Two of the major considerations students make in their college search are large school vs.small school and private vs; progesterone clomid.public; progesterone clomid.All but one of my 35 years in higher education has been at large public universities (I also was educated at one) progesterone clomid, so I have some built-in bias.On the other hand progesterone clomid, both of my children selected smaller private universities, so I know personally their excellent experiences and also know that many students will find smaller and independent colleges the best fit.  That being said, I know from long experience that a wide variety of students can find their niche and achieve great success at large institutions.  In the next several months, high school seniors will be making final college decisions and many of juniors will be narrowing their application choice set.  Below are some characteristics of large publics that I hope you find helpful as you are making decisions about your education.

1.Student Diversity – More students generally means greater diversity in ethnic progesterone clomid, economic, geographic backgrounds, and interests.This allows students to find kindred spirits, as well as encounter and learn from those who are different than they – important experience in preparation for careers in a global and increasingly diverse society.   The scale and diversity of a large student body also provides opportunities for self reinvention and exploration of interests and ideas that may not have been possible in high school.

2 – progesterone clomid.Simplified Admissions Process – Generally, large public schools have straight-forward admissions, scholarship, and financial aid processes – progesterone clomid.This makes the process far easier for students – helpful for those applying to more than just a few schools!

3.Classroom Experiences – These universities may offer tens of thousands of courses with huge variety in class sizes and subjects taught; progesterone clomid.Also, much of the research done across the country happens at large, flagship state institutions, so students also will have the benefit of top-name faculty doing cutting-edge research.  Opportunities for undergraduates to partner with brilliant and innovative faculty and graduate students also are available.

4.Location – Large universities can be found anywhere progesterone clomid, from large urban centers, to rural areas and cool college towns.The look and feel of these campuses also can differ.They may be very centralized and compact with a cohesive look or integrated with the community with a more eclectic feel. Progesterone clomid: whatever a student is looking for, the variety is there.

5.Alumni Connections – Larger schools can have hundreds of thousands of living alumni.Students will have the benefit of career and networking connections, alumni clubs that keep them involved after graduation, and the national and international name recognition that comes with having alums all over the world.

6.Major Sports – Athletics is a major part of the college experience for many students at large publics —and not just from the sidelines.These schools also may offer dozens of club and intramural sports that are open to the entire student body, allowing everyone to get involved in the action.

7. Progesterone clomid: the Arts – With many large universities having enrollments rivaling that of some city populations, these schools attract lots of bands, touring shows, and major art exhibits to their campuses.Students also may have the opportunity to express their artistic side through campus music and theater programs, form or join a band, or perform in local civic theater productions.(Lady Gaga just performed at Purdue, the only show of her tour on a university campus.Why? Her tour manager is an alum—see #5.)

8 – progesterone clomid.Student Organizations – Large publics offer hundreds of ways to get involved; progesterone clomid.No matter where a student’s interests lie progesterone clomid, they are likely to find other students interested in the same thing. Progesterone clomid: participation in student organizations ensure there’s always a way to stay active and involved, whether for camaraderie, de-stressing from classes, or simply as a way to meet new people.

9. Progesterone clomid: leadership Opportunities – Many students are concerned with getting lost in the crowd in college but large universities offer more opportunities to stand out and be a leader.There are leadership development programs that encourage students to make their presence known on campus and in their communities; progesterone clomid.Additionally, opportunities to lead abound in student government, roles in fraternities and sororities and on university boards, and in labs working with prominent faculty; progesterone clomid.

10.Academic and Career Resources – All schools want their students to be successful, including the large publics; progesterone clomid.Professors progesterone clomid, teaching and research assistants, and tutors are readily available so students can find the help they need; all they need do is ask.Career services offices also help to ensure that students have jobs to go to after their coursework is complete and can be huge magnets for the top corporations in the world who recognize the quality of education the students are receiving.

11.  Ways to Make the Big Place Small – Orientation programs and courses, learning communities, residential colleges, honors programs, freshman seminars, academic success centers – the list goes on and on of the programs large public universities have developed and implemented in the past 20 years to not only enhance student success, but also to provide an opportunity for each student to find his or her special place.

My advice – make a truly informed choice.A campus visit and questions about how your experience can be personalized and individualized, as well as full consideration of all that a large school has to offer, should be an important part of your college search.

