Sandy Update

What to do when a major weather emergency falls right as many EA/ED/Priority applications are due?  First off - remember that your family's safety and comfort are always going to be more important that deadlines. So first, take a minute to be glad that you made it through the storm unscathed.

Next, if you have power, you can check with the individual school websites and the Common App website to see if any deadlines have been adjusted for those involved in the storm. Regardless, I always encourage not waiting until the last minute, so even if a school is giving you until Monday to submit, if you have your app completed, go ahead and submit it. Then, on Monday, turn in a transcript request form so I will know what school documents to send. If you need a copy of the transcript request form, it can be printed from the ElRo College Office website 'Senior' tab.

Remember - deadlines are for STUDENTS. Your application should be submitted by the deadline (either original or extended, if applicable). Your teacher letters and school documents will be sent in after so please don't stress if you don't see them listed as 'completed' in Naviance. That is my job to worry about, not yours ;)

If you were supposed to have your Senior meeting with me this week, we will need to reschedule. Be patient and flexible and I promise I'll get to meet with everyone at some point. In the meantime, if you have a deadline, just send me an email letting me know what apps you are submitting before meeting with me. I just want to be in communication with you so nothing is a big surprise.

My thoughts are with everyone that was touched by the storm. Many people are going to have a long road of repair and grief ahead of them. College applications are important, but there is a lot more to life than personal statements and SAT scores.

See you next week.

CORT Tour - Day 3

 

The last day of the CORT tour brought us to University of Rochester. This was probably the school I was most familiar with prior to the tour since six students from ElRo have enrolled there since 2010. Sadly, it was raining all day in Rochester, but as I always say that is actually ideal college viewing weather because if you love a school in the rain, you know you really love it ;). This campus is another with tunnels and we got to see those first hand in order to stay dry today - they sure come in handy! My favorite part of the University of Rochester is that they are willing and able to meet full demonstrated need for admitted students -- translation: generous financial aid for those that can't pay the tuition in full. But the funding isn't the only appeal at this school. With about 5,000 students Rochester is a research university with a smaller college feel. They also offer two unique '5th year' options to allow students to stay tuition free to continue their studies (in something they are not majoring in). Their graduate programs also mean combined admission for highly qualified applicants (aka - being pre-admitted to med school in high school). They strongly encourage interviews and are going test flexible this year. Test flexible means that you can submit your own personalized blend of testing - not just the SAT or ACT, but things like Subject Tests and APs. According to their office of admission, hidden gem majors include: optics, brain and cognitive science, linguistics, and audio music engineering. Our tour guide described the student body on campus as supportive and collaborative, giving the example of a time she was working in a study lounge trying to work out a physics equation on a white board. She left to go downstairs to get a snack and when she came back another student had solved the equation for her anonymously. Wouldn't happen at every school, I can promise you that.

After the tour was over, I got a very lucky opportunity to also quickly get a ride over to SUNY Brockport. Prior to visiting, the main thing I knew about Brockport was that they were a SUNY that gave merit aid. But after seeing it in person, I think it can offer a lot more than just that. A campus of about 7,000, Brockport is only about 30 minutes from Rochester. The campus felt really cohesive and probably ties with RIT as the campus with the most students buzzing about, many of whom were sporting Brockport gear. We got to go inside the new Special Event Recreation Center (pictured above) that just opened a few months ago. All I can say is: what economic collapse? Brockport is renovating and expanding, mostly due to a savvy board of directors and administration. Popular programs at Brockport include things like athletic training and education. There is also an active ROTC program on campus. One of my favorite parts is that the town of Brockport butts right up to campus and the quaint main street has a "no chain stores allowed" policy. For someone looking at SUNY colleges that isn't interested in being at a large university center, this one is definitely worth looking at.

It was a great opportunity to see the schools in the Rochester area. New York City students are lucky to have so many amazing choices in their home state. My only regret is that I still only got to see Wegman's through the window of a bus, but maybe next time. 

