Valparaiso University, your home away from home!

If you haven't come to campus yet, I highly recommend that you come check out one of our excellent visit days. We have one this Friday, Oct 30 and on Saturday November 14th. It's not too late to register for our November 14th date. At these visits you're able to meet professors, your admission counselor (me), students and other wonderful people who will make your time at Valpo enriching and memorable.

I've had a great time meeting alot of students on the road this fall at fairs and high school visits. Remember, if you have any questions, just drop me an email, call the office or message me on facebook. When I'm not on the road, I've been busy reviewing your applications. If you haven't sent in yours yet, it's not too late. November 1st is our early action non-binding deadline and January 15 is our scholarship priority deadline. If you miss those deadlines, we do operate on rolling admission, but I strongly encourage you to apply earlier rather than later as it helps with scholarships. In order for your application to be complete, I will need your test scores, transcript, counselor evaluation form and your essay. If you have any questions about your essay, feel free to drop me a line. Remember, it's a way for me to get to know you a little better, so brag about something cool and why you're a rockstar or why you love Valpo and want to attend.

In other related news, Owl City just announced that they will be performing on campus in the spring-- you know, the guys who sing Fireflies.

Should be an excellent time. The basketball season is about to get underway and students have been very busy with different activities.

Time to get back to file review. I look forward to meeting more of you and helping you through your admission process!

Remember, be legendary in your own way!

First Fall contest!

I've been mentioning to alot of you that I've met during high school visits and fairs that I will be holding contests within the coming months. Throughout the coming weeks we will have an on-going contest to see who can guess "Where on Campus is the Crusader..." details for that to come in a few days. My first contest is not so much a contest, but a general wonderment. I want to know what you are doing at your school or community to help bring a positive impact. This can be something large or not so large. Keep in mind that every positive action is worthwhile. So let me know! Send me a 30 second video clip, email, wall post or call me about what cool and exciting things you're doing in your community or school. Contest will end mid-october and the winner will be notified and receive a most excellent prize. Remember, be legendary in your own way!

Scholarship opportunity for my hispanic students & update

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage month PepsiCo has partnered with the Hispanic College Fund (HFC) to promote higher education among Hispanic Students. **The following is directly from a letter I received from PepsiCo**

The 2009 Pepsi Hispanic Heritage Month program offers information and resources to help parents and students through the college application process on a bilingual website: http://buildurdestiny.com or http://www.construyetudestino.com.

Students can also use the website to apply for special, merit-based scholarships. PepsiCo is offering 30 scholarships to assist with undergraduate and graduate studies, including 5 scholarships worth $4,000 each, and 25 scholarships worth $500 each. Recipients will be selected by the HCF.

The website launches on September 14, 2009 and applicants must submit paperwork by March 1, 2010 for consideration. Evaluation, selection, notification and student acknowledgement of award will take place from March 2 to April 30. All scholarships will be awarded in September 2010.

The website also features a daily trivia question about Hispanic heritage from September 14 to October 18, 2009. Participants will be entered in daily and weekly sweepstakes for fantastic prizes, including notebook laptops.

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On a different note Fall Travel is off to a smashing start. I have met with some rockstar students at high school visits as well as at fairs. I am impressed by this years class so far-- keep up the hard work! This week I will be at the Jones College Prep fair as well as making stops at Elk Grove High School and Rauner College Prep. Make sure you stop by for some Valpo info! Also, if you haven't yet started your application, now is the time. We do have rolling admission, but I encourage you to get it in sooner than later. The first admission decisions are going out this week... so if you have applied and submitted all of the required materials (app, transcript, test scores, counselor evaluation and essay), you will be hearing within the next few weeks!

If any questions arise, do not hesitate to email me: Megan.Marrs@valpo.edu or look me up on facebook: Megan At Valpo, or call the office.

Have a wonderful Monday and remember, be legendary in your own way!

Quick Update...

My next blog will be much lengthier... but here's a quick look at my weeks travel:

Tuesday Sept 8:
St. Scholastica Fair

Wednesday Sept 9:
Deerfield High school visit
Maine South High School visit
Resurrection High School fair

Thursday, Sept 10:
Gordon Tech High School Fair

Friday, Sept 11:
De La Salle Institute Fair

I'll keep you up to date on my travels this week, local hot spots I hit up, funny stories, campus happenings, etc. As always email me at: megan.marrs@valpo.edu or Facebook me at Megan At Valpo!

I hope to see you out in CHI!

In the meantime.... be legendary in your way...