; progesterone clomid

Boiler Up!  Both our men AND our women in the Sweet Sixteen – life is good!  I was with colleagues from the Big Ten over the weekend and watched as several of our teams left the dance – but am so excited that the Boilers are still in.   Hope you’ll join me in cheering them on to the Final Four.  And by the way – we had a great time in Atlanta.  Several of our alums helped me out – which was great since the Purdue table was packed and I was making presentations about the Big Ten in general to students and parents.  In addition to the wonderful parents and students we met, we also hosted a breakfast for high school counselors from the Atlanta area.  Collaborating with by Big Ten colleagues is one of my favorite things to do and of course, recruiting for Purdue, always a joy.  For those of you from California – Mitch Warren from our office will be traveling with the Big Ten next week – call us if you didn’t receive an invitation – there is still space to attend our events in San Diego, LA, and the Bay area.

It’s a sweet spring for college visits, too!  Over 70 degrees and sunny on campus today and Purdue is just packed with visitors – both admitted students making those decision-making visits and hundreds of juniors and sophomores using their spring breaks to take exploratory college visits. 

I can remember all too well when my oldest daughter fell in love with her chosen university during the spring of her sophomore year-we combined college tours with a family vacation.  I still believe that part of the reason she selected that particular university was because after the admissions presentation, I urged her to go on the campus tour alone while I contacted a colleague on that campus.  She came back from the tour well-informed and convinced that’s where she needed to be.  It did turn out to be a great fit for her – but I wonder sometimes that had I gone on the tour and asked too many embarrassing questions – would things have turned out differently?  Somewhat ironically – she became a tour guide for that same admissions office while she was a student-my first campus tour there was conducted by her!  A few years later, my husband took our youngest daughter on college visits during spring break of her junior year (by then I knew way too many people in the “business” and didn’t want to get in her way in the process, so I stayed home).  For her, it was a great trip for eliminating schools and discovering what would not be a good fit.  She and we both thought ahead of time that a small liberal arts college with opportunities for the performing arts would be the best type of school for her and she visited three such truly wonderful colleges in the Midwest plus a Big Ten campus.  As my husband stated emphatically, she only came “alive” on that trip when she was on the Big Ten campus – that was when her eyes were shining, she asked questions, and really started to connect with her student host.  Subsequently, she actually ended up choosing yet another Big Ten school – but she learned a lot about herself and what she was looking for during that initial set of tours. 

So Seniors and their parents – do come visit us if you haven’t yet made that final choice.  We are completely out of room in the Purdue’s for Me program – but still have space in our daily visit programs for admitted students.  Juniors and sophomores – this is a busy time – make sure that you make a reservation for your visit – we want to make sure that we have adequate space, staff, and tour guides – so book well in advance.  And is always my advice – parents – try to have your students own this process as much as possible – encourage them to be the ones to ask the questions!  As a family, do take notes and even videos and pictures.  Especially if you’re visiting multiple campuses in a single trip – you’ll want to refer to that documentation as you narrow down choices for application.  And students, if time permits and you’re not squeezing too many campuses in one day (we do not recommend more than two per day, BTW) – be sure to leave the parents at the coffee shop and walk around by yourself for a while and try the campus on for size!  After all – it is YOU who will by applying and attending – not the folks.

One other word of advice to juniors especially — PLEASE take advantage of your free score reports at the time you register for the SAT and/or ACT this spring and next fall.  Purdue will always use the scores that reflect best on you, so never hesitate to send your scores to us -even before you know what they are.  Beginning with the 2009-2010 application season, we will require that your scores come to us directly from the testing agency – so be sure to take care of that matter before you apply beginning in August – one/third of the required parts of your application will be completed – one less thing for you to worry about next fall.

Boiler Up!; nexium drug

Levitra usa: it’s quiet on campus this week as Purdue’s students headed out last Friday to home, to the beach or to ski slopes for Spring Break.  As my assistant said “It’s as if the campus is relaxing and breathing a sigh.” And I’ve had a number of faculty and staff ask me if I’m taking vacation or what I’m doing for spring break.  Huh??  Gosh, a week or so ago at a basketball game I had to ask our wonderful Dean of Students Tony Hawkins when Purdue’s spring break was – I knew it was coming up – but honestly – it has little impact on those of us in Enrollment Management – we’re just stretched for tour guides as our visitors to admissions increase rather than decrease this time of year.

So campus life will be a little slower over the coming seven days -but it’s been fun and exciting the past few weeks and this past weekend.  You know by now that I am a MAJOR Boilermaker basketball fan.  I had so much fun this weekend going to the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament in Indianapolis – the scene in Conseco Fieldhouse and downtown was terrific and colorful with everyone walking around happily with their school shirts and jackets on.  I tried to capture just a bit of the atmosphere with my camera. 

