This weekend is the scholarship jubilee event and I'm speaking! Eeeeek! I have the pleasure of speaking in front of 200 guests including the Chancellor, Jacquie Johnson! OMG! Wish me luck. I'm looking forward to it but this is the largest crowd I have ever spoken in front of. The scholarship jubilee is an event to celebrate, honor, and thank Morris campus donors for their scholarship gifts and recognize the accomplishments of talented scholarship recipients.

I was a part of orientation again this fall and had a great time meeting some of the new freshmen and my transfer students rocked! Shout out to group 5! Extravaganza was a lot of fun and since it was my last year it was great to see the new OGL's really get into the skits and I know things will go well next year. Extravaganza is an orientation event on one of the evenings and it is where the OGL's and CA's put on skits that relate to Morris life. It is quite hilarious and everyone has a great time. I've also joined Dance Ensemble this year so I'm looking forward to learning some new dance moves. It might even be as cool as Dancing With The Stars. Not much else to say since I just got back and have only had one class, no meetings, and no stress. Hmmm that's a very weird last sentence to be able to type.

Catch you on the flip side
~Shilo

It always amazes me as a college student just how easy people think we have it. We can sleep in until all hours of the day, go to class in ratty sweatshirts and sweatpants, live off of pizza and pop (without gaining weight, of course), and we have all that free time to just hang out. When friends, family, complete strangers tell me this, I just want to ask them, "Really? Is that what you think college is?" And for some people it is. But for me, if you are not challenged in college than what's the point? Why spend all this money and not learn something? Sure there are nights where you have to stay up until 2, 4, 6 am working on a paper or studying for a test. There will be times you'll consider if you really need to eat fruits and vegetables (they're actually kind of expensive!), and there will be times that you question if it's even worth spending all this time, energy and money for all the stress that comes with it, and my answer is yes!

I'm so glad I'm nearly done with my undergraduate work, but I am really going to miss Morris. The challenge I have had here both in classes and out of class has been worth every minute. I feel as though I have truly grown as a person, for the better. So just remember, whether you are in high school, or college, the stress that comes with this education IS worth it. You WILL be a better person because of it, even if it doesn't seem so at the time. So, should you ever get asked why college is so rough, proudly respond, "Well, I go to Morris, where professors constantly challenge their students and real knowledge is discovered. And that takes a lot more work and time than the version of college portrayed in today's media." Plus, then you'll sound super smart.

Now you're mine,
My happiness still makes me cry.
And in time you'll understand the reasons why
If I cry it's not because I'm sad
But you're the only love that I've ever had.

I can't believe it's happened to me.
I can't conceive of any more misery.
Ask me why
I'll say I love you and I'm always thinking of you.
~Ask me Why

Now that Valentine's Day has past, it is time to clear all the candy hearts off the dining room table and get cracking on the next step in the college search. Drum roll please... wait for it, wait for it, wait for it... the FAFSA! If you love acronyms, get ready to live because the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is full of them. Perhaps you are saying to yourself, "Wait one second, Mike... back this trolley up. What is this FAFSA and why do I need to fill it out?" Not to worry, the Financial Aid Office in Morris has you covered. Click on the picture below to head on over to Financial Aid's site about the FAFSA and how to fill it out.

I know what you're thinking, my parents do this whole FAFSA thing, right? Not quite. While it is true that your parent(s)/guardian(s) will need to help you with the FAFSA in most cases, your information will be needed too. I was in your shoes once and take it from me, the more you stay involved in the financial aid process now, the better off you'll be when you finish college. I'll admit, it is not as exciting as playing Rock Band on expert, but then what is, right?!

Of course, if you have any questions about the process of applying for financial aid at Morris, just give a ring up to the Financial Aid Office at 800-992-8863.

Well, my work here is done for one more night. As always, give a shout if I can help with anything as your college search continues. I'm hoping to see you all at Don's Cafe in downtown Morris next fall! (because that means you are a student at Morris, now do you get it?)

Reporting live from Behmler Hall, I'm Mike Vandenberg.

Currently this semester I'm taking Advanced ceramics, Elementary Education Middle Level Theory, Mathematical Statistics, and an independent study - Survey Methodology. So far this semester hasn't been too bad. Things have been pretty evenly spaced. This is the last week of swimming for the 08-09 season. This is also my last year of swimming so I'm a little sad but excited to have had a great season with a wonderful group of girls. The Blood Drive is this next week so I think that is what has made this last week super busy, trying to get ready for that. Like always, things in Morris are good but busy but that's the way I like it.

To my swimming girls: Thanks for a great senior year and you have been the greatest freshman ever!

