College Connection Back to School Edition August 2013

AUGUST 2013stltoday.com/collegeconnection

Special to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Produced by the Suburban Journals of St. Louis, LLC

The Time To look for

financial aid is now

Find your place by joining a campus organization

Tips to help

commuter students

fit in on campus

what major is right for you?

3 Find your place by joining a campus organizationLots of options abound for students

5 Tips to help commuter students fit in on campusThere’s more to going to school than attending class

6 What major is right for you?Many resources are available to help you decide

7 Greek organizations an option for campus lifeJoining makes sense for some students

9 How to make a dorm room your ownA personal touch can make it feel cozy

10 The time to look for financial aid is nowGet a head start before deadlines approach

11 Taming the cost of textbooksThese tips could make a big difference

ContentsThe Back to School Issue

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8 SIUE prepares students for successful careers

8 Lindenwood University offers residential life at its best

8 There’s something for everyone at Maryville University

2 | COLLEGE CONNECTION | AUGUST 2013 stltoday.com/collegeconnection Special to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Produced by the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, LLC.

SIUE is committed to continually enhancing our students’ learning

environment. Since 2006, the University has completed more than

$300 million in construction and infrastructure improvements, adding

new state-of-the-art buildings, and enhancing and expanding

existing structures. SIUE offers 43 undergraduate, 67 graduate and

four doctoral degree programs. Our nationally accredited academic

programs of study are offered at the lowest four-year tuition rate in

Illinois.To further enhance affordability, SIUE awarded more than

$147 million in scholarships and financial aid last year. That positions

an SIUE education as one of the best values in the Midwest.

Expect more. Visit siue.edu.

Excellenteducation.Remarkablyaffordable.

“As a high school student

looking to major in business,

I had many options within

the St. Louis Metropolitan

area. I chose SIUE for its

AACSB accredited programs,

expanding campus and

proximity to home.”

Danny Aschenbrenner,Senior, BusinessChristian Brothers CollegeHigh School, St. Louis

Special to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Produced by the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, LLC. stltoday.com/collegeconnection auGuSt 2013 | CoLLeGe ConneCtion | 3

When students begin their college careers, they have a wealth of opportu-nity before them. Not only will they be taking courses to learn what they need to know to earn their degree, but they will also have the chance to experience campus life.

It’s important not to overlook the value of being involved on campus. Universities offer a variety of campus organizations for their students to join, and the level of involvement a student chooses and the number of organiza-tions he joins is up to him. The benefits are plenty.

“Studies show that students who are engaged in campus life feel connected to the university, get better grades and persist to graduation,” said Michelle Welter, associate director of the South-ern Illinois University Edwardsville Kimmel Leadership Center.

A good way to get started is by attending an activity fair, which are scheduled near the beginning of the fall semester on many campuses. SIUE will have its Student Organization Activity Fair on Aug. 26 and 27 as part of the Cougar Welcome Activities. Organiza-tions will set up tables in the University Center to promote themselves and recruit new members.

Maryville University will have its annual Involvement Fair on Aug. 29. More than 100 booths will be set up by student organizations, offices that have opportunities for students to get involved, and groups promoting events, said Brian Gardner, director of student involvement at Maryville. He said 500 to 600 people attend the fair each year.

“This year, we had 71 student orga-nizations,” Gardner said. “That’s up 320 percent from 10 years ago. We had over 2,000 events planned on campus. A lot of those were planned by stu-dents, which shows their interest to get involved and be involved.”

Categories of organizations include academic clubs, honor societies, reli-gious organizations, club sports, special interest clubs such as international organizations, governing boards and performance groups, Welter said. SIUE has a web radio club that runs a station, dance groups, and a Greek organization

that is a men’s music fraternity.“We’ve had students start organiza-

tions because someone is interested in Texas hold’em, or Ultimate Frisbee,” Gardner said. “We had a student a couple of years ago who had this huge interest in hula hooping, so she started a hula hoop club.”

Some students might opt for aca-demic clubs in their field of study, because they see it as a way of improv-ing their job prospects when they graduate, Welter said. That can be a good tactic.

“A lot of our academic clubs offer opportunities to work with faculty, do research and make connections in the business community,” she said.