As you know – our guys beat Ohio State in the finals, won the tournament trophy and are now on their way to the dance!   Be sure to cheer them on during March madness!

Another big win on campus was earlier this month when the Irish Tenors (pictured at the left) performed at Elliott Hall of Music with the Lafayette Symphony.  The singing was beautiful and wow-what fantastic sound from our own city orchestra.  My husband and I have season tickets to the Symphony and are impressed every time.  Learn more about Purdue entertainment and cultural programs at Purdue Convocations and LSO.  Also last weekend – my husband and I ventured to two new restaurants in downtown Lafayette (OK, so I’m not much of a cook as an empty nester!) and were delighted by wonderful Italian one night and sushi and crab (yum) the next.  The restaurant scene around the downtown area seems to be expanding every week.  Learn more about our two great cities from the visitor information site. 

In the midst of regular meetings, writing, and reviewing reports- there have been some exciting highlights in my work the past few weeks.  One of the most delightful was a celebratory lunch with author and Purdue faculty member Bich Minh Nguyen.  Bich’s book, Stealing Buddha’s Dinner was recently selected as Purdue’s FIRST Common Reading selection – to be read by all of our incoming students this summer.  Bich’s book was selected by a campus wide committee from over 100 nominations-it’s a wonderful coming of age memoir about growing up in the Midwest as an immigrant from Viet Nam – -food features prominently in the book (both wonderful ethnic food and American junk food), as does 80s culture.  I know our students are going to love it — I happened to read it when it first came out and was very positively reviewed by the NY Times – and selected it for my book club to read last September.  Bich was gracious enough to come to my home to meet with my club.  I can’t wait until she addresses over 6,000 new students this coming fall.

I’m off to Atlanta this coming Friday for a weekend of joint Big Ten recruitment activities.  If you live in that area – come by our college fair and information session on Sunday afternoon, March 22 at the Doubletree in Buckhead.

This weekend was “spring forward” time and spring was truly in the air in West Lafayette with temperatures in the 70 degree range.  Before we know it, the daffodils, tulips and gorgeous flowering trees all over campus will be in bloom.  And of course, as soon as it hits 50 or so – the students break out the cargo shorts and flip flops!

Spring is a VERY important season in the world of college admissions and financial aid.  To get a peak at our view of the world – take a look at a front page article  in the Sunday New York Times this week:  http://www.universitybusiness.com/newssummary.aspx?news_date=2009-03-09&news_id=18422#top

We’re certainly not “sweating” enrollment at Purdue – but this is the time of year when it really is our admitted students who are in the driver’s seat, not us!  We’ve rendered almost all of our admissions decisions and now have to wait for the students to accept our offer.  We know that almost all of our outstanding admitted students have choices and we are honored and gratified when they make what we believe to be the right choice – Purdue!  So our Enrollment Management offices are busy with final scholarship selections, visit programs for thousands of admitted students and their families, live chat events, and mailings to keep everyone informed of the next steps for paying the enrollment deposit, applying for housing, scheduling a Summer Transition, Advising, and Registration (STAR) date, and registering for Boiler Gold Rush (the best welcome week orientation in the USA!).  We know owhat is important for students to think about when the final college decision is made, so we try to make sure all of that information and opportunity is available.

So if it is March of the senior year and maybe you’re still on the fence mulling over multiple college options – how do you sort through them?  Here are a few tips:

