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!