Merry Christmas to all!

Some of you may be asking yourself, "What does my admission counselor like to do around Christmas time?"
Well, I am so glad you asked. Some of my favorite pastimes are as follows:

1) Snow forts. I feel like Will Ferrell in "Step Brothers", but I still think one of the best things about wintertime is the opportunity to build a big defensive wall of snow and seek to destroy your siblings from behind its cover. Snow forts rock!

2) No school. Though I am graduated now, I love the fact that students don't have to be in school for the next couple of weeks. Live it up.

3) Stockings. I know that the existence of Santa Claus is a highly debated topic by many adults, but I think we should put our feuds aside and enjoy stockings. I mean, how cool is it that you get an oversized sock filled with candy and presents!

4) The fact that my mom never objected to me indulging my sweet tooth at Christmas time.

5) The movie, "It's a Wonderful Life".

6) Red Rider BB guns.

7) Good food.

8) Good family.

9) Oh yeah... did I mention snow forts?

These are just a few things that I like about Christmas. If you would like to add to the list, feel free to email me what your favorite things about Christmas are at Seth.Nelson@valpo.edu. Otherwise, you can Facebook message me at Seth At Valpo. I will be sure to post what you like about Christmas, too!

Winter Paradise

Valparaiso has become a winter wonderland once again. As the snow falls, it caresses the earth and canvases the campus with a white blanket of wintery goodness. The chapel is capped with white that makes the roof blend with the sky in a celestial manner. The trees are a sprinkling combination of white and green or branches covered with snow and ice. The campus is transformed and seems to itself change with the weather. Every morning as I walk to work, I am greeted by the graceful view of life that the aesthetics of campus offer all who travel and study here. Long before I ever came to Valpo, I hoped to be a part of a landscape like this- our ‘Vale of Paradise’ as Valparaiso is translated to mean.
If I had it to do over; if I could choose another school; if I could choose another view of grace and beauty; I hope that I would choose none other than this- Valparaiso University.

Longing for the Study Abroad Experience

Some of you who have met with me may be intrigued by my title. I have already studied abroad and already had the experience. Why would I be longing for the study abroad experience?

I knew that I wanted to study abroad before I came to college. In fact, I knew that I wanted to study abroad long before I knew which college I wanted to attend. I was intrigued by the idea of living and studying in another country. There seemed to be literally another world waiting for me to come and study it. I did not hesitate to share my interest with admission counselors as I visited colleges and met with representatives. I got an idea of where and how I could study abroad and dreamed of which countries I might eventually experience.
When I came to Valpo, I originally planned to study at Oak Hill Seminary in England in my junior year. I was a pre-seminary student in my undergraduate studies at Valpo and thought that the Oak Hill program would help me to discern a great deal about my future and my vocation. Incidentally, the program ended after my freshman year because they no longer had space for our students. It was up to me to find another program to travel to. I had it narrowed down to four that Valpo offers; Cambridge, England; Reutlingen, Germany; Athens, Greece; and Windhoek; Namibia. There were many draws to each of these programs. Each of the countries had distinct, appealing cultural elements that beckoned for my presence with each program respectively. It was a difficult, drawn out decision process that I will not bore you with now except to say that I finally decided to study in Namibia.
During my Namibian experience, I lived with three different families in two different countries on the other side of the world. I learned parts of four different languages, lived in three distinct cultures, and made friends with 18 different Americans from all over the United States. I was able to study history, politics, reconciliation and Southern Africa in new and unique ways that were not available to me here. I climbed the two highest sand dunes in the world, saw where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic, and felt the sun beat down on the oldest desert in the world. I met people from Europe, Asia, South America, and people from all over the continent of Africa. None of these opportunities were available to me in quite the same way while I stayed in the United States.
Sure, I could have read up in an in depth manner on the history of Apartheid, but I could not have met survivors from the Robin Island prison where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for over 25 years. It was possible for me to have talked to people from Southern Africa in my home country, but I could not have been a part of their homes in their country. I could have imagined how other people on the other side of the world might perceive me, but I could not have asked them myself unless I had traveled to their country, eaten with them, and taken the time to hear their stories and see the world through their eyes. All of these opportunities and many more were unique to my study abroad experience and all have changed my life forever. I am a better man for having traveled to South Africa, lived in Namibia, and come home to share these experiences with the world around me.