• Although you might want to keep your options open as long as possible – there is a deadline for your decision.No college can make you commit prior to May 1, but your admission is only guaranteed if you respond by May 1 – don’t forget that date! Parents, every student is different – my oldest made her college decision in December of her senior year – the younger drove me crazy and decided the night of April 29.Just make sure your students has deposited to one (and ONLY one) college choice by April 30.
• If at all possible, visit the campuses on your final list one last time; about levitra.Sometime first impressions will change on the second campus visit, admitted student programs are more in depth than those for prospective students, and your questions will be more nuanced and specific than at earlier visits; about levitra. About levitra: students – be SURE on these visits to separate from the parental units for at least 30 minutes and wander around by yourself.Strike up a conversation with students in line at the coffee shop in the student union or sitting by a fountain, read the campus newspaper, scan bulletin boards, and soak in the general atmosphere.Can you see yourself walking across this campus in just a few months? You’ll know if it feels right and you should pay close attention to those instincts.
• Weighing costs and financial aid offers is also an important part of the decision for many families; about levitra. About levitra: be a savvy consumer in this regard – and think about it – your probably don’t buy the cheapest when you’re in the market for a new TV or even a pair of jeans – so cost shouldn’t be the primary driver for education – a much more important investment than clothes or electronics.Be sure and literally do the math and make sure you understand the differences among grants about levitra, scholarships, work-study, subsidized, parent, and private loans and how the aid package compares to the total cost of attendance.Purdue’s financial aid web site and the Paying for Purdue brochure we’ve sent admitted students will be helpful in this regard; about levitra.And recall that most of us do take out loans for a car that immediately starts to depreciate; about levitra.The value of education only appreciates over time – so if student loans are in your future – that’s OK – about levitra.Just be sure they’re in a range that you anticipate being able to handle post-graduation – about levitra.And here’s a little enrollment management secret about merit scholarships – by and large, they are market-driven and/or they are awarded based on the specifications of donor wishes – about levitra.So you can’t expect the same merit scholarships from institutions that have differing academic profiles – about levitra.In general, the more the student stands out relative to the college’s academic profile, the more likely a merit scholarship will be offered – about levitra.Yes-we enjoy honoring students for their high school achievements, but merit scholarships do serve the institution’s goals as well; about levitra.Despite what the guidebooks may tell you – it’s quite rare among public universities that you’ll be able to “bargain” for more merit aid.Purdue’s merit scholarships are all awarded by the time we release financial aid packages on April 1; about levitra.If your financial circumstances have changed, we are glad to re-evaluate your need-based aid, but we will not be able to offer more merit aid.
• Of course, the most important factor in any investment is the return.  As I’m sure you know – Purdue has been endorsed by several third parties this year, including SmartMoney, as having an excellent return on the investment in terms of employment shortly after graduation and salaries earned five and ten years out.  Our superb Center for Career Opportunities starts working with students freshman year to help them plan their career strategies and connect with employers for both internships and permanent employment.

When it comes down to it, person-institution fit is what it’s all about in college choice.  You want to be challenged by a stimulating academic environment, great faculty, and a lively and diverse student body – but you also want to know that supportive people and services will be there when you need them.  You want to meet people from all over the world and many different backgrounds – but you also want to find kindred spirits.  You want space and time to just kick back – but also know that something is going on all the time that you can choose to participate in.  I believe that Purdue can be that special place for many types of students – our commitment to excellence, size, complexity, and diversity are what make us great.  We’ve honored you by admitting you – we hope that you will now honor us by accepting our offer – about levitra. 

Hail Purdue!

Note….students….don’t read the following story…I was a BAD role model and do not recommend that you follow my example.

When I was a junior in college, I served as president of the sorority system – so was very busy working in the dean’s office, student government, and with all sorts of activities.  I was taking Econ (and was a communications major – so Econ was not exactly my cup of tea) and skipped several class meetings in a row to tend to sorority matters and other things I enjoyed more.  The result…I was actually embarrassed to go back to class!  But I did work up the courage to show my face and somehow managed to pull out a C in the course – not my best hour.  But I did learn the truth of the Woody Allen quote – 70% of success is showing up!

Well, I think of that time – because it’s been so long since I’ve blogged that I’m rather embarrassed to come back!  But our great Web guy tells me people actually read this AND I just found out an out-of-state colleague whom I’ve not seen since last summer is reading it – so I knew I HAD to get back in the saddle!

How to cover two months in a few paragraphs?    How about more lessons learned – yes, I’m still learning 30+ years after taking Econ.