CORT Tour - Day 1 and 2

Greetings from Rochester! I've seen three schools in the past 36 hours, and boy are my eyes tired! I'm here as part of the CORT (Colleges of Rochester Tour) which gives high school counselors a chance to learn more about four schools in the Rochester Area. I'll cut to the chase and just tell you about the campuses I've seen:

Nazareth College

Our first school on Sunday was Nazareth College, a school that was once Catholic but is no longer affiliated with the church (though people are often mislead by the name). "Naz," as they call it, is a small college that blends both research and the liberal arts without fitting into either the 'liberal arts college' or 'research university' box. There are pre-professional offerings, like Physical Therapy (6 yr DPT program is the most selective program on campus) and Nursing, but the school is also looking to expand their science offerings. This initiative is certainly going to be helped by their brand new math and science building, complete with a fully operational cadaver lab (something very unique for undergraduate students that will also benefit nursing and PT students). Other unique programs include music business and toxicology. Two of my favorite aspects of the school are that it is Testing Optional and relatively affordable for a private school. The average cost of attendance, after financial aid, is about $15,000 for most students after getting both need and merit based aid. Overall, I noticed the entire campus was very well maintained and almost every building we went into felt either new or renovated in the past 10 years. This is also the first campus I've seen to offer students a key fob that acts as an emergency alert system. Students just click two buttons on their fob and the security officers can track them via GPS and come to their aid. Think of it like a blue light phone on steroids. Very cool. The flight to Rochester was SO affordable and easy, if you want a small classroom experience at a private school, this could be your place.

They also have tunnels connecting the buildings - so no need to worry about the cold :)

Alfred University

This morning we took a bit of a drive over to Alfred University. First of all: ooooh my gosh, upstate New York is gorgeous in the fall. The campus is surrounded by mountains covered with trees (are these hills? I'm from Indiana, I can't tell the difference. Just know, it was beautiful) and I really loved our campus tour. Alfred has this amazing combination of offerings in both engineering and the arts (specifically top rated in ceramics, I'm looking at you people in Ceramics and AP Studio Art). There are other programs too in Arts and Sciences and Business, but I felt Engineering and fine arts really stood out. Plus, (and I SWEAR this isn't why I liked those two), many majors in those schools fall under the statutory college rule where, just like Cornell, there are programs with lower cost for NY residents. We talked to some engineers on our tour that were in the middle of working in the lab  making lens for a pair of sunglasses for an assignment. They seriously looked like the happiest engineers I had ever seen. Never thought in high school about being a ceramic engineer? Do you like melting stuff and using your hands? You'll probably like this.

Our tour guide's print on the left

The view from the printing studio

Can you tell I liked the printing studio?

Then we went to the art studios. Again, happiest artists I've ever seen. The ceramics kilns? Out of this world. Like I'm talking a dozen different types of kilns. I didn't even know there types of kilns! See some art pictures above.

Alfred is the second oldest co-ed college in the United States (Oberlin has them beat by a few years). They also (like, I'm finding, many schools in the area) have excellent equine facilities for all of you equestrians out there. Bottom line, I think this school sells itself much better in person than on paper. If you want a smaller school experience at a beautiful campus tucked away amongst a lovely setting, come visit. For most ElRo students, Alfred is probably a target or a likely, and those don't come along all that often when we are talking about places with great facilities, happy people, merit scholarships, and diverse students. (It is also right across from Alfred State, the SUNY school, which we sadly didn't get to see). PS - Big ups to our awesome tour guide, Sam.

Rochester Institute of Technology

I didn't know what to expect from RIT - it is a technology school with 18,000 students - but I have to say it knocked it out of the park. Similar to how I was pleasantly surprised with Purdue, RIT has this really fabulous blend of school spirit/energy, top notch facilities, friendly students, and not insanely impossible admission stats. If I had to sum up the school in one word, it would be: jobs. The focus is clear: their students are prepared for the workplace and their 97% job placement rate and co-op program in 75% of majors proves it. It now makes so much sense to me that this is the college that sends me the "Job Outlook" poster that I hang behind my door each year that lists all of the careers and their estimated growth/decline for six years from now. The students and the staff made it clear - people come to RIT with a fixation for knowing that they will be employable when they graduate. The school and students struck me as hands on, friendly, and excited about attending their school. They have specialized offerings like game design, pre professional majors like physician's assistant, and almost every type of engineering under the sun. Do you like tinkering with stuff? You'll probably find a major here that you'll like (they also have fine arts, so if you like to tinker with a paintbrush, camera, or pottery wheel, you are covered). Similar to the first two schools, something I really value about RIT is they would be a target or likely for most ElRo students and they give merit aid (the sheet they gave out to the counselors listing scholarship options was double sided. And, in what I can only estimate to be 6 point font). Things to note: they do admit by major so some departments are harder to get in than others. They are also about to transition to the semester system (they currently have quarters, but will be ending that after this year). The campus moved to the current location in 1968, so don't come here looking for Gothic buildings. But I think this school has a lot going for it and is a great option for a student wanting a larger school experience.