So why do I long for the study abroad experience? I long to have the formative cultural immersion experience that I once had. To see the world through another country’s eyes is amazing and, I assume, it is the most unique the first time that you are really able to do it. More importantly, the first time that you are effectively able to view yourself through another country’s eyes is a priceless experience that I would relive again if I could and I hope to do so in the future. That is the study abroad experience I long for.

Iowa and back again

Quote of the day:

"Big gulps, eh? Nice....Whelp, see ya' later!" -Lloyd in "Dumb and Dumber"

I spent last week bumming around eastern Iowa, my home state. I would like to give a shout out to Ryan and Will at Iowa City West. We had a good conversation about African shark stories.
It was a good week of visiting students. I went to the St. Ambrose fair and visited students in the Quad cities, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. I got to go to the Amana colonies. Though I grew up in Iowa, I have never been there before. I also stopped at the world's largest truck stop. It definitely lives up to its name. It was far bigger than any other truck stop that I have been to before.
My travels are mostly done for this fall. All in all, during high school visits, I sat through two fire drills and one tornado drill at Culver Academies. I always loathed fire drills in high school and that loathing has not changed much over the years. Needless to say, it was interesting to sit through them. I also got to travel around four states, see friends and family, and meet a lot of new friends along the way. It has been a good travel season so far and is mostly over. It has worn me out a bit, but I have been happy to see all of those that I met with you.

Reminder, November first is fast approaching. Remember that you must have all of the pieces of your application postmarked by the 1st in order to be considered early action applicants. If you have not applied yet, make sure that you get the pieces of your application in ASAP!

Welp, see ya' later!
-Seth

The Excitement of it All

Well, I have done quite a bit of traveling so far. I spent the entirety of last week up in the Minneapolis area. I met with several of my students up there and met a lot of new students as well. One of my good college buddies lives in Minneapolis near Lake Calhoun and Uptown and I was able to hang out with her quite a bit. It was good to experience Minneapolis with a friend. I have found that friends make cities come alive in ways that touring a new place alone cannot compare to.

Another highlight of my Minnesota adventures was finding my old house. I had some time after my visit to Armstrong high school so I thought I would drive into Plymouth a little further. I was able to patch together some of my five year old memories and locate the first house that I remember living in. The house was a lot bigger than I remember. The street I lived on, however, seemed much smaller than I remember. Perhaps I found the house confining and the outside area liberating when I was young. I am not quite sure.

This week I am back in Indiana. I am currently writing in Central Park in Warsaw, which is south of Goshen and Elkhart for those of you not familiar with Northern Indiana. I have visited several schools in South Bend, Mishawaka, and Elkhart so far, and I have a few more. I am going to the Warsaw college fair in a little bit, will go the college fair in Plymouth Indiana (not Minnesota) tomorrow night, and was at the Saint Joseph County College fair last night.

It is exciting to be out on the road. I really enjoy seeing new places and meeting new people. More than that, though, it is exciting to meet seniors in the fall of their college decision process. The majority of high school seniors feel the greatest pressure of the college decision process as we speak. The fall is a time of great confusion and anxiety. Though I am sure that most an idea of where they want to go to college, the list is still not narrowed down to one yet (nor should it be). There are a few schools that offer what many of you find appealing and competitive. How should you know where to spend the greatest four years of your life?! You are just a high school student! This sort of confusion presses on one and causes stress when contemplating the future.

I am writing this to also encourage you to live it up. This is an exciting time in your life. There are several opportunities just waiting to be realized and experienced before all of you. That is the most exciting thing about senior year. You all are on the eve of opportunity. Later in life you will look back and see choices that you have made. You chose one college over another, one major over another, one job over another, etc. You will see on the other side of the choices that you will have made that there are opportunities that were closed by the choice that you made. There will be good and bad things about those moments of reflection that lie ahead of you. But now, at this time in your life, there is only opportunity. You can go to this school or that (or be wise and choose Valpo! I love shameless plugs…). You can study anything from Philosophy to Mechanical Engineering, Nursing to Accounting, Exercise Science to English. You can choose to go to school in the Midwest, East Coast, or out West. You can choose to study abroad. You can choose stay near home or venture out a little bit. You may not be certain about which of these paths to choose yet, but one thing is for certain, these possibility lies at your doorstep. The great beyond awaits you. The future is waiting to become yours.