However, there are many other academic benefits to belonging to a campus organization, Gardner said.

Students learn networking, time management, negotiation skills, event

planning, budgeting and team building through the experience.

Find your place by joining

photos Courtesy of Maryville university

Members of the Music therapy Student association man a table at a previous year’s involvement Fair at Maryville university.

Students explore the involve-ment Fair for oppor-tunities to participate in various organiza-tions at Maryville university.


Students from Pack Leaders participate in the annual Involvement Fair.

a campus organization

“They gain some skills that comple-ment their in-classroom student learning,” he said. “They don’t always realize they’re getting this. What we always tell students is we provide them with what rounds out the overall expe-rience.

“We’ve got some students who will find their niche early on and they will stay in that the whole time and that’s what they do. For some students, it’s life-changing.”

For other students, one

organization isn’t enough. There are some that are involved in

six different organizations, Gardner said.

“Whatever level you want to do, we can match that desire,” he said. “If you want to show up and go to events, we have options for that. If students want to lead and be officers, we can provide that.”

Welter said students can look to find their one thing, whether that be club sports, a Greek organization or a

religious organization.“It doesn’t matter how you con-

nect, as long is you connect in some way,” she said.

“The message that we always tell students is just take that step and start doing something, even if it’s just show up at an event,” Gardner said. “Take that step and try something. I think they have a great deal of joy in their experience. They have fun doing it. They get to try things they never tried before.”

““It doesn’t matter how you connect, as long as you connect in some way.” Michelle Welter, associate director of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Kimmel Leadership Center


Commuter students might have trouble acclimating to life on campus. Busy students with a home life and those who work

off campus might even think it a burden to take the time to become involved in college life.

However, research has shown that students who are engaged on campus succeed more than students who do not take the time to connect outside the classroom, said Janelle A. Densberger, director of leadership education and student activities at Fontbonne Univer-sity.

“When you just go to class and go home, you’re kind of on your own and more isolated — less likely to reach out,” she said. “I think it’s all about connec-tion. When you are involved on campus outside of classes, you are meeting more students and professors. When you see them in class the next week, you maybe have a different comfort level. It’s the same with peers. When you have a question about math homework, you

have more people to go to.”But there can still be a hesitation

to get involved from people who have responsibilities off campus with work and family, said Anee Korme, assistant director of campus life at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Com-muter students should focus on the benefits of getting involved on campus and expanding their networks, she said.

Options for getting involved are vari-ous, Densberger said. Many students will jump to the idea of joining an orga-nization, but there are also work study positions in departments, internships, athletic organization and intramural clubs.

John Finney, a business major at SIUE, lives off campus in Edwardsville.

For the past three years, he has been a member of the Campus Activities Board, which he said allows him to be more involved with the students in the campus community. He also sees the benefit the experience will bring after graduation.

“For me, as a business major, I see how to run an organization,” he said. “An organization is basically a business. I see how it’s going to help me after col-lege with my career.”

Students learn a lot of important life skills when they get involved on campus, Densberger said. Those include time management, learning to stay pri-oritized and more organized, and learn-ing to set goals.

Fontbonne presents an activities

fair on the first week of fall classes. The campus also has a student within the student government who is dedicated as a resource for commuter students, Densberger said.

That student reaches out to com-muter students to help them meet peo-ple. The thought is that students will feel more comfortable going to another student for that help than they would going to a faculty or staff member, she said.

Universities also know the timing of activities plays a big part in how much commuter students get involved.

Of course, there are the typical eve-ning programs, but Fontbonne, SIUE and other universities offer daytime programming as well.

“So, for students that would go home after classes, we have programming to encourage them to stay on campus,” Densberger said. “They could meet some people while enjoying a movie. We cater it to engage our commuter students.”

Tips to help commuter students fiT in on campus“When you just go to class and go home, you’re kind of on your own and more isolated — less likely to reach out.”Janelle A. Densberger, director of leadership education and student activities at Fontbonne university. ”

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Many people find themselves being asked from a very young age, “What do you want to be when you grow

up?” When they near their college years, that question often shifts to “What will be your major?”

It would be easy for a student to become anxious, worrying that by the time college begins, he must have a plan for not just his education, but for the rest of his life and career.