Bonus: Maybe the coolest college club I've ever heard of:

Tomorrow we see University of Rochester and I can't wait!

Submitting Applications

With November 1 deadlines around the corner, I wanted to address a few of the basic questions I seem to be getting about applications.

1) Deadlines at 99% of colleges are for STUDENTS. That means that your portion of the application needs to be submitted by the deadline to be considered in that round. The other aspects of the application (like the test scores, teacher letters, guidance letter, and transcript) are certainly encouraged to be there by the deadline too but schools understand and build in time to their reading timeline to accommodate submission of supporting materials. Yes, I say on the transcript request form to give me about 2 weeks lead time if you expect to be able to call a school by a certain date and confirm that all items have been processed. But that is because I don't want (and can't have) 50 requests turned in on October 31 with the assumption that 50 colleges will have marked a file as complete on November 1. It is a good habit to build the pattern of turning in items before deadlines, but your admission decision will not be affected by a transcript being received at a school on November 2. (The 1% of schools that do have firm deadlines are usually pretty clear about it. I'm looking at you UT Austin).

2) You need to have actually pressed submit on your portion of the application before you give me a transcript request form. If you haven't actually applied yet, don't turn in a transcript request form yet.

3) The College Board and ACT have a habit of taking quite a bit of time to get scores out to colleges. Don't wait to send your scores. Send them NOW. I've said this on the first day of school. I've emailed reminders. I've put it in the weekly announcements. I don't know how else to say it: as soon as you have decided to apply to a college, if that college requires testing, order the scores. Even if you haven't seen them, just send them. The computer program that is in charge of computing your high scores won't care if you scored 20 points lower. I pinky swear.

4) There are not trick questions on the Common App. When they ask you your senior year courses, they seriously just want to know what classes you are taking senior year. If something on the Common App is confusing use the advice my 4th grade teacher used to give: "When in doubt, read the directions." If you need information about your high school record the two best places to find that are Naviance (your GPA) and ARIS (your course credit values, previous courses, and grades). If your family doesn't know how to log into ARIS, contact Marty or use the prompts online to retrieve your password.

5) For more information about the transcript request form process, check out my old post about it here.

6) If you didn't schedule a senior meeting yet, seriously, what are you waiting for? Seniors - get on google appointments and pick a time! I want to talk to you before you press submit anywhere. And remember, CUNY and SUNY should be submitted in the next month or so. Out of state public schools, go for the Early Action/Priority round when possible, and next 6 weeks for any regular decision or rolling apps. Private schools, just apply by the stated deadline.

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From the email bag . . .

Have a minute to read about one person's thoughts on writing the personal statement? Check out this article, recommended by an ElRo parent:

Click Here

Denver NACAC Saturday

Today is the closing day of the NACAC conference. I attended three sessions today and will leave in about an hour and a half for a tour of University of Denver.

My first session today was called "Beyond Admission" and it was a look at how the College Board SAT data is used by colleges in phases other than just the 'admit' portion of the enrollment cycle. Before admission, come steps like identifying potential applicants and recruiting them. After admission, come steps like getting them to deposit (aka yield), placing them in classes, and making sure they graduate. I was curious to know a little more about the business of buying and selling student names and information (in case you weren't aware, that is how schools get the names of many of the students they market to). Unfortunately, little detail was given about how that process works (or how much it costs). Instead, we heard a bright and shiny review of how the SAT can be used in many other aspects of the college process other than just whether to admit or deny. I think one of the most telling portions of this session was a slide projected by the College Board showing the different score bands of students and a corresponding bar graph with their retention rate year to year in college leading ultimately to graduation. As the score bands went higher, the percent of students retained got higher. The presenter made the comment that this graph was evidence of the SAT having predictive value for retention and graduation. In my opinion though, this use of "data" is a gross overestimation by the College Board in the value of their exam. I would argue that it isn't the ability to score highly on the SAT that has a relationship to the ability to stick with and finish college. To say that overlooks (as one of my fine colleagues pointed out) the fact that, for example, a student with an 800 total score on three sections isn't being admitted to the same school as the student with a 2200. To suggest that they were EVER on a level playing field in terms of likelihood of retention or graduation is pretty absurd. What about socioeconomic status being predictive? Parent education level? Amount of loans a student is asked to take out? Quality of support on campus?