It is an exciting time to be a senior. Win your football games, cross country meets, and soccer games. Rock out the tuba, violin, or whatever it is that you play. Lead your high school to greatness. But most of all, live up your moment of possibility. Live up this moment before you head out and are defined by the world and the choices that you make. Enjoy this moment, for it is unique and you will want to remember it when it has passed.

Keep on Rockin in the Free World

Heyo,
I have been hitting the road hard and will keep on rolling for the weeks to come. I have traveled to Elkhart, Mishawaka and Lake County Indiana so far. I have had good meetings with a lot of students. I enjoyed talking to a couple of guys from Marian High School in Mishawaka. I also enjoyed my visits at high schools closer to Valpo like Andrean, Crown Point and Lake Central high schools. For those of you in Lowell, after I visited your high school I stopped by the Dairy Queen and had an excellent strawberry shake. If anyone you know works there, feel free to extend a compliment there way.
This next week I am excited to fly up to Minneapolis. I will be there all week. I am excited to see some of my friends and family members who live up there. Also, little known fact, I was born in St. Louis Park and lived in New Hope and then Plymouth, MN until I was five. I am excited to travel to Robbinsdale-Armstrong high school because that is where I would have gone to high school if I had not moved. I might also stop by French Park for those of you who live in the Northwest suburbs. I remember the park fondly from when I was little, and might take a little trip of nostalgia back that way. If you guys have any other recommendations of places that I should check out in the city, let me know. You can comment on my blog here, or send me and email at Seth.Nelson@valpo.edu. (FYI, I have been to the Mall of America enough times to make it seem small. I don't think I will be traveling there this time.)
Well, that is it for now. I am excited what the wide world of admission counseling has in store for me next. I hope to see some of you up in Minneapolis next week!

Voluptuous View of Valparaiso Tour

Hey all,
I will be out of the blocks and out of the office very soon in order to visit high schools both East and West of the Mississippi. So, if you live in Lake county Indiana or Minneapolis, MN; South Bend Indiana, or anywhere in eastern Iowa, you may want to take a look. The Voluptuous View of Valparaiso is scheduled as follows:


Monday September 29th
Mohtomedi High School, MN
Concordia Academy, MN
Minnehaha Academy, MN
Moundsview High School,MN

Tuesday September 30th
Eden Prairie High School,MN
Minnetonka High School, MN
Wayzata High School, MN
Robbinsdale Armstrong High School, MN

Wednesday October 1st
NACAC- Minneapolis Fair @Minneapolis Convention Center

Thursday October 2nd
NACAC- Minneapolis Fair @Minneapolis Convention Center
Lutheran Fair/LECNA Fair

Friday October 3rd
Lakeville North High School, MN
Eagan High School, MN

Monday October 6th
Bishop Noll Institute, IN

Tuesday October 7th
Elkhart Central High School, IN
Trinity School at Greenlawn, IN
St. Joseph County College Fair, IN

Wednesday October 8th
South Bend-Clay High School, IN
St. Joseph High School, IN
Warsaw College Fair, IN

Thursday October 9th
Mishawaka High School, IN
Penn High School, IN
Culver Academy, IN
Plymouth College Fair, IN

Monday October 13th
Munster High School, IN
St. Ambrose College Fair, IA

Tuesday October 14th
Moline High School, IL
Davenport Central High School, IA
Davenport West High School, IA
Muscatine High School, IA

Wednesday October 15th
Iowa City- City High, IA
Cedar Rapids Jefferson, IA
Cedar Rapids Kennedy, IA
Cedar Rapids Washington, IA

Thursday October 16th
Iowa City West High School, IA

Monday October 27th
Decorah High School, IA
Valley Lutheran High School, IA
Cedar Falls High School, IA

There you have it. There are a few more schools that I may visit, so be sure to check with your high school guidance offices to see if we are coming your way. Also, if you have any Valpo wear that you have picked up at a visit, but sure to sport when I come to your school. I have prizes for those sporting Valpo shirts when I visit.

Keep on rockin in the free world.