Fall is fast approaching

Hello, my loyal readers! I trust that you all had an exciting and safe summer vacation. Did you do anything fun?? I'd love to hear about your summer vacation! As for me, my vacation was not as exciting as last summer when I went to China; however, I spent most of my time on campus in Valpo and took a few trips here and there... very relaxing. I also spent alot of my time volunteering with an outstanding organization called HOBY (Hugh O'brian Youth Leadership). If you are a freshman or sophomore reading this, look into attending a seminar in your area. For you natural leaders out there, this is the perfect opportunity for you to enhance those skills, and for those of you who might feel a little shy, but know that you have an inner rockstar that's bursting at the seams to get out, this could serve as a wonderful opportunity for you as well. The end of summer is bittersweet; I am sad to see it go, but am extremely excited for students to arrive on campus! I can't believe my first class is now at sophomore status (you're getting so old *tear*) and I have my second incoming Freshman class. We will definitely have a lot special people wandering around-- I'm excited to see all of the great things you will do.

I am in the process of finalizing my Fall Travel plans, but am still missing a Tour Name... I could do along the lines of U2 with the 360 degree tour... but I need something even better than that... I'm thinking that it's time for a contest. To the student who gives me the most original (and cleanest, you wouldn't believe the suggestions I've received in the past...), you will win a secret prize. No, it's not guaranteed admission or a full tuition scholarship... but I can guarantee that it will be legen...wait for it...dary. Deadline 12 AM EST September 1st. I will announce the winner on September 3rd and profile you on my blog if you'd like.

If you remember, last year I gave you the inside scoop of a legendary admission counselor and the low down about what I take along with me for Fall Travel. This fall I will be scaling it down a bit since I have more of a centralized recruiting (City of Chicago, North Shore 'burbs and Northwest Chicago 'burbs) territory. Don't you worry East Coasters or students from Southern Ohio, I'm still here and have no problem adopting you and your family! Back to my main point-- what I take with me during travel-- all of these things are necessary in case I need to pull a Macguyver, which ALWAYS happens at some point:

In my travel (non-valpo material, non-clothing suitcase) bag I will always have the following:
Bottled water (preferably dannon natural spring water or Smart Water) I'm being specific in case a rep. views this and wants to send me some cases ;)
one regular can of Coke
appples
almonds
First-aid kit (trust me)
Extra socks
Flip-flops (I could live in flip flops)
Raincoat
Umbrella-- I actually picked up a bright magenta one, which is just fabulous
cell phones, wall and car charger... and extra charger since I always seem to lose one
Laptop
homework-- yes, my day time outfit is the Admission Counselor, while at night I am an MBA student here at Valpo.
iPod, charge
digital camera
Ethernet cable (just in case)
A wide selection of batteries
flashlight
Hand sanitizer
Plastic bags (both of the sandwich and garbage varieties)
Tissues and napkins
baseball hat
Spare toilet paper (I traveled to China last summer-- it's become 2nd nature)
tape, assorted rubber bands and paperclips (just in case I need to MacGyver something together)
Pens
A towel
Tylenol, Advil
A lifetime supply of Tums

All this, plus a folder full of my travel schedule, emergency numbers, insurance forms, contacts, reservations and any other scrap of paper necessary to make the travel season go swimmingly.

I guess I didn't really scale it down afterall...

Once I finalize my schedule I will post it so you know when I'll be in your area. I look forward to meeting you during this fall and spring. Please email me at: megan.marrs@valpo.edu with your tour name suggestion as well as any questions/concerns you might have about Valpo and college admissions.

Remember, be legendary in your own way!

FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS!

**Borrowed from Valpo Nicole** :)

Good afternoon future Valpo Crusaders!

I just wanted to connect with you via email, as I have left messages on machines and with parents this afternoon regarding registration for FOCUS as well. If you haven't already registered for FOCUS, please do so as soon as possible. I was just informed that FOCUS 1 is now closed/full. The remaining sessions are still open:

- FOCUS 2: June 12-13
- FOCUS 3: June 15-16
- FOCUS 4: June 19-20

See the following link to the FOCUS registration: http://www.valpo.edu/admissions/admitted/focus.php

You can MAIL, FAX (219) 464-6898 or CALL in your registration 888-468-2576.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or need assistance with this.

See you in June!

The end is near...

Wow that sounds so dooms-day! The end of your Senior should be filled with mixed emotions about this chapter of your life ending, gearing up for college life, PROM, saying bye to friends and getting excited to meet new ones. I completely understand that feeling and while it is overwhelming, it is important to focus on the great opportunities that lie ahead. As I've mentioned before, if you have not made that important decision about where to attend in the fall, grab the yellow legal pad of paper, a sharpie or Pen and make your pro's and con's list.