1. My family and I learned we can celebrate Christmas on the 26^th and count our blessings after our youngest daughter was stuck at O’Hare for two days and had to spend the 25^th by herself in an airport hotel; levitra buy levitra.I also learned that at 21 she’s a pretty strong and capable young woman.
2. I learned to count even more blessings when we joyously hosted 35 friends and family (all from out of town) for my dad’s 90^th birthday a week after Christmas.
3. After 4 days of hosting and feeding 35 people levitra buy levitra, I learned that it’s a blessing to go back to work!
4. By mid-January, I learned that we were going to have to ask for some more help and re-engineer the admissions application and review process – we were drowning – but after four weeks we’re coming up for air.And I’m very grateful to the dozens of staff who are working evenings and weekends on top of their regular work weeks to make this happen.
5. I also learned to be very grateful for the patience and good will of our applicants and their families who were anxiously awaiting a decision from Purdue.
6. I learned once again (as I have frequently in recent years) to have faith in the decisions of my adult children, as the decision of my older daughter to leave a “good” job to spend full-time on her master’s thesis and take an unpaid internship for a semester paid off – with a full-time job at the U.S.State Department; levitra buy levitra.( Levitra buy levitra: and I learned to be jealous of her as she was able to be on the Mall during the Presidential Inauguration.)
7. I learned through our strategic planning process that the directors in all of the Enrollment Management offices (Admissions, Financial Aid, Bursar, Reporting and Analysis, Registrar, and Student Transition, Access and Success) at Purdue are even more outstanding, thoughtful, insightful, and collaborative than I knew-and I already thought they were quite special.We’ll be finalizing our new plan in the coming weeks and I am inspired by our collective vision and goals.
8. I learned that I could make it through five days of chairing meetings – 2 days with my Big Ten counterparts in our mid-year meeting, followed by 3 days with the Midwestern Regional College Board Forum.As Regional Chair it was an honor to preside at the Forum with over 500 colleagues and a special thrill to meet reporter and writer Juan Williams who was our closing speaker.
9. I also learned that it was lots of fun to have a picnic together on the train with my Purdue colleagues as we took Amtrak from Chicago back to Lafayette after the Forum – levitra buy levitra.( Levitra buy levitra: a “green” and very inexpensive mode of transportation, by the way-it’s $36 round trip from Lafayette to Chicago.)
10. I learned that friends and family from far away don’t mind if your “holiday” letter doesn’t go out until the first of February – from the emails and notes – they’re just happy you’re in touch. Levitra buy levitra: and I learned that a number of my friends are sending Valentine’s greetings instead of holiday cards – they’re still arriving in my mailbox.
11. I’m learning to remain loyal and cheer on our men’s and women’s basketball teams – win or lose! Go Boilers!
12. And this week I’m learning a lot about new software technologies as we’re spending three days with demonstrations of recruiting and communication systems.

Upon reflection – it’s been a wonderful two months of discoveries, special events, hard work and some play.  I hope it’s been the same for you.

But I’ve also learned that procrastination is its own worst enemy and pledge to you that I’ll be blogging a bit more frequently in the coming months.

I want to make sure that all my blog readers know that great news about Purdue was released this week by SmartMoney magazine.  In the January issue now on newstands cialis cialis information, Purdue was cited as one of the top ten public universities that “jump to the head of the class” in the relationship between cost of attendance and alumni earning power.   We’re delighted by this recognition – and it confirms what we know – that Purdue graduates are in great demand by employers and do very well in their professions.  We know this is exciting and reassuring information for our prospective students and their families as they consider the financial and personal investment in a Purdue education.  Not only will you have a fantastic and enriching experience at Purdue – but your education will pay off in both earnings and future quality of life.

And speaking of enriching Purdue experiences, I had the pleasure last night of attending a reception for and lecture by Steve Ford, son of President Gerald Ford.  Mr. Cialis cialis information: ford’s inside stories of his time in the White House and history lesson about the 1970s were fascinating and his messages about ethics and influencing others’ lives was inspiring.  What was especially impressive about the evening, however, was that the event was completely arranged and sponsored by Delta Gamma sorority.  The leadership and hospitality shown by this student group was outstanding!

Mine has been a hectic week of meetings, interviewing candidates for two dean positions, planning a new publication on “Paying for Purdue” to be sent to our admitted students in late January, and various other events.  But sprinkled through my calendar have been a few campus holiday celebrations, as well.  It’s great to take just a few minutes to honor our student employees before their finals begin, relax with office staff members over delicious potlucks, and enjoy the campus and community holiday decorations.  I’m looking forward to more celebrations this weekend – and watching both the men and women’s basketball teams playing at home on Saturday.  I hope you’re also having time to relax and celebrate the season with family and friends during this busy time.

It’s been an eventful couple of weeks since my last post.  Thanksgiving has come and gone – I consumed too much food and beverage, but had great times with my 21-year-old daughter, dear friends from California whose son is a sophomore at Purdue, neighbors and my almost 90-year-old dad and his wife.  My daughter just started her first full-time professional job since college graduation (what a relief!), so we caught the day after Thanksgiving sales and beefed up her wardrobe.  It’s much more fun to buy youthful size six clothes for her than shopping for my rather boring and middle-of-the road professional wardrobe!  And yes, parents, I will testify.  There is no doubt that parenting during the transition from high school to college is challenging – but there are far fewer guidebooks on parenting during the transition from college to the real world!   What I have learned is that if you support their education and development as a capable, self-reliant adult – things will work out in the end.  Adult children are among life’s greatest joy – but it is even more joyful when they’re happily and gainfully employed.