-Seth

The Question

There are interesting times in life when people find it convenient to hound you with questions for which you have no convenient answers. Having recently planned my wedding, I found that the wedding planning process draws a great number of answerless questions. Having also recently graduated, I found several people asking me about job prospects when I had none. Worse than these moments of questioning, though, was my senior year of high school.
In a lot of ways senior year is the best year of high school that one could have. Students, underclassmen, faculty, administrators, parents, etc. treat seniors with much greater respect than freshman, sophomores, or juniors. The red carpet is metaphorically rolled out for the seniors as they enter the school for their final year in the fall. In the school, there are no older students to treat their ambitions and existences as inferior. Furthermore, the sheer excitement of one's ensuing graduation overtakes the whole of the senior class and envelopes it with an energy unparalleled by any other group of students in school. It is just fun to be senior. Well, most parts of the year are fun....
Along with the excitement comes the endless questions. I shouldn't really say the endless 'questions', but rather the question, which is repeated endlessly: "So, where you going to college next year?" This question seems to start at the very beginning of the year. Before you have even gotten your bearings for your final year (and sometimes even before your senior year starts) they ask "the question". At first you hear it just a little. For most, it seems odd that anyone would inquire about which college you prefer at this time of year. How should you know where you want to spend your next four years? You haven't even figured out how you want to spend this year, let alone how you want to spend the four most formative years of your life. Why are they asking about this now? But, most are able to shrug the question off at first with little consequence.
However, as the leaves change and the temperature drops (for those of us in the upper Midwest), the question starts to hit home a little more. The question does not get to you because your answer has changed. You still do not know where to go. How should you know which college is best for you? How could you ever know that? No, the question hits home because you are starting to ask it yourself. You say to yourself: "Wait a minute, where am I going to college?" Your future seems much closer as you become comfortable with your senior status and really begin to realize that you are on your way out. When you pose the question to yourself it seems more daunting and it seems more real than ever before.
And to make it worse, they keep asking you, as well. By they, of course, I mean your parents, teachers, friends, and random adults in the community who you barely know. The only thing that could make the question more appalling to you at this point in time is for them to ask it to you. Sure enough, they do and they don't stop. One person will ask it. Then another. Then another. Then someone who already asked you. Then another.... and so on. Your answer does not change but they ask the question anyway. This is the worst time for them to seek an answer to this answerless question. This is the worst time for your college confusion, as well. You hit a point when you have several schools on your list and no way of deciding between them. The future is looming over you, as well as people nagging you for a decision about which college you will choose.
Though this is a difficult time, my advice is to be patient. The question will sort itself out. It has an almost magical way of eventually finding its own answer. Though the endless questioning continues to bring frustration and confusion, the question of which college is right for you will find a clearer answer down the road. The answer as to which college is for you may not come with total certainty, but be patient and you will be able to see an answer with greater clarity. In time you will find the college that is right for you and, like me, you will reflect on your experience with ease... later on.

The First Paraphs of a new Chapter

Dear Reader,
My name is Seth and I am a new Admission Counselor for Valparaiso University. I am excited to be a part of the Office of Admission and am excieted for the opportunity to meet with students who are looking into coming to this fine institution.
This has been quite the year for me. I just graduated in May and got married about a week and a half ago (August 17th, 2008). There have been a lot of life changes for me between these two events. I started working for the University in June, moved into my own place and started a life without school for the first time in 17 years. It has been quite the transition. I suppose this is what people refer to when they talk about 'growing up'. Oddly enough, however, I do not feel as though I am really growing into a new stage of life or becoming an 'older' person. The changes and transitions I have experienced thus far and am continuing to experience simply seem to be new events for my life. They do not seem to have huge sway over my person. I am basically the same guy that I have been for a long time now and I do not foresee that changing too much in the near future. (My new wife may think otherwise, but we have time to work that out...)
All this is to say that I feel content with my last four years at Valpo and how my experience has prepared me to be me as I have entered into the work force, started paying my own bills, and started a family. I do not feel that I have to change who I am or be anything different than who I already am. I have known several friends from other colleges who have had serious reality checks as they entered the working world. They did not know how to adapt to their new situations and it ended up being very hard on them personally. I gratefully say that that is not the case with me. I am ready and I am excited for all the changes I have been able to enjoy thus far, and those to come.
Classes started at Valpo yesterday and though this is the first time I have not been starting class since I was six years old, I am overjoyed for the freshman who get to simply be themselves here at Valpo and beyond.