Why does the practice of the SAT being used for other parts of the enrollment cycle exist? From the prospective of the colleges, they find that buying names from the College Board and using those names as a way to fill their pipeline to identify eventual admits and hopefully eventual graduates is a good use of their dollars. Another element to this session, from the presenting colleges, defended the use of a 'wide brush' when choosing which names to buy, since they need to cast a wide net in order to catch those diamonds in the rough that may not have been reached otherwise. I would counter that to say that it isn't a wide brush being used, it is a paint-roller, with students far outside a school's profile often being added to the mailing list and marketed to when the school knows good and well the chance of admission is minimal. I would urge schools (and the College Board) to encourage stronger ethical guidelines in terms of marketing to students that are so far below the traditional admissible range. The panel also made the interesting suggestion that juniors taking the SAT should use their four free score reports to send scores to colleges they like as a way to show demonstrated interest. I can't say I love this idea, but if schools are using that as a way to see who is most interested, I feel obligated to share that on the blog. As you can see, I could go on and on about my observations from this session and what it means for this industry. I guess I'll close with the comment that I found it telling that none of the presenters mentioned the other side of this coin that, in addition to using SAT scores to identify students that may have been overlooked, the far more common scenario is that marketing from College Board Search name buys serves to inflate the applicant pool, allow for more students to be denied, result in a lower selectivity rate, and mean higher rankings and happier trustees. The admissions arms race is real and don't let any glossy brochure make you forget it.

The next session I attended was "Best Practices for Working with the Press to Advance Public Understanding of College Admission." Let me first say, I was motivated to go to this session after a particularly inane question from a member of the press (at a national newspaper) from the affirmative action session the other day. I also thought that as someone that blogs about college admissions, I should hear what the presenters had to say. The session consisted of journalists and authors who contribute to the national conversation about college admission. My main takeaways were that more journalists covering this topic need to either have backgrounds in the field or be open to learning the nuances before writing. There was also the idea that the public must be reminded that members of the press are just like colleges - they are not all created equal. Some are, by nature, going to be sensationalizing and stirring up a panic and others will aim to be factual, fair, and have the goal of making readers informed consumers. During the Q&A, I found the comments made by Duke University to ring true, which were that any time a college is speaking to a member of the press they must assume that every sentence they utter can be quoted without the sentence before it and after it. This is a unique challenge, but is certainly an ongoing conversation about how to best educate the public about college admissions and what language and journalistic techniques can best do that.

My final session for the day was "The Model Minority Myth: The Reality of Asian College Applicants in the 21st Century." This session delved into the challenges faced by the Asian community in the college process and beyond. The session first pointed out that Asians comprise about 5.8% of the population of the United States. Especially for those of us coming from the five boroughs, I think we would find this surprising. Asians also recently past Latino/Hispanic as the largest racial group immigrating to the United States. The myth is that Asian students are smarter than and better test takers than other racial groups. When it comes to the admission process, a challenge for Asian students is that there are 24 different ethnic groups withing the box checked "Asian" on the Common App. There are some groups that have a profile much closer to the stereotype and others that are drastically different. The question was raised, if a stereotype is a good stereotype (like, for example, Asians are smart) is that really such a bad thing? But the argument is yes, it is bad, because the reality for Asians is quite different. Context is very important, particularly for colleges, so they can understand if other identity groups (like being low income or first generation American or a certain ethnicity) may actually play a larger role in that student's identity. There is a term, the bamboo ceiling, which refers to the fact that despite being the most educated race statistically, only 0.3% of corporate employees are Asian. If stereotypes are used, one may not realize this disparity. Unfortunately, I came to this session specifically to hear from the college admission side and hear how schools are (or are not) falling prey to the model minority myth. But, the presenter from the college side was not able to attend the session, so I wasn't able to learn about that perspective. The suggestions from the panel encouraged disaggregation of the Asian data, separating out the different Asian ethnic groups and allowing for society to see more of the nuances within the very diverse Asian community.

I have to sign off now to head up to the University of Denver, but the final day of sessions leave me feeling tired but thankful to be able to attend this conference every year. As a counselor that works as "an office of one" (no secretary, no assistant, no other college counselors on staff) the ability to come to this conference and be surrounded by 5,000 other people that are as excited about post secondary education as I am is unparallelled. I re-energizes me for the year ahead and reminds me of how fortunate I am to love my job.