But enough about me – what about what’s happening in admissions?  As our senior parents, applicants, and high school counselors all know – last Friday was “Purdue Day.”  So nick-named in some high schools that have a lot of applicants to Purdue and the first day that we began releasing admissions decisions for fall 2009.  We turned the switch on at 5 PM EST– and by 6 PM, our tech folks told us that over 2,000 folks had logged into the admissions status check.  Not surprisingly, our phone rang off the hook yesterday and we also received over 400 emails over the weekend– we took over 700 phone calls to our main line and many more on the counselors’ privates lines yesterday.  The questions have ranged from “what does this application decision mean?” to “please change my major – that wasn’t what I meant to apply to”  or “why was I denied?” to the most common – “what is my PIN?”  Today we dropped down to our normal 200-300 calls per day and tomorrow we’ll actually put our voicemail system back up.  But all-in-all things have gone extremely well and we’re especially pleased that students and parents are carefully reading the information on our web site.  Let me clarify one thing:  “Offered 1^st choice” on the status check – means ADMITTED!!  (Several of our parent callers have wanted to make sure they were reading that correctly.)  I’d also like to give a plug to our fabulous Boilermaker MaryJo who is welcoming all our newly admitted students on our web site.  Be sure to take a look at her great video.

We’re continuing to make several hundred decisions every single day – keeping within the 8-10 week processing and review period from the time the application is complete and all materials received.  Most of our applicants are receiving happy news, but we know that some are disappointed that we are asking for more information before making a final decision in the spring, and in some cases, letting them know that the West Lafayette campus of Purdue will not be their home in fall 2009.  Sometimes the college admissions process may include the first major letdown in a young person’s life – but learning how to accept disappointment and move on to other options is an extremely important life skill.  Supportive parents and counselors who listen and help process alternatives are key.  Parents – if you’re more upset about an admissions decision than your student – I urge you to swallow hard and keep your feelings to yourself.  Sharing anger and outrage and telling your child that you’re going to call the colleges that disappointed and demand an explanation are all behavior that will not help your student feel capable, competent, and confident in moving forward.  Following your child’s lead is in everyone’s best interest — share in the immediate sadness, but also provide gentle reminders that there are many, many paths to success in life and a place for everyone at the table of higher education in the U.S.

And I can’t blog this time of year without talking about Boilermaker basketball.  Gosh – ups and downs the past couple of weeks.  Both the men and the women WILL get back on track, however and playing these highly ranked teams is a GREAT warm up for the Big Ten season.  I love the excitement in Mackey for games – our student fans are the best!

Celecoxib 200mg: so, I’m a little jet-lagged again and excited to be at home and at my desk for the next several weeks! I had the distinct honor of representing Purdue at another conference last week – this time with admissions officers from colleges all over the world and international and American high schools abroad. Celecoxib 200mg: the counselors work with fascinating students who are being educated in English (many in International Baccalaureate programs), but live in other countries or attend international schools in the United States – so a cosmopolitan and rich mix of children of government officials and international business people.These are young people who live and breathe our increasingly global connections and we are eager to recruit them to Purdue’s already very international campus – celecoxib 200mg.And yes-hardship duty to be sure-the conference was in Monaco.Yes, that Monaco – celecoxib 200mg.Undoubtedly, a gorgeous setting but I was in meetings or on airplanes for the better part of five days.OK – did love the view of the harbor and the Mediterranean Sea from my hotel room….sigh.

Got back in time to cheer on the Boilermakers in a rather decisive win over our in-state rivals from Indiana University.Can we all say: 62-10?!?! And just a few hours after Coach Tiller was honored for his retirement at Ross-Ade stadium, I cheered on our men’s basketball team to victory; celecoxib 200mg.And just because the jet lag hadn’t hit entirely on Sunday – was back at Mackey to watch our women win! A week’s rest from Purdue sports during this week – but I’m getting psyched for the Duke game!

Back in the office, even this short week is incredibly busy – celecoxib 200mg.Of course celecoxib 200mg, we’re gearing up for the release of our first admissions decisions in early December.The apps are coming in literally by the thousands now – celecoxib 200mg.We took a few pictures of our mail room so that you can see we’re being inundated by mail and web applications, but we’re pretty darned organized, too.As swamped as we are – I know every one of our staff take great care in processing and reviewing each of the credentials we receive.