Recently, I've been very busy with papers and jobs. So busy in fact, that every once in awhile I find time to go to class. I'm kidding, I find plenty of time, at the expense of having time for papers. This week I spent a considerable amount of my sleep time in the Briggs Library, researching early agriculture and organizational behavior concepts. the amount of resources available to a student at a university (especially a university as large as the U of M) compared to a high school. Universities just have more article databases, electronic and physical, books, and journals. It's easier to use the Library of Congress filing system, as opposed to the more common dewey decimal system that you would see in a regular city library. And of course, there are lots of good movies in the library, and they are totally free.

Some other things I've been up to would include the end of Cross Country running, and the beginning of indoor track. Tonight I am bowling with my CC team as an end of the season closer, with pizza being served and such. That will, of course, be lots of fun. Indoor track, however, is not very much fun at all. Sure, it's pretty much all the same guys, which is awesome, but running outside (since we are distance runners) in the freezing cold is not very enjoyable. We run about 8 miles in 5 degree weather, on the windswept prairie.

I have to go now, but I'll try to remember to update this next week and tell you how the finals are. And I plan on giving some nice collegiate advice sometime, too. Ciao

I know it’s been a long time since I’ve written, and I apologize. The past few weeks have been kind of busy around here. I leave on Tuesday (the 16th) and have my last final (yay!) tomorrow morning. It’s really weird to think I’ll be leaving Belgium already. In many ways it seems as though I have just arrived.

This morning I received some WONDERFUL news. I have been accepted into St. Thomas School of Law. It was my first choice of law school, and although I’ll think it over a bit first, I believe that’s where I will be attending. I really wanted to stay in Minnesota, and St. Thomas is the ONLY law school in the country that has internships for their students every year. As much as I learned on my internship in one semester, I can’t imagine how much I will learn in three, each being a year. It will give me a better idea as to what area of law I will want to pursue, and will also give me all the practical experience that you need, but don’t really receive in the classroom. I am very excited.

My overall experience studying abroad has been AMAZING. I have met amazing people (both European and American), made some great friends, learned more about myself and others, and truly grown as a person. In many ways I think this was important to leave the US for the semester, so I could really figure out who I am while not under the guise of people I know. In many ways it was like going off to college for the first time (again).

On the other hand, it has been very difficult. You can’t just call people up whenever you want (you must factor in international charges and the 7 hour difference), or see them, for that matter. Also, many of the friends I have made over here I may not see again, and will only be “facebook� friends. Those that live closer I may be able to see, but then what about after graduation? It’s kind of a curse to get to know people and then never see them again (or not with any regularity).

I also had a very interesting experience with my host family. In many ways it was more like a boarding house, ie I rented a room, and they cooked meals, but that was it. It was also interesting to live with a fiery Spanish woman and her quieter, Belgian husband. Belgian people in general were interesting to meet. There were more cultural difference than I expected between the US and a western-European country, but that was fine. The biggest was probably that Belgians expect perfect manners, but are also brutally blunt. It’s nothing to tell a person they’re fat, or that shirt doesn’t look good one them, so long as you say hello and goodbye, and ask about each other’s health. Very curious.

All in all, they study abroad time for me has been worth every penny (and it has been pretty costly). If someone would have told me when I first got on that plane back in August how I would feel right now, tonight, I probably wold have laughed them off as a crazy. But it's true. Studying abroad really changes a person, all in different ways, and probably not all for the best, but for me this has been an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I'm so glad I didn't pass up because I was afraid of missing people back home too much. Thank you to everyone who pushed me to do this!

It's been a long long long time,
How could I ever have lost you,
When I loved you.
It took a long long long time,
Now I'm so happy I found you,
How I love you.
So many tears I was searching,
So many tears I was wasting,
Oh Oh now I can see you, be you,
How can I ever misplace you.
How I want you,
Oh I love you,
You know that I need you,
Ooh I love you.
~ Long, Long, Long

Last evening, I was sitting by my fireplace listening to some old Count Basie albums while sipping some hot chocolate. In the midst of the tune One O’clock Jump, my mind wandered back to when I was a senior in high school at Mound Westonka. Mid December of my last year in high school, I remember it well... The flurry of activity, the late nights, the early mornings, the Italian dunkers for lunch (oh man, I could go for some of those right now!), yes of course… it was college application season. Did I get that letter from Morris, I would say to myself every day after school. Of course that day finally did come, after what seemed like an eternity (I think it was actually just a month or so.) Those were the days...