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Denver NACAC Friday

The Friday of NACAC is like the middle section of the SAT. You are already exhausted, but you know that you still have more to go. Today didn't disappoint, and it isn't over yet (it is about 7:30 Denver time as a write this).

I started the day with a session called "Research Meets Practice for Young Adults with Mental Illnesses" run by a mother daughter team that authored the book Perfect Chaos. This session addressed a topic that is rarely talked about openly, and that is a shame. The daughter, Linea, has bipolar disorder but, through treatment, has been highly successful. The presentation was a balance of best practices for counselors (notice every student, refer to a psychiatrist and follow up if you are concerned about a student, never suggest a diagnosis, etc) and excerpts from Linea's journals which are printed in the book gave a touching look into the experiences that she has had through her various stages of depression and mania. One in 5 students has a mental health, emotional, or behavioral disorder. Colleges and college counselors (and parents) need to work together to support all students and remind them that things can get better. I'm a firm believer that there is a college setting out there for everyone and students that fall anywhere on the mental health spectrum can find a campus that will work best to support them toward their ultimate goals. In the case of Linea, she was hospitalized twice, took a semester off, and transferred schools before eventually graduating, but the message is that she did it. Mental health isn't a topic that most people talk about opening and the presenters made the astute observation that the reason it is stigmatized is that the faces of mental illness are in most cases not individuals with their mental illness under control. More people who have treated and stabilized their conditions, so that they live well, need to speak out. Others need to see that over time and by working with a counselor and psychiatrist there can be progress to get mental health disorders in check. I applaud the presenters for being so brave as to share their personal story with the world and hope I can meet the call to notice every student and speak up when it looks like a student needs help. If you or someone you know struggle with mental health, or think you might be struggling with mental health, contact an adult that you trust. Go to www.lineacinda.com to find resources related to this session.

My next workshop was "The State of Affirmative Action" a timely topic given that the supreme court has agreed to hear Fisher vs. The University of Texas. Let me say first that race is an uncomfortable topic for many people (I guess my morning was full of uncomfortable topics), but-- as the panel shared-- race is an integral part of our history and our society's fabric. We have to talk about it. It was a very informative session both about history of affirmative action and the implications that this court ruling could have on colleges and universities going forward. One interesting slide showed the racial breakdown of all SAT test takers and the overwhelming majority (and I'm talking like big huge tall bar vs teeny tiny squatty bar) are white. What does this mean? It means that even if you disagree that race should be considered as schools admit candidates, we are still not experiencing an academic landscape where a huge onslaught of underrepresented minorities are stealing away admission places from white students. If you threw a dart at a board of college applicants in the US - you are almost always going to hit a white applicant. The panic of spaces being given away 'unfairly' is unfounded. It is still a reality that in this country today a white high school student has a far greater chance of moving on to (and graduating from college) than an underrepresented minority. Last year at UCLA, 3.8% of admitted students were black. Three. Point. Eight. This is a topic I can't really fully express through a blog post, but it will certainly be interesting to follow what decision the court makes and how colleges adjust accordingly.

The final session I attended (or at least half way attended, because I was camped out outside the door since the session was full. But then they let me in ;) was about the new Common App that is coming out in 2013. The main news to report is that the plan is to eliminate the 'choose your own topic' essay question. Let me tell you, I've been coming to this conference for four years and I've never heard a gasp that large in a session. People seriously started freaking out. Personally, I think people are overreacting. They say they are going to provide essay topics that are broad enough that students will be able to choose one where they can essentially write on whatever topic they want, but you would think that the presenter had just announced that puppies would all be stolen away from their owners. If you hear me Common App, I have your back.

The rest of my day consisted of a massive college fair. And tomorrow is the final day of the conference. Stay tuned for more updates and enjoy the long weekend!

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(If you are too young to get this picture, google John Denver. If you don't know who Kermit is, you lost out as a child.)

Denver NACAC Thursday

I already had to remind myself that despite feeling like I have seen so much and talked with so many people, we've only just completed Day 1 of the conference. Today's opening general session included a keynote speech by Jane McGonigal. Her message centered around the idea that video games are worth much more than what meets the eye. That there are actually deep and meaningful life lessons and coping mechanisms gleaned from playing and that those claims can be backed up by research published in peer review journals. I had two favorite parts within her address. One was an awesome project she did for the New York Public Library where 500 young people were locked inside the Bryant Park location overnight to work together, discover artifacts, and write a book. Learn more here, but she had me at New York Public Library. My other favorite part was when she discussed the fact that 80% of video game playing is failing. In other words, video games are about the only thing around that people voluntarily do where they know they won't succeed very often, but they still try again. There is resiliency, hope, and an optimism that you might make beat the level the next time -- it sheds a whole new view on the stereotypes of video games being a waste of time or the hobby of the lazy. Don't misconstrue - I'm not suggesting that highly selective colleges will start viewing 4 hours of video games a day as a strong resume builder, but it does beg the question of how many positive attributes and strengths are being overlooked in our young people just because their generation uses technology as an outlet.