Rest assured. That is not the case. No one expects students to have their future path fully mapped out from the moment they walk onto campus.

Having patience in deciding on a major is key, said Lee DeLaet, direc-tor of academic advising at Fontbonne University.

“Some students think ‘I’ll just be without a major for a while and work on my general education instead of working toward the degree,’” she said. “I find that a mature self-assessment.”

A less favorable choice would be for students to hastily pick their major and spend four semesters pursuing it before realizing its not something they want to do for the rest of their life, she said.

Many universities set up their course offerings so students focus on general education curriculum at first. They also advise students to take introductory courses to find out more about fields of

study they think might interest them, said Joe Parisi, dean of day admissions at Lindenwood University.

“I think they find their way,” Parisi said. “Once they know more about it, they can make an informed decision moving forward.”

“We let students know it doesn’t matter what happens your first semes-ter,” DeLaet said. “You’re going to have a very similar schedule. It buys them some relief as well. They do say, ‘I’m glad I had that time to think about it.’”

That time can be valuable, because students sometimes need to learn to ask themselves what they want to do and not fall into choosing a path based on someone else’s career or expectations.

“Students really need to take a look at what their interest are — their interests, not the interests of their older brother, or their mother or their father,” said Jann Weitzel, vice president for academic affairs at Lindenwood.

“Self-actualization has to take place,” Parisi said. “I see it every day. Students make decisions to attend or not attend. They make choices. It’s amazing how somebody at that age with so many resources around them doesn’t really take a look at themselves and what they’re interested in.”

Students also need to look to their strengths, Weitzel said.

“Just today, I talked to a student who

needs to change his major,” she said. “I asked him what he likes to do. He said he is interested in working with children and he really likes the outdoors. He’s an athlete. I said, ‘Have you thought about recreation administration?’ He could work at the YMCA or work at summer camps. He didn’t even know that degree existed.”

When advising a student, DeLaet said she often will look at the high school transcript and ask about classes in which the student got As and Bs.

“I have them focus on their experi-ences in the past that they enjoyed and that they were challenged by in a good way,” she said. “Advising is a conversa-tion. It’s not a number. It’s not a grade. It’s definitely a conversation.”

At Lindenwood, each student is assigned an academic adviser to help them with any question, and, in par-ticular, to help them decipher what they want to do, Parisi said. Another resource is the career development office, which offers assistance in job placement, per-sonality profiling, career counseling and to help students understand the oppor-tunities that exist in certain fields.

Lindenwood requires students to take a course called LUL 10100 — Freshmen Experience, which focuses on the tools necessary to become a successful college student. One of the assignments in this course requires students to put together

information on what their future might be, Weitzel said. It has them look at what is required to work in a certain field, the average salary, work schedule, personality requirements and other information. She said students are then asked to examine it and ask “Does that match who I am?”

Faculty members are also a good resource for students looking to find their niche, DeLaet said.

“At Fontbonne, because of our size, if a student expresses a variety of interests, we set up a meeting with the depart-ment chair or a faculty member,” she said. “The faculty are better at under-standing if a student has the background to pursue a specific major. It can be very enlightening.”

One of the best tests of whether a major or a career field would fit, how-ever, is to arrange to job shadow some-one in the field.

“Do you know someone who does that now? Can you contact them? Meet with them in their habitat? What is that field looking for now,” DeLaet said.

The student can ask that person what they like about what they do, what they don’t like, and what qualifies them for the work.

“Once they talk to some folks in that field, they often can come to the conclu-sion that it is not what they thought it was,” DeLaet said.

What major is right for you?

Students getting ready to begin their college careers may soon find them-selves pondering how to ingrain them-selves in their new communities. Col-lege presents opportunities to explore new interests and hobbies and make new friends in the process. One of the more popular ways students assimilate into campus life is by joining a Greek organization.

Some students have gotten their first perceptions of Greek organizations from movies such as “Animal House” and “Old School,” but such depictions of Greek life are not entirely accurate.

Greek organizations like fraterni-ties and sororities date back hundreds of years, when the organizations were largely social associations formed in European universities.

When colleges were founded in North America, many of the traces of student organizations and inde-pendence were not incorporated into modern-day learning. Students eventu-ally set off to form their own groups to

debate and discuss current events and literature that was not part of their col-lege curriculum. Some met in secrecy, while some schools supported the free thinking of these clubs.