A number of parents and students have asked us just how selective Purdue will be in the coming year.There isn’t a quick and easy answer to that question – but let me share a little about how we determine how many students to admit – celecoxib 200mg.I always say that all admissions is personal to the individual student and family – but at a macro level – there is a lot of algebra involved! We first have to look at the total physical and instructional capacity of the West Lafayette campus. Celecoxib 200mg: right now, we’re a bit crowded at over 40,000 students and have a goal to move closer to 39,000 over the next year or two.We then look at the split between and graduate and undergraduate enrollment and again – we’re a little high right now and want to have more flexibility with undergraduate instructional capacity; celecoxib 200mg.We then look at expected graduation rates and continuing student retention rates.Next we back all of those projections out from the total enrollment target; celecoxib 200mg.What is left is our capacity for new undergraduate enrollment at both the freshman and various transfer levels; celecoxib 200mg.Because Purdue’s admission is directly to the many academic programs, we run these projections for each of the schools and colleges (fortunately, we have wonderful computer models that we’ve developed over time that are amazingly accurate); celecoxib 200mg.To determine how many students we can admit to each program, we use yield data from the previous year or two; celecoxib 200mg.Yield is the percentage of students who take us up on our offer of admission – celecoxib 200mg.Yield varies by a number of factors – including the Purdue program, in-state or out-of-state residency, international or domestic, the academic credentials of the admitted students, and financial need; celecoxib 200mg. Celecoxib 200mg: in recent years, yield has become increasingly difficult to predict nation-wide as many students are applying to a greater number of universities than did their predecessors.It stands to reason that if a student is admitted to six institutions rather than one or two – each of those six has a lesser chance of yielding that particular student.And there are wildcards we don’t always have control over.This year, for example, we don’t know how the economy will affect yield.So there is a lot of science involved – and not a little bit of art!

So throughout the next few months, we will carefully monitor the number of admissions compared to the number we believe we need to admit to each program in order to fulfill each of the school and college targets; celecoxib 200mg.As we review each individual application, we first want to make sure that the student is prepared to be successful in the selected program; celecoxib 200mg.The 2nd level of the review is to determine how competitive the students is relative to the other applicants for that particular program.At that stage in the review celecoxib 200mg, we are also looking for the special experiences, talents, and characteristics that the student will add to the campus.I really view our responsibility not so much as gate-keeping, but that of building an academic community of scholars who will learn from one another as well as from Purdue’s faculty and the myriad opportunities here.

Probably WAY more than you wanted to know – as my kids would say to me; celecoxib 200mg.But if you have questions or comments – please start the conversation by commenting! I’ll be sure to respond.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful and peaceful Thanksgiving.

Effects of allegra: wow – being a blogger is like being a college student in a first year composition class.I always feel as if I have an assignment due! And now rather overdue – it’s been a couple of weeks since my last blog – but good things are happening.Just a few days after the Presidents Dinner (presidents of all of our student organizations) came the President’s Council dinner – a great celebration with and for the most generous and dedicated of Purdue’s friends and alumni; effects of allegra.These wonderful folks come back to campus from all corners of the U.S – effects of allegra.and overseas to remember their days as Purdue students and to learn about the exciting new happenings on campus.We truly wouldn’t have the academic programs, wonderful facilities, stellar faculty, and of course our scholarship and fellowship programs that we have without the gifts that come from their deep Boilermaker pride and spirit.

And speaking of Boilermaker spirit – OK, so it’s not been our best football season – but hey, that Michigan game was something! And amazing to be watching a football game in November and have it be over 70 degrees! And other great Boilermaker teams, e.g – effects of allegra.women’s volleyball and soccer are finishing up their seasons and basketball has just begun – effects of allegra.To keep up with all the action, check out the Big Ten Network and Purdue Athletics official website: http://purduesports.cstv.com.

The week of October 27 I enjoyed the Indiana Association for College Admissions Counseling annual fall congress – hundreds of high school counselors and admissions folks networking and learning from one another in the great downtown of Indianapolis; effects of allegra. Effects of allegra: the rest of that week was busy as usual – a slice of my life: a half-day session with representatives from a national enrollment research consortium in which we participate, several meetings to look at enrollment and tuition revenue projections (not just for 2009-2010 – but also ten years out), individual meetings with college deans to talk about their enrollment goals and changes in their curricula, meeting with a student advisory group about our new student information system and online course registration, departmental budget meetings, strategizing with other leaders in admissions to move staff assignments so that we can process applications a little more quickly (we’re still learning how to get things done with our new systems), a meeting to plan a faculty workshop on the “Millennial” generation – one of my favorite topics, a private meeting with one of our key scholarship donors, and a meeting to talk about how we can even better serve returning military veterans who want to continue their education at Purdue.Not bad for 3 days in the office!