There was only one educational session offered today and I chose to attend the one called "Commitment to Transparency: The Financial Aid Shopping Sheet." Essentially, the Federal Government has a new initiative to try and encourage colleges to adopt this "shopping sheet" that will be a uniform breakdown of financial aid awards along with information about that school's graduation rate, loan default rate, and how much the family will actually be paying out of pocket. To date, 316 schools have signed on in only a few short months. My mind was already fast forwarding to the dream of the government having a web based shopping sheet where families could plug in aid awards from non participating schools and print their own shopping sheets from home. Like most things full of data, the shopping sheet isn't perfect (as the panel pointed out, the graduation rate may not be an accurate representation of the segment of the population that the student is looking for --- ie graduation rate may include online students, notorious for low completion rate). A one page sheet also can't represent fit -- I would be a bad counselor if the only thing I asked students to use when picking where to deposit was cost. But, I think this tool is absolutely a step in the right direction, helping more families make more sense out of the often murky waters of financial aid. I applaud the schools that have volunteered to be early adopters and hope that it is mandated for all schools in the next five to ten years.

This evening, I finished up by walking through the vendor hall and attending the Big XII reception. All in all, I'm ready for day two!

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Pre NACAC CU Boulder Tour

Today is the first of a very long few days. I've arrived in Denver for the NACAC conference and look forward to tomorrow when the first sessions begin. Today, after landing in Denver I headed over to Boulder to visit University of Colorado, Boulder (aka CU Boulder - yes, I realize your gut says it should be UC, but it isn't).

The Director of Admissions presented to us and I learned a lot about what this campus has to offer and what makes it unique. The campus is sandwiched between two opposite settings, the city of Denver with 2.5 million people forty minutes in one direction and 100% pure unadulterated nature with a population of zero the other direction. Since 1917, the buildings have all been constructed in the same architectural style (see photo above) with stones that really tie the entire campus together in a cohesive way. 42% of students come from out of state and all 50 states are represented. There are a wide variety of majors to choose from in Arts and Sciences, Business and Engineering. Aerospace Engineering is a flagship program, a huge percentage of astronauts went to CU Boulder. Mechanical Engineering is one of the most selective programs (the average SAT score on the first two sections is a 1500). Only one other school in the country sends more students abroad than CU Boulder. Only one other school in the country has graduates who have a higher average starting salary ($48,000, in case you were wondering).

The most exciting part of the day though was that I got to meet up with three very special freshman, Morgan, Briana, and Nicole - ElRo Class of 2012! The overwhelming response was that they LOVE school so far. We ate lunch in the dining hall and I have to be honest in saying I'm not sure I've seen a dining hall at a large public university with anything even close to the quality and options that CU Boulder has. With Denver being a city known for its healthy lifestyle, I shouldn't have been surprised. I also made sure to ask about class size and our ElRo alum confirmed for me that while they may have a few large lectures they also have many smaller classes. The freshman RAP classes help students make a living learning community where they take a course in their dorm that is capped at about 20 students. That is how you make a big school personal. I also have to give a special shout out to Briana - she is the first girl in the history of CU Boulder to have tried out for and made the MEN'S ice hockey team!

For any student looking to be at a large school, with a high quality of life, beautiful facilities, and a national reputation, check out CU Boulder. The direct flight for me from LaGuardia was under 4 hours and cost only about $250. Today was a great day, I can't wait for the conference to officially kick off tomorrow!

 (Disclaimer for picture above, I got up at 5 am NYC time this morning)

NACAC National Conference, here I come!

My goal was to AT LEAST get my summer posts finished before leaving for NACAC. Since I leave tomorrow for a very early morning flight, it is clear that isn't going to happen. So, stay tuned for NACAC updates and then my final summer visit post.

It is always tough being out of the office for this conference, but the benefits of going far outweigh the challenges. I will first be visiting the University of Colorado, Boulder and then attending the NACAC conference. Check back here for updates about my trip!