Now I’m on the other side of the fence, helping high school students work through the maze that is the college search. It is easy to forget how busy life was as a high school senior; how quickly that first few months of the year past me by. Well to all of you prospective Morris students out there, that is why I (and all the other Admissions Counselors at Morris) am here! Consider me your second set of eyes, always trying to keep one step ahead when it comes to dates, deadlines, and forms to fill out. One of the major things that I do at this time of year is remind students to apply for admission by our upcoming deadline, which happens to be December 15th. This date also happens to be the deadline for our competitive scholarships at Morris, so do not miss out on applying for these very generous awards! You can find out all the info you need to apply for admission at this page and all the info you need on scholarships at this page

As always, please feel free to email your Admissions Counselor anytime with questions about Morris, this link will help you find which counselor works with your area. Once you do that, of course we want you to come out and see us on campus! Just surf over to our visit page and set up your campus tour!. If you're lucky, I might even wear my best suit the day you're on campus.

Until next time, this is Mike Vandenberg, reporting live from good ol' Behmler Hall in Morris.

I’ve officially been in Brussels for two months now (half my time here) and it really seems hard to believe. It feels like I’m just beginning to really “get� the city and all of it’s quirks. I think the next 2 months will go a lot faster than the first two. Because, after all, I’ll be quite busy traveling for the next 3 weeks, or so, and then all of a sudden I only have just over a month left! (A week of which will be finals, so that won’t count at all.)

Today I applied to my first choice of law schools--and it was terrifying. I had to eat some chocolate first to get my nerves down so I could fill in the application and such. Fortunately for me, the cost of applying was only $12—just the cost for the Law School Database to send off my information. Why is this you may ask? Because I have an application fee waiver—possibly the best thing ever. Before I leave here (Brussels) I hope to have applied to the majority of law schools, so I can focus on other things next semester (like graduating and finding out where I get in).

I’m very grateful to have the experience to study abroad, but things can be difficult at the same time. I really miss not being able just to pick up the phone and call whomever, whenever, because we’re all (roughly) in the same time zone. I miss being able to drive places, rather than walk everywhere or being squished in the metro or tram.

I hope my ramblings are not too boring!

Hold your head up you silly girl look what you've done
When you find yourself in the thick of it
Help yourself to a bit of what is all around you
Silly girl.

Take a good look around you
Take a good look you're bound to see
That you and me were meant to be for each other
Silly girl.
~Martha My Dear

One really exciting thing has happened in the last week I've started my Practicum for the elementary education program. A practicum is kind of like student teaching but you are not teaching all day. You do three mini lessons for each class and then you are observing and helping in the classroom. I was placed here in Morris at St. Mary's in a first grade classroom and I can already tell I'm going to have a lot of fun being in 1st grade again :)

Homecoming is next week and I'm super pumped because I applied to be a Homecoming Ambassador; so cross your fingers. The theme for homecoming this year is Survivor, which is totally cool because I like the show a lot and you have to be a true survivor to be here at Morris and go through the brutal tug of war! Go Indy! For those of you that don't know we have an annual tug of war between the to large freshman dorms; David C. Johnson - Independence Hall and Clayton A. Gay Hall. Anybody is welcome to participate in the tug of war so all alumni of a certain dorm can come join in. The hall that wins gets naming rights over the lake (small pond that is grass in the summer) in between the two halls. Last year the rope broke during the tug of war and the lake was nameless last year. But Indy will hopefully reclaim victory this year! Also the second annual powder puff game is next week also, Go Upper Classwomen!!!

Enough of my bias shouting...good luck with your things going on in your life and I will leave you with this...
Did you know that your nose is as long as your thumb...go ahead try it. Can't figure it out, let me know.

There have definite differences between my experience here and my experience in Morris. I think a list is the best way to describe it.
1. There is MUCH less class time here. Classes are only 2-3 hours per week. There is also much less work, really only one or two tests. Maybe a paper as well.
2. Time is different over here. Not anywhere near to the extent of Southern Europe, but if you need something quick, it's probably not going to happen.
3. Hot showers do NOT exist here. Luke warm? Consider yourself lucky.
4. There is more of a fatalistic approach over here. How things happen is how they will happen--you're not so much in command of your own destiny.
5. Bureaucracy is king here. Something one person can do, 6 people are assigned to it in 4 different departments.
6. Nothing is open on Sundays. And I mean nothing. No chain stores, few restaurants.
7. Belgian beer and chocolate are the pride of a nation. Both are rather tasty as well. (Umm, don't worry because I'm 21?)
8. The lunch breaks are fabulous. Think you're lucky if you get a 30 minute break? Try 2 hours!
9. Politics over here are CRAZY. Think the US election is nuts? Try not having a government (we've been without for 2 months).
10. Language is more important than any American can understand. To speak French to someone from Flanders, or Dutch to someone in Wallonia, is quite possibly the biggest insult you could do; and being in Brussels, a bilingual city, it can be a tight line to walk.

