Best line:

I got my SAT pants on. Got my SAT dance on. Can’t wait to get my hands on that SAT Scantron.

So do like the Charta Squad says and RELAX!

Ya heard?

Thanks to Dean J. over at the University of Virgina’s Admissions Blog for the original posting.

-jm

Related posts:

1. OSU Is Coming To Your Area!
2. Attention Class of 2013!
3. The Times Changin’…Follow Up

For the last two years, OSU undergraduates have been researching and documenting bacteriophages, commonly known as phages (viruses that infect bacteria), as part of a three-year research project funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

OSU was one of 12 universities to be chosen by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute over a year ago to create an undergraduate genomics lab for students to research and catalogue phage DNA. The project has now expanded to 28 schools and OSU has increased from 14 students last year to 17 now in their second year.

Phages are microscopic viruses that attack and kill bacteria by using the bacteria as a host to create more and more phages, while destroying the bacteria in the process….The program also offers undergraduate students a chance to have their genome sequences and research published, as the 14 lab members did last spring at the National Center for Biology Technology Information.

According to Dee Denver, a co-instructor of the lab and an associate professor of zoology, their genome sequence for the phage “Colbert,” named after Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central, is published with the all the students’ names and could eventually play a part in developing treatments for tuberculosis.

How about a spot on the ‘Cheating Death with Dr. Stephen Colbert, DFA’ or ‘Alpha Dog of the Week’?

-bv

Related posts:

1. H.H. Medical Internship Fellows announced
2. Google Gives OSU Open Source Lab $300K
3. OSU students create man-powered devices to purify water

On I-5 on the way to Clackamas CC. Hoping that we can finalize the long-awaited start of this partnership that was originally signed in 2007. We’ve overcome IT issues, timing, etc. to the point we are ready to turn on the application. This meeting is to iron out any minor points that might be outstanding. Keep your fingers crossed!

To all the students that have called and emailed the admissions office to inquire about the Clackamas/OSU Degree Partnership Program, thanks for your patience!

Update to come later!
-bv

Related posts:

1. BMCC/OSU Degree Partnership Program now taking applications!
2. 1st START session is full; START Bilinque upcoming
3. START invitations have been mailed

The Memorial Union first opened its doors in 1928.

-Marleigh

Related posts:

1. Hidden Treasures of the World…on OSU’s Memorial Union Quad
2. Student Union Receives Top Honors
3. OSU’s ¡Si Se Pudo! ceremony shines light on Latino graduates

As a follow up to our post on James, Quizz, Keaton Kristick and Mike Riley handing out doughnuts to the hundreds of students who slept outside to get football tickets on Monday morning, The Athletic Department has posted a video of the good deed on Youtube.

If you think I’m exaggerating the number of people who line up at ungodly hours to get tickets, look at the size of that line! Note the guys who had been sleeping in line SINCE THAT SATURDAY NIGHT!

Beaver Nation rocks!

-jm

Related posts:

1. OSU Football Players and Coach hand out doughnuts
2. Why Oregon State Rocks!
3. Spring Football Game on Saturday

¡Sí Se Puede!
Woodburn High School
1785 N Front St, Woodburn, OR
martes, 8th de diciembre
6-8pm
Registración: http://sisepuede.oregonstate.edu/

***

OSU invites high school students and their family members to a special event for the Latino/a community. Come meet our bilingual representatives and discuss:
-How OSU can help you meet your career goals and interests
-Scholarships and how to apply to OSU
-How OSU supports its active Latino/a community
-How you can explore our academic degrees and your future.

¡Sí Se Puede!
Woodburn High School
1785 N Front St, Woodburn, OR
Tuesday, December 8th
6-8pm
RSVP: http://sisepuede.oregonstate.edu/

–mko

Related posts:

1. ¡Sí Se Puede! OSU Prepares for Event at Forest Grove High School
2. ¡Sí Se Puede! Event Rescheduled at FGHS
3. Si Se Puede event recap

Jacquizz and James Rodgers, Keaton Kristick and Head Coach Mike Riley showed up first thing Monday morning with hundreds of doughnuts to thank the OSU faithful for their loyalty.

Early yesterday morning at around 7:15 a.m., head coach Mike Riley, Keaton Kristick and James and Jacquizz Rodgers showed up at the Reser Stadium ticket office to offer donuts and thanks to surprised students – many of whom had braved the elements camping overnight to purchase [SIC: OSU students don't purchase their tickets, they pick them up] tickets for the Dad’s Weekend game against Washington.

Even though 7:15 a.m. is practically the middle of the night by Beaver OSR standards, and despite returning from the Bay Area hours earlier, OSR photog Brock Ameele scraped the sleep out of his eyes and headed to Reser when we caught wind of the visit

(images all courtesy of Brock Ameele and the OSU OSR)

When we talk about Beaver Nation being a community that’s Powered by Orange…We aren’t kidding, folks! Kudos to Coach Riley and the players for the kind gesture AND to Beaver Nation for being the best fans in the Pac-10!

-jm

Related posts:

1. Passing out doughnuts…VIDEO!
2. Craig Robinson Announced as OSU’s next Men’s Hoops Coach
3. Spring Football Game on Saturday

Note, the OUS fee deferral IS NOT a fee waiver. Students will be required to pay the fee (as mentioned above) upon enrollment.

The OSU Office of Admissions has unveiled a new process by which students can claim a fee deferral.