One of the first American schools to establish a college society was the College of William and Mary in Wil-liamsburg, Va., where the Phi Beta Kappa Society was founded, setting the precedent for naming North American college societies after Greek-letter ini-tials. Other societies soon began to form under the basis of literary debates and other educational merits, like the Chi Delta Theta group at Yale.

It was not until the Kappa Alpha society, the first general Greek letter fraternity, was formed at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., that the focus of fraternities turned from being merely academic to more socially-oriented.

Many fraternities for men, and later sororities for women, began as local-ized Greek societies unique to particular schools. However, Sigma Phi, another

fraternity formed at Union College, became the first Greek organization to establish a chapter at another college, making it the first national Greek orga-nization. Today, many Greek organiza-tions have national reach.

Modern-day Greek societies have moved beyond strictly academic pur-suits. Many are now used as social, honorary and professional groups that promote a variety of ideals.

There are different ways in which new members are inducted into Greek organizations. Some are given formal invitations initiated by current mem-bers. Many others are recruited through campus events and “Greek weeks.” Some organizations need to keep chapter houses full, while commuter schools may not have such large Greek presences on campus. Either way, fresh recruitment is needed each and every year in order to keep organizations alive.

Generally, Greek organizations can be good places to meet new people and partake in various activities, including

sports, parties, community service proj-ects and academic concentrations.

METRO

Greek organizations an option for campus life


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SIUE awards degrees in 43 under-graduate, 67 graduate and four doctoral programs encompassing the arts and sci-ences, nursing, education, business, engi-neering, pharmacy and dental medicine.

With so many areas of study to choose from, even students who are still deciding on a major have the flexibility to explore their options while making progress toward their degree from day one. The SIUE Career Development Center (CDC), for example, helps students make the most of their college experience and get an early start in preparing for a success-ful, rewarding career. Career counselors offer career development support, guid-ance and assessment resources.

Once students select a major, the CDC connects students with relevant intern-ships and co-op opportunities, offers job search preparation and interviewing techniques, and hosts career fairs and

on-campus interviews. Last year, more than 500 students earned a total of $2.3 million by participating in a co-op or internship at corporations such as Monsanto, Anheuser-Busch, Ameren, The Boeing Company and Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Nearly 900 employers posted a total of 3,275 jobs through the CDC and more than 200 employers interacted with 1,838 students at career fairs.

Visit siue.edu to learn more about SIUE and all it has to offer. Apply now for the 2014 academic year: siue.edu/apply.

Lindenwood University offers a vibrant residential life setting that puts students in the center of academic, athletic and social activities. Whether residing in a recently constructed or historic dorm, students can develop a strong sense of community by living on campus.

Lindenwood offers eight male and 10 female residence halls on its St. Charles campus. Apartment-style housing is also an option for many upper-class students.

The demand for on-campus housing is high, as Lindenwood’s approximately 4,000 residential spaces are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. In fact, the steadily increasing number of residential students prompted the university to

implement its waiting list one month earlier in 2013 than in previous years.

“This is another testimony to the growth and prowess of Lindenwood University,” said Joe Parisi, dean of day admissions. “Each year, Lindenwood University becomes a greater commodity not only in the St. Louis region, but nationally and internationally as well.”

Schedule a visit or apply online at www.lindenwood.edu/admissions, or call (636) 949-4949.

CAMPUSnews

SIUE prepares students for successful careers

Lindenwood University offers residential life at its best


Making the transition from high school to college can be daunting. It’s a time for new experiences, making new friends and finding “your place” in an exciting new environment.

Joining student organizations is a great way to meet new people and expand your horizons. With more than 70 student clubs and organizations, Maryville University in St. Louis makes it easy for new students to get involved and make a difference in their community.

“The organizations available for students to join reflect the wide diversity of our student body,” said Brian Gardner, director of student involvement at Maryville. “We have organizations devoted to special interests, such as chess or other hobbies. Some organizations are devoted to specific cultures, nationalities or religious beliefs. We even have clubs that are specific to students who commute to campus or students who are U.S. veterans. There’s really something

for everyone at Maryville.”Maryville organizations do more than

just hold meetings. Many are actively involved, sponsoring campus events and reaching out to the area with community service projects.