Now I have to confess that LAST week, I actually went on vacation!!! The first one in over two years that was not at our cabin in northern Michigan—so very special.I’m writing this in between flights on my way back from the Big Island of Hawaii – effects of allegra.Lots of fun and relaxation – and I can check off one activity from my “bucket list” – flew over an active volcano in a helicopter with the doors off! Attending an election night party with locals we had just met was also a great highlight of the trip.

And in case you just can’t read enough about this Boilermaker: I was featured in the media over the last couple of weeks: Profile of the Week for the Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice of the University of Southern California: http://www.usc.edu/programs/cerpp/profiles/horne.html and this very blog was chosen as blog of the week by the Lafayette Journal and Courier! Whoo-hoo! – effects of allegra

I go to lot of banquets and special events at Purdue – but tonight was one of my favorites – the annual Presidents Dinner.  And that’s Presidents plural – the presidents of all of our 850+ student organizations on campus are invited and over 600 attended tonight.  My table included both graduate and undergraduate students who are the leaders of groups for their majors and cross-disciplinary groups that reach out to under-served young people in the community and also volunteer overseas to enhance health care in places like Nicaragua.  One engineering group even solicits used medical equipment, refurbishes it, and ships it overseas.  And just to round things out – the president of the Model Railroad Club also told us about his group and that they have a model set up in the basement of the Purdue Memorial Union!  (I truly do learn something new about Purdue every day!)  Wow – students making a difference in the world and having fun with their hobbies.  Meeting Purdue students like our terrific leaders makes me excited about going to work every day!

But onto a somewhat less fun topic – money and college.   These are indeed uncertain economic times, but my message to students and their families is that you can’t afford NOT to go to college.  Most families take out loans to buy cars and we know that they depreciate the minute you drive off the lot.  In these days, of course we can’t even count on our home values increasing.  But a Purdue degree is an investment that will only appreciate in its value over a lifetime. 

You’ll be glad to know that employers are still coming to Purdue this year in record numbers to meet with our students about internships and post-graduate permanent positions.  In our most recent graduate survey, more than 90% reported that they were employed or in graduate/professional school within six months of their commencement.  We also recently learned that the default rate on student loans among Purdue graduates is less than one-half of one percent – one of the lowest in the nation.  There is no question that Purdue is an affordable investment that will pay off.

College costs can be daunting for any family, but we’re doing our best to help you plan.  Our user-friendly Financial Aid Estimator, just one click from the Admissions home page, will show you both costs and the aid you can expect from Purdue.  We also are now providing an online financial literacy resource especially designed for the college years:  Purdue CashCourse:  http://www.cashcourse.org/purdue/.

I encourage parents and students to look at this together and begin conversations about family expectations for money management for the next few years. 

Some additional ways to handle money include taking a full load of classes – sometimes students think that perhaps working 30 or more hours a week and dropping down to part-time status is all they can afford – but in fact, adding time to graduation is an expensive proposition – delaying earning power of the degree and costing more in living expenses.  I also strongly encourage students to seek part-time employment beginning in the freshman year.  Studies have shown that students who work 8-12 hours a week actually do BETTER in their academic work than students who do not work at all.  There are literally thousands of jobs on campus – additional money for books, supplies, and pizza, a sense of self-efficacy and independence, and added structure for time management, and connecting with faculty and staff are all great reasons to have a part-time campus job.  I also encourage students to look on free scholarship search web sites and apply for as many private scholarships as they can – resources are available on our Financial Aid web site.  We strongly encourage all families to complete the FAFSA in January – even if you think your income is too high for consideration for federal aid – if your situation changes, we’ll be able to assist you more quickly if you have a FAFSA on file.  One “don’t” – NEVER pay for financial aid and scholarship advice!!!  You’ll likely receive such solicitations this year and some may even look “official” – but they are scams. 

We have terrific staff in the Division of Financial Aid (DFA) who are eager to help you find the resources to make Purdue you affordable college investment.  Be sure to check out Answers Right Now on the DFA web site and contact the office if your questions are more specific.

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