I'm sure my list will only increase as the semester progresses, but I look forward to the challenges and adventures to come!

Tell them I remember you

I remember too a distant bell
And stars that dwell
Like the rain out of the blue

When my life is through
And the angels ask me to recall
The thrill of it all
Then I will tell them
I remember you
~I Remember You

A lot has changed since I moved my things to Morris in the year of Hanson and the Spice Girls. Of course I no longer have MmmBop stuck in my head, but more importantly I'm working to find the future Morris students that I know are out there. Sunday, September 7th marked the first day that I hit the road from Morris for another year of recruiting. Much to my surprise, North Dakota would be my destination for the first time in my five years of Admissions at Morris. I packed my bags, stopped at Willie's Supervalu for some Cheese-Nips, fruit snacks, and granola bars, and I set out for certain fun in Dickinson, ND. I arrived at the Holiday Inn Express just after dinner on Sunday. "AAAwwweeesome!" I remember yelling out loud to myself as I saw the giant sign for Happy Joes pizza in the parking lot next to my hotel. For those of you that have enjoyed a Joe's pizza before, there is no explanation necessary. I grabbed my pizza, turned on some football, and prepared for a week of college fairs.

Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed my first extended visit to North Dakota. I even found a little time to explore Roosevelt National Park near Medora, ND.

I've met some really cool students over the past two weeks in North Dakota. I am actually back this week for some more college fairs and am writing this entry in Jamestown, ND. My first couple days back on the road have given me a full tank of energy for another year of travel and meeting a lot of future Morris students. If you happen to be one of those students reading this, take this opportunity to explore the Morris website. Look for your major, find the student club you want to be in, scope out the next jazz concert (email me for free tickets), and surf over to our visit page and set up your campus tour! Oh and don't let me forget, now is the perfect time to submit your application for admission, which can also be done online... how convenient! While you start your exploration on the Morris website, I'll be looking forward to meeting you, the future Morris student, on campus or on the road this year.

With that, it is time for me to track down some dinner and find the Twins on TV. Reporting live from Jamestown, ND, I'm Mike Vandenberg for the Morris Admissions Office.

This semester I am studying abroad in Brussels, Belgium. I am going through an exchange program, CIEE. Today was the first day of classes. I only have one class on Mondays, so it wasn't too bad at all. The classes here (I am studying at Vesalius College) are either twice a week (Mon/Wed or Tues/Thur) for an hour and a half, or once a week for 3 hours. It makes for less class time than at Morris, and each of the classes are 3 credits instead of 4.

The one class I had today, Modern European History, 1648-1848 (real modern, right?) doesn't seem to be too bad of a class. Really we only have 2 tests and a research paper, so all in all, pretty low-key. Tuesday and Wednesday will be my intense days, with two classes!

I am doing a homestay while I am here, and have been enjoying it for the most part. Of course, you're living in someone's home, so you must follow their rules, but really I lucked out as my host parents really don't have any rules, except be quite if you come in late. That, and don't lose your key.

I think I will enjoy having gone through CIEE, because we go on so many excursions with the group, and get to see quite a bit of the country and surrounding area. Of course, it's hard to be away from everyone I know and love. I would be lying if I said anything different, but this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the world, meet new people, and learn about different cultures (as different as Europeans get...).

I'm sure I'll have some interesting stories as the semester progresses, and of course you all will be in the know!

Sounds of laughter shades of life are ringing
Through my open ears inciting and inviting me.
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns,
And calls me on and on across the universe

Jai Guru De Va Om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world.
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world.
~Across the Universe

If you're majoring in business, and you get a job as an office assistant, you really get the feeling of what it would be like to work in that field--or that it is time to change your major. Of course each field is broad enough that one experience can't fully show the entire field, but it does give you a pretty good idea as to whether or not you want to go into it. For myself, working in a customer service job makes me realize that I really want to help people as much as possible, because it's a great feeling to make somebody's day, but it also makes me realize that in customer service, people treat you like dirt. If you can't give them everything they want, they often make you feel like a small, horrible person. Thanks to my summer job, I have been able to narrow my search of what I want to do upon graduation: be able to help, but also have enough clout to not be yelled at if the business I work for doesn't have an amenity the person wants.

So, to sum up my ramblings here, summer jobs are a great opportunity to discover what you like--and what you don't--and shouldn't be taken too seriously, because, after all, they are for only the summer.

Well, how come you say you will when you won't?
Say you do, baby when you don't
Let me know, honey, how you fell
Tell the truth now, is love real?
so, aw, aw
Well, honey don't
Well, honey don't
Honey don't
Honey don't
~Honey Don't