Senior Year Inspiration

Senior year is busy! Last semester I was stressed with grad school applications. This semester I'm busy with five classes - usually students take four per semester. This is what I've been up to this semester:

-Blogging
-Online media & communications coordinator (I oversee all the student bloggers)
-Tour guide
-Peer tutor (I tutor statistics & marketing)
-Mentoring (I meet with my little sister one evening every week)

It doesn't sound like too much, but if you add in classes, homework, my senior thesis/business plan, planning for post-grad life, & socializing with friends - I've been busy!

All of this stress means that I need some motivation. I usually get that motivation through Tumblr - I save my favorite posts & stick them up to remind myself to stay positive. Here are some of my recent favorites:

Please email with any questions!

I Love Saint Mike's

One of the reasons that I enjoy working as a blogger & tour guide at SMC is that I get to share my love for this school.

Saint Mike's has been the best school for me & I've really loved my time here. It's nice to be able to express that through my work. Plus, if I'm ever in a bad mood or am stressed from mounting homework, it's nice to be reminded of the best parts of my life at SMC.

My fellow Founders Coordinators after a Sunday tour guide meeting-

 Brian, Erin, myself, Matt (one of our admissions counselors), & Bizzy

Recently, I've been especially busy expressing my Saint Mike's pride. I help with a lot of admissions events & processes. Right now we've been working on hiring new tour guides & on meeting with accepted prospective students. This is what I've been up to lately-

Student Instagram
We've just started a student-run Instagram at Saint Mike's! Students will switch off every week, instagram-ing their day-to-day activities.  I was the first student to post & I just finished my week today. I think it will be a really fun way to show prospective students what students actually do every day here at SMC.

Check out our instagram knightlifevt.

Meeting accepted students
Every spring semester we have several accepted students days. These are really fun - they basically provide a day where accepted prospective students can come to Saint Mike's &better understand what we're all about. Students hear from professors in the major that they are interested, attend a student panel, grab lunch with current students, & tour several housing options.

This past week I helped direct students & families around campus, got to sit in on a student panel & answer questions & I had lunch with prospective families. It's so fun to get to talk to prospective students, especially when they're excited about Saint Mike's.

We have our last select student academic day tomorrow - but we have a couple Saturday accepted student open houses coming up!

Hiring new tour guides
Every spring semester is also busy with the tour guide hiring process. As one of the student leaders working in admissions (more specifically I'm the Online Media & Communications Coordinator for the Founders Society) I've attended meetings for students interested in becoming a tour guide & I'll start interviewing students this week. It's a bit of a long process - we need to see these students get involved first to understand if they'll make a great tour guide. It's also a really fun process though & I love seeing the next generation of SMC tour guides!

Holding Knightchats
Knightchats are one of my favorite parts of the blog program here at Saint Mike's. They're basically IM chat sessions where prospective students or parents can log on & ask the bloggers questions. Us bloggers get together, have pizza & answer these questions as they come in. They're usually busy nights but it's really fun to see the other bloggers & to talk to prospective families.

We have a Knightchat tomorrow, Monday February 23 at 7:30pm for prospective parents!

Of course I've also been giving tours & blogging weekly, as per usual!

Please feel free to reach out with questions via email!

Senior Seminar - Business Strategy

One of the most important classes that you'll take senior year is your senior seminar class. These classes vary by major but they have a few things in common. Every senior sem is discussion based, includes the writing of your senior thesis & is designed to really bring together everything that you've learned in your last four years here at Saint Mike's. If that sounds like a lot to handle, you're right - senior sem is awesome but stressful.

My thesis ideas, hung right over my bed so I can't escape 'em

As a business major my senior thesis involves the creation is a business plan. It's a pretty cool project because it requires us to pull in our knowledge of marketing, finance, accounting, management, & various business theories in order to create a plan to start a business. Now, this business plan can be real or fake - some students want to start a business & use this project as a starting point. Other students would rather not work in an entrepreneurial job & simply create a business plan as if they were to start this business.

My business plan focuses on an online magazine. It's a real company that I would like to start one day. Really I came up with this idea because I previously ran an online magazine & really enjoyed it. I also want to create a magazine for people like me, people who are less interested in the advertisements of Glamour magazine & more interested in compelling & empowering stories. Beyond that, I don't yet have much to share about my business idea.

Cheesy quotes like these help me to stay motivated

I'm currently working  on my business plan & I have a lot to complete in just a few weeks - my plan is due in early March. Right now I'm working on the missions statement & such, as well as a feasibility report, to determine whether this business can actually make money. Next week we also have rocket pitches, short three minute summaries about our company in which we need to include information on financials, funding, operations, & things like that.

One thing to note - my business plan isn't the only work I have for my senior sem! I also have homework assignments, presentations, an exam, & an essay. It's a crazy class, but I'm really enjoying the work so far.

Please feel free to email with any questions!

Good Old Snowy Vermont

This week is off to a snowy & cold start!

Campus is gorgeous. It's been snowing on & off for a couple days. Snow is piled high & it's light, fluffy, sparkly, & just really, really picturesque & beautiful. Unfortunately it's also been pretty windy & cold, but that will pass. For now I've been bundled up, studying in bed & drinking warm tea.

Joyce hall, surrounded by snow

A few of my friends had snow days today when their professors cancelled class or (for my friends who are student teaching) their schools closed for the day. I wasn't quite as lucky, but with only one class on Monday I feel like I can't complain much.

I've always had a love/hate relationship with winter. I hate the cold but love the snow & I've skied for most of my life. How I ended up in Vermont, where winter is pretty long, beats me. But I love New England & despite the cold, I can't imagine being anywhere else but at Saint Mike's.

In other news - I got accepted to grad school! So far I've heard from two law schools. I've been accepted to Pace in White Plains, New York & to DePaul, in Chicago, Illinois. I'm still waiting to hear from ten other schools - it's hard not to get anxious! It is such a huge relief though to know that I'm definitely going to law school!

These pictures don't do it justice - campus is gorgeous!

This week is a fun one - I don't have too much going on, but I do have a lot to prepare. In the next few weeks I have several exams & I want to start skiing once the weather warms up a tiny bit (I love skiing but not enough to go in negative temps!). That means that I have some work to do this week. Normally I leave big projects for the weekend, but if I ski I need to get a lot of that done during the week. I also have to apply for financial aid & grad school scholarships, plus summer internships & jobs. Even a normal week is busy during the school year!

For any newly accepted students - a huge congratulations! I was so excited to receive my acceptance to Saint Mike's so I'm sending good vibes to all of you!

Feel free to email with any questions!