully setting privacy settings, of course.  When a friend responds, instant update alerts are sent straight to your inbox, where all of your Gmail contacts have been automatically imported.  You can spend less time finding “friends” and more time hitting the books!  While many social networking sites connect: Facebook doesn’t.

You’ve probably seen your Facebook friends grumbling over recent layout changes, but — do you really think they’d ditch their FarmVille or Mafia Wars gaming apps for Google Buzz (especially with rumors of Facebook email in the future)?  Facebook was made for college students by college students.

We’ve played around with it and, oh yeah — it’s fun!  But, then again, new toys are always fun.  We’ll see if it actually sticks.  Google Buzz might have potential: it’s all in one place (even on the iPhone and Android) with a familiar layout (um, hello Facebook!).  But, after the failure of Google Wave…we’ll just have to wait and see.

What do you think?  Does Google Buzz have everything you need in order  to keep in touch when you head off to college?  Does it entice you to make the Gmail switch (if you haven’t already)?

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Posted in College Life, Fun Stuff, Preparing for College, Technology | 1 Comment »

Don’t be Fooled by the Glossy Brochures: Schedule a College Campus Visit

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

Friendly faces, lush landscapes, and the persuasive tone of a college brochure can make every college seem like it’s the one.  Photos, especially the gorgeous glossy photos in a college brochure, tend to paint happy pictures of every college campus.  How can you choose?  Easy: does it fit you?

What is the campus atmosphere?

jeremy.wilburn/Jeremy Wilburn

When it comes to a college campus: you need to see the whole picture and not just a carefully composed snapshot.  You should get a feel for the general atmosphere, the classrooms, and the students, things you can’t glean out of a college brochure.

You are potentially going to spend four years of your life (and plenty of money) here: make sure it’s a good fit — and that what’s portrayed in the brochure is what’s actually happening in real life.

A college campus may boast of its sprawling acreage or comfortable size, but what does that mean?  Are the classrooms that you need in convenient and close proximity to one another or will you need a car to get around?  Does the campus make you feel safe and protected?  Is it well-maintained?  If you crave the bright lights of the city, make sure that your college of choice isn’t under-estimating it’s distance to the action.

It can be hard to tell from a brochure just what a college campus is really like unless you actually take the time to check it out.  Get the real story – and keep our tips to remember when visiting a college campus in mind.  In this case, seeing is believing.  Schedule a campus tour when college is actually in session.  Skip the campus visit and you may strike out!

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Posted in Choosing a College, College Campus | 2 Comments »

How to Increase Your Odds After Sending in Your Application

Monday, January 11th, 2010

mailOnce you’ve sent in your college applications, you might think that there’s nothing else you can do to sway an admissions counselor in your favor. But that’s not always true. Here are a few ways to help your odds in the college admissions game.

While you’re waiting, visit the school and get involved. Schools like to know that they’re more than just a back-up option, so if you take the time to sign up for a school tour, talk with faculty members, take part in campus activities, and participate in an interview, admissions counselors will appreciate the fact that you’re eager to become a part of their community.

Interact with the college community online. In some cases, admissions officers manage their colleges’ profiles on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Become a fan of the school, and start corresponding by asking relevant questions about the academic programs you’re interested in, or sending a note of congratulations for a recent award the school may have won. Don’t use this method to check on the status of your application, or to promote yourself as a candidate—but by engaging with the school community, you may be more likely to leave an impression on the admission officer who makes a decision on your application.

Send updates of recent awards or important activities. While you don’t want to get in your admissions officer’s face too often, if there’s something buzz-worthy going on in your life that didn’t make it onto your college application, by all means, let the school know about it. If the officers haven’t made a decision about you yet, finding out that your school science project just won a national prize might sway the odds in your favor.

Double-check with your high school that all necessary information has been filed. When an entire grade is going through the college admissions process, it’s easy for important materials to get lost in the shuffle—and just because you did your part doesn’t mean that your application is complete. To make sure that the colleges you’ve selected have all the right information on file, ask your high school’s college advisor to make sure that transcripts, recommendations, and other important details have been sent off.

Be creative. Don’t go overboard, but sometimes sending an original postcard or newsletter can help you stand out. Just keep it fun and friendly—resorting to bribery or doing anything that reeks of desperation is bound to turn admissions counselors off.

Do nothing. At many ultra-selective schools, admissions officers are sorting through mountains of applications, and don’t want to be bothered with more information after the stated deadline. Depending on the school, going overboard can actually hurt your chances of getting in—so, before sending in additional materials or a letter, have a look at your top school’s admissions guidelines, and see if it says anything about their perspective on materials sent after the deadline. In most cases, following up won’t cause problems, but it would be a shame if your hand-decorated letter went straight into the trash bin.

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Posted in College Admissions, College Applications | 4 Comments »

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