For those of you who have decided on Valpo-- GREAT, welcome to the family! For those of you having a difficult time making the decision, let me know how I can help. I know it can be daunting, and you may second guess yourself, but ultimately, you need to find the best fit. This will ultimately determine your success. If you're still having a hard time, here are a list of my reasons that you should attend Valparaiso University:

Strong academics; each College has at least a 95% job or grad school placement rating within 6 months of graduation. Engineering and Nursing are 100% and business is 98%.

Classes are instructed by professors only; you will NEVER be instructed by a teaching assistant.

Division I athletics-- 9 men's sports and 11 women's

Value; let's face it, economic time are pretty rough now. I understand the sticker shock of tuition; however, when you couple classroom experience, study abroad, the character of the student body, and job placement ratings, the Value of a Valparaiso education far outweighs the initial cost.

Speaking of study abroad-- your financial aid and scholarships transfer over to you studying abroad at our 15 study abroad campuses! We have 15 programs in 8 countries AND just won the Senator Paul Simon award for internationalization of our campus-- HUGE honor!

Location: 15 minutes from the National Lakeshore, so you can hang out at the beach after class or on the weekends; 1 hour from downtown Chicago for some shopping, the bean, concerts, Sox games (or cubs); The Valpo community-- very welcoming to everyone. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, community events.

Valparaiso University campus life-- we have well over 100 organizations-- close to 120. You can be involved with everything from Intramurals (ultimate frisbee, basketball, etc.) to Greek life, to Student Senate, our NEW campus tv station, radio station, newspaper, music, multi-cultural opportunities, or hang out in our new student union.

In all honesty, I can go on and on about the things I love about Valpo and why I think it's a great choice for you, but the decision ultimately comes down to you.

If you do decide Valpo is it for you-- go ahead and send in your housing & tuition deposit form to us by May 1st and then register for FOCUS (freshman orientation in June).

I wish you all the best of luck! Go Valpo!

Area Reception

Hi Everyone--

The past few weeks have been busy with planning area receptions in Ohio, Chicago and The North Shore suburbs. The first two were amazing-- great people, great food, great environment. We all talked, questions were answered and laughs were had. I truly enjoyed getting to know everyone who attended.

This coming Saturday I am hosting another reception at the Sears Tower which is sure to be a fabulous time.

Last week I spent a few days in the Dayton and Cincinnati areas of Ohio for some fairs and high school visits. Though typically spring high school visits aren't well attended, I was able to meet with some great students as well as guidance counselors.

This week I have been in Chicago for some fairs in the city as well as covering some fairs in the South suburbs. I was able to meet some awesome students this week who I hope will come visit campus soon!

For those of you reading this who are still in the college search process, it is not too late to send in your application. We have rolling admission, so I encourage you to still apply if you are interested!

What's new, VU?!?!

Hiya! I hope you're past 2 weeks have been going swimmingly! Our office has been pretty busy lately with Valpo Visit Days, Destination Valpo Days, reviewing files, planning spring travel and some special events, but it has been great. I have truly enjoyed meeting with everyone who has come to campus!

There have been a few new additions to campus that I want to share with you. First, we have 3 new athletic teams beginning Fall 2009-- Mens and Women's golf, and women's bowling. Who knew NCAA Women's bowling is the fastest growing sport, but it is! Please check out: http://www.valpoathletics.com/mgolf/news/120/8720/ for additonal information.

In addition to new athletic teams we will now have a Spanish House. Currently on campus we have a German House as well as French House. The German House has it's own facility, whereas the French House and Spanish House will be in the brand new apartment complex which is going up across the street from campus. The apartment complex will be opening August 2009.

As I mentioned before, David Cook was on campus nfor a sold out show at our brand new Harre Union. I heard that it was an amazing show. Our big spring concert will be announced shortly and I will be sure to let you know the details.

This coming week I will be coming to Ohio for some high school fairs and visits, I hope to see you there!

If you're still interested in applying to Valpo, it is not too late. Go ahead and submit your application! For those of you who have been admitted, I know how tough of a decision it is to decide where to attend. If you need any help with coming up with your pro's and con's list, I am more than happy to help you out-- and I promise to not be bias!

There are many ways to go about making the decision...
Ultimately – IT’S ALL ABOUT HOW YOU FIT AND FEEL – remember that

Does it have your academic interests?

Will you get involved here?

Don't just choose a specific school because your boy/girlfriend goes there

Pick a school where you just feel “right” – you’ll know it when you find it!

Pray about it

Ask your admission counselor to hook you up with current students or alumni to talk about their experiences

Grab that black sharpie and make a pros and cons list on a yellow legal pad

These are just a few of my suggestions about making your decision. Visiting always helps, so if you'd like to come check us out, let me know!

Have a wonderful week and remember, be legendary in your own way!

Is it March that comes roaring in like a lion? February must be confused...