Prospective students can explore the variety of clubs and organizations available by visiting maryville.edu/studentinvolvement.

Maryville University helps makecampus ‘your place’ for students

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Fall classes start August 19


Children spend roughly 17 to 18 years living under mom and dad’s roof. When the time comes to go away to college, young men or women find themselves on their own for the first time in their lives. Once youngsters move into their dorm rooms, many attempt to add a few personal touches to their new home.

All too often a college dorm room is drab and uninspiring. Universities tend to make dorm rooms sparse so they are easy to maintain. Very often walls are made from concrete or brick, and the space may not be very large. In addi-tion, dorm rooms are often shared with a roommate, and the idea of spending semester after semester here may not be so appealing.

Students tend to arrive on campus with fixed budgets and not a lot of spending money for new furnishings, so dorm rooms often become populated with garage-sale finds and hand-me-downs. This may only add to the room’s poor aesthetics.

Making a dorm room your own does not require a lot of money or know-how. It starts with a vision, a few com-forts from home and some collaboration with your roommate.

Know the dorm rules before making any permanent changes. For example, schools may frown on holes in walls or other structural changes, so invest in stick-on hooks for hanging photos on walls.

Consider using a dorm room plan-ning website. Certain sites enable students to share a collaborative shop-ping cart with roommates so they can coordinate colors and avoid buying two of the same items.

Remember, the bed is the pivotal piece of the room. Most dorm rooms fit little more than two beds and two desks. Therefore, the bulk of your design will come from outfitting your bed with a comforter that adds color and life to the room. If you haven’t yet decided on a color scheme with your roommate, you may want to opt for neutral colors, or even basic black-and-white, which will blend with anything.

Invest in other creature comforts. A nice area rug and a few decorative lamps can remove the institutional feel of overhead fluorescent lights and cin-der block walls. Task lighting enables you to get work done at your desk or to read on the bed.

Consider curtains to add a homey feel. While blinds certainly have their utility, fabric curtains can help absorb noise and also make a dorm room feel more like home. If your dorm room has an attached bathroom, hang a shower curtain and use thick towels to make the space seem more like home.

Carve out a spot for a mini refrigera-tor. Students should not survive on cafeteria food alone. This will save you from overpaying at vending machines or convenience stores.

Don’t forget photos. Frame photos of friends and family members and place them around your area of the dorm room.

METRO

How to make a dorm room

College students can employ various strate-gies to make their dorm rooms feel more like home.

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As the school year begins, many high school juniors prepare to begin their lives as upperclassmen. They will

work to keep their grades up, stay involved in activities and work toward that day when they graduate.

The start of the school year also pro-vides them with a good time to begin their search for the funds that will help

them go to college. That means the search for scholarships.

October is the time when stu-dents should be applying for college. They will be filling out financial aid application forms in the spring. So now is a good time to be looking for scholarships, because there are not other things they should be doing to

prepare, said Leanne Cardwell, assis-tant commissioner at the Missouri Department of Higher Education.

“I would do that in advance — as early as your junior

year,” she said. “Some-times there are hoops

to jump through in terms of writing

an essay. The more time you have to apply for the scholar-ships, the bet-ter. I think that along with that,

you should be considering what

schools you’re interested in.

Some of those scholar-

ships are specific to the

institution you choose.”There are many types of scholar-

ships available. There are athletic scholarships, academic scholarships, community scholarships and others. It would be tough to find them all by looking in just one location.

There are scholarship search services available to students, but Cardwell warns that not all such services have the students’ best interests at heart. Some charge a fee. Others take credit card or banking information. Some have guaranteed that students will get scholarships, but no one can guarantee that, she said.

“I think you have to be really care-ful about the vendors that are willing to help you with a scholarship search,” she said.

One place students should check out is www.finaid.org, a website that has information about financial aid.

“It’s an objective resource for students and their parents,” she said. “They have a scholarship search tool on their website that is one that I would recommend.”

Cardwell also recommends going to the library to find books on scholar-ships.

“I think that when you have your eyes open and you’re kind of aware that you should be looking for schol-arships, you’re going to notice more of

them,” she said. “The awareness is a good thing too. You’d be surprised how many scholarship

opportunities there are if you’re looking.”