Hiya! What an extreme week this has been! I have to say that I have always loved winter, especially snow; however, my love affair came to a screeching halt on Wednesday when I found myself almost waist deep in snow when cleaning off my car. Once on campus I took a brisk jaunt to capture the beauty of the snow and campus.




Students have been having a blast playing around in the mounds of snow, sledding, etc.

Onto other news-- American Idol's David Cook (yes, THE David Cook) will be performing in our new ballroom later this month. Tickets sold out in a record 15 minutes to students and general public. I'm sure this will be a stellar performance.


Speaking of the ballroom-- remember how I mentioned all of the cool new things about the Union a few posts back? Well-- last weekend we had, "Valpo after dark." Sounds spooky, eh? Actually it was pretty cool-- an ice rink was brought into the ballroom and students were able to try their best Kristi Yamaguchi and Evan Lysacek impressions. Fortunately there are no photos of my feeble attempt.

** Other school related news**
It's that time of the year again-- time to file the FAFSA. "What is this FAFSA thing?," you may be thinking... FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. You may file through paper or online (most people file online). www.fafsa.ed.gov. It allows students to possibly receive grant and/or loan money from the government based on your family's finances (including tax information). Grants = money you don't have to pay back and government loans = low interest rates. Payment for government loans typically doesn't begin until after college graduation.

Make sure you have this filled out by MARCH 1, 2009!

My spring travel tour will be starting up next month, so I will put this out there again-- whomever comes up with the best (has to be clean) tour title will win a prize. Please have your submissions to me by Wednesday February 25, 2009, 12:00AM CST. Winner will be notified on February 28th.

I hope your week has been outstanding! Good luck to all those coming on campus this Saturday for the music auditions!

Growing to your potential and Steering a Course

Hiya Friends--

This blog entry has nothing to do with campus events or deadlines. It is purely an entry that I hope promotes self examination. I know there are times in life where we all get off course, don't know what to do, are easily swayed by peer pressure-- it happens to us all. How we handle our actions, is what determines our ultimate success. Everyday I read my John C. Maxwell, The Daily Maxweel Reader to help me stay in the straight and narrow leadership path I enjoy so much being on. I find that his words can reach multiple levels-- from work, to personal life, dreams and set backs. To deciding on which college to attend, what major to choose-- or later in life, how to handle situations that come at you. Enjoy.

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Steer a Course

If you could go anywhere, where would you like to go? Not in terms of vacations, but in your life. Your answer to that question does a lot to determine whether or not you are successful. You see, we're all on a journey, whether we know it or not. We are traveling inevitably toward the ends of our lives. So the real question for us is whether we're going to select and steer a course for it, or allow ourselves to be swept along the tide, letting others determine where we'll end up. The choice is entirely up to us.

What specific destination are you steering your life toward??

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Growing to your potential

Novelist H.G. Wells held that wealth, notoriety, place, and power are no measures of success whatsoever. The only true measure of success is the ratio between what we might have been and what we have become. In other words, success comes as the result of growing to our potential.

It's been said that our potential is God's gift to us, and what we do with it is our gift to him. But at the same time, our potential is probably our greatest untapped resource. Henry Ford observed, "There is no man living who isn't capable of doing more than he thinks he can do."

We have nearly limitless potential, yet too few ever try to reach it. Why? The answer lies in this: We can do ANYTHING, but we can't do EVERYTHING. Many people let everyone around them decide their agenda in life. As a result, they never really dedicate themselves the THEIR purpose in life. They become the jack-of-all-trades, master of none-- rather than a jack-of-all-trades, focused on one.

If that descrives you more than you'd like, you're probably ready to take steps to make a change. There are four principles to put you on the road to growing toward your potential:

1. Concentrate on one main goal.
2. Concentrate on continual improvement.
3. Forget the past
4. Focus on the future.

When you know your purpose in life and are growing to reach your maximum potential, you're well on your way to being a success...

Final thought**

Are you focused on the one trade that will set you apart??

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I hope you all have a wonderful week-- and remember, be legendary in your own way!

Happy New Year

Hello my loyal readers--

I hope everyone had a wonderful and adventurous Holiday Break! I am back in the office after a 2 week break and am looking forward to speaking with you, answering questions and also having you come in for a visit.

I know I have talked a lot about the new Harre Student Union opening, but alas, it is finally open! Yesterday I walked around the union and heard The Killers, some Jack Johnson and some other awesome music playing through the piped stereo system. It definitely created a fun atmosphere for everyone.

Have you given any thought to your New Years Resolution?? Remember, January 15th is the deadline to let me know your resolution if you want to be eligible for a prize.

I'm off to review more files! Have a wonderful day... and remember, be legendary in your own way!