For those students entering their senior year in high school, now is a good time to be looking into

the institutions they might plan to attend to find out what financial aid is available from them, said Leroy Wade,

deputy commissioner for Missouri Department of Higher Education.

“You want to be looking at institu-tions, doing some of your calcula-tions,” Wade said. “There are cost calculators institutions have on their websites to help students understand

what the real costs are; what kinds of aid are available. Now is the time to do that planning.

“Once the beginning of the year arrives, you can begin applying for FAFSA, but you already will have your information together and know what you need.”

The research can be part of stu-dents’ visits to college campuses. As they look at what the institutions offer academically, they can also look at what financial aid is avail-able, what the criteria are to receive it, and what the deadlines are for applying.

“I don’t think it needs to be terribly time consuming,” Wade said. “I would say a couple of hours a week during the late summer and fall is enough to gather that information and have it ready in plenty of time to meet all the deadlines.”

For students entering college, Cardwell said this is the time of year when they are going to find out exactly what their financial aid pack-ages are going to look like.

“If there’s a need and they are thinking about taking out student loans, you’ve got to figure out how much you’re willing to take out and if that makes sense in your chosen field,” she said. “Is it a manageable amount?”

She said there are many college cost calculators that can help crunch the numbers. Knowing what you can expect to earn in the workforce after receiving a certain degree will help you understand whether taking out a large loan makes sense.

“Getting a reality check before you sign the promissory note is a good idea at this stage in the game,” she said.

The time to look for financial aid is now

““Sometimes there are hoops to jump through in terms of writing an essay. The more time you have to apply for the scholarships, the better.” Leanne Cardwell, assistant commissioner at the Missouri Department of Higher Education.


In an era when digital books can be downloaded to an e-reader for a few dollars, students may feel it foolish to shell out several hun-

dred dollars for a hardcover textbook that will only be used once.

Many college students are shocked at the cost of their textbooks. In fact, many students do not take textbook costs into consideration when budget-ing for school, only to have their jaws drop at the checkout counter of their campus bookstore.

The cost of textbooks has been an issue on college campuses for years. Many elementary and high school stu-dents do not have to pay directly for their textbooks, but college students must pay for their books.

There are a number of ways to cur-tail costs. One of the reasons behind the high sticker price for college text-books is the copyright fees publishers of large anthologies must pay to every

author who contributed to a book. Such costs can quickly add up. When there isn’t a large demand for the books, publishers will not make much money if they don’t charge more for the books.

Another reason for the high cost of textbooks is that some are accompa-nied by online companion resources. The publishers build the price of these resources into the cost of the book.

An additional contributing factor to students’ high textbook tabs could be the faculty at their college or uni-versity.

Some professors are not sensitive to the cost of books, selecting books they like or even ones they authored themselves without considering the price of such texts.

Supply and demand may also influ-ence the cost of textbooks. When too many textbooks are in circulation, there is no longer a high demand. So

publishers make money by continually issuing new volumes with an item or two changed to justify the purchase of a new book.

But as costly as textbooks can be, students can employ various methods to trim their textbook tabs.

Purchase used textbooks whenever possible. They may cost half as much.

Keep textbooks in good condition and attempt to sell them back to either the campus bookstore or one near to the school.

If the edition will be used again, you may be able to recoup a signifi-cant amount of the money you spent on the book.

Shop around. Jot down the ISBN number for the particular textbook and then go online and price it out. You may find the book elsewhere for a significant discount over the in-store price on campus.

With that ISBN number in hand,

find out if there are digital or soft-cover versions of the textbook avail-able. These formats may be more affordable.

Compare the old edition to the new. The new edition may have different page numbers or minor changes, but not enough to negate the value of the old edition. You can save a lot of money on an old edition.

Make friends with someone in your class and share the costs and use of the book.

Set up study and homework ses-sions to work together or make copies of particular chapters if you need to work solo.

Consult with your financial aid counselor. Sometimes financial aid can offset the cost of textbooks. You might be eligible for aid to cover the cost of your textbooks throughout the school year.

METRO

Taming the cost of textbooks

LET’S DO THIS }


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College Connection Back to School Edition August 2013

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