Step 1, determine whether or not you’re eligible:

Applicants seeking admission off of their high school record must meet one or more of the following:

1. Student is now eligible for, or participates in, a free- or reduced-lunch program.
2. Student now participates in or is eligible for a TRIO-type college preparatory program such as Upward Bound, Talent Search, EOP, HEP, etc.
3. Student is a current recipient of State of Oregon or U.S. Public Assistance.
4. Student is eligible for College Board fee waiver.

Students seeking admission off of their work at a two or four year regionally accredited college or university must meet one or more of the following:

1. I am a current participant in an Equal Opportunity Program (EOP), TRIO, or other similar program at the college or university I am currently attending.
Documentation Required: Signed and dated statement from the institution’s program director, including director’s name, signature, title, and phone number.

2. My Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is: $1,000 or lower
Documentation Required: Copy of Part One of your Student Aid Report (SAR) from the institution you are currently attending.

3. I am a current recipient of State of Oregon or U.S. Public Assistance (food stamps only or food stamps, cash, and medical assistance).
Documentation Required: Signed and dated statement from your caseworker.

4. I am currently classified as a dislocated worker.
Documentation Required: Copy of Determination of Dislocated Worker Form 1992B.

5. I have authorization and certification of entrance or re-entrance into rehabilitation.
Documentation Required: Federal form from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Step 2, apply for admission:

Complete your application as you normally would. When you are ready to complete your app, you will be taken to a payment option screen:

Step 3, complete the online fee deferral form by checking the eligibility requirements that apply to you and filling out your counselor/agency official’s information (If you are first year student, use the first year checkboxes. If you are transfer student, use the transfer student checkboxes.) and submit your application:

Step 4, fax (541.737.2482) or mail (OSU Office of Admissions, 104 Kerr Admin Bldg, Corvallis, OR 97331) your completed and signed by an agency official/counselor OUS fee deferral form (PDF).

NOTE: we will not completely process your application or admit you until you have submitted the completed and signed OUS fee deferral form (PDF) for approval

We hope that this will greatly streamline the process for claiming an OUS fee deferral. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call (1.800.291.4192) or email (osuadmit@oregonstate.edu) us directly.

-jm

Related posts:

1. Engineering Scholarship Application now available
2. Application fees policy change
3. Application for Admission to be down Nov. 3rd and Thanksgiving Weekend

My trip to Oregon State University was very special to me. I was deciding whether to go to WSU or Oregon State, and when I went on a tour to Oregon State, I saw many great things about it. I saw the awesome campus and also the really nice students. I also have a chance to get a double degree for a area in mathematics and one in teaching. Oregon State is the place for me to continue my education.—Daniel Bienapfl

Had they visited last Friday afternoon, they would’ve been treated to an MJ performance by our own Carl Thomas right outside the Campus Visitor Center.

Beaver Open House is on Saturday, November 21st. It’s an all day program and a great way to immerse yourself in what OSU has to offer. Or you can set up your own visit. Either way, we hope to see you on campus!

Fall visit

-bv

Related posts:

1. Spring Visits- Are They Important to the College Decision Process???
2. Oregon State a leader in campus sustainability
3. Need Money for College? Attend College Goal Oregon

According to the Gazette Times, 638 dancers gathered at Reser Stadium at 6 p.m. Friday to recreate the iconic “Thriller” dance by Michael Jackson, shattering the college world record of 242 dancers held by William and Mary College in Virginia. Way to go Brianne! Impressive work!

Check out admissions staff member Carl Thomas at mark 0:50. (Yes, he’s the one with the glitter glove).

Oregon State University Shatters Thriller College Record!

Random Fact: Devotees may remember that Carl Thomas and other OSU Admissions Staff performed Thriller as part of an on campus student affairs talent show. (They won, BTW.)

–mko

Related posts:

1. Oregon State University Among Greenest
2. Admissions Recruit Team: THRILLER!!
3. Oregon State University Still Accepting Applications

The dates that the application will not be available are:

-Tuesday, November 3rd
-Several hours over the Thanksgiving weekend

If you are planning to work on your application or submit it during these periods, please adjust your schedule accordingly. Please let us know if you have questions: 1.800.291.4192 or osuadmit@oregonstate.edu.

-jm

Related posts:

1. Admission Application Period Still Open
2. Admission application to be more inclusive to LGBT students
3. Application Deadline Question–Follow Up

The Bend area was abuzz on Tuesday over the PNACAC Central Oregon College Fair where large groups of high school students flocked to the Deschutes Fairgrounds to learn about the college admissions process. Oregon State University was at the fair as well as the OSU Cascades Campus – both featured in this news clip. Nice job Mollie!

-Marleigh

Related posts:

1. Chelsea Clinton Makes Stop at OSU
2. OSU Gymnastics makes NCAA Nationals; OSU to Host NCAA’s
3. OSU Makes Presidential Endorsement

Straight from the Student Leadership & Involvement (SLI) office, here are just a sample of the helpful hints to being involved on campus and staying afloat in your academics.

- Make a master course syllabus.  Combine all course syllabi into a mega-list.

- Keep a To-Do-List and daily planner.  Rather than just listing when an assignment is due, actually schedule time prior to work on the assignment.  Do the same for
exam studying.

- Get off the phone…including text messaging.  Turn it on “silent” when you are trying to study…this will decrease the amount of interruptions.

- Go to class.  Life goes better if you show up.

- Sleep 6-8 hours a night.  All-nighters are not healthy and your memory actually suffers when you do not get enough sleep.

- Learn to say “no”.  It is healthy to set limits.  If you can’t succeed as a student, you won’t be able to be a student leader anymore.

- Don’t forget to have fun! The more balance you have in your life, the more successful you will be in all areas (student, leader, friend, partner,
family member, all-around healthy-happy person).

*For the full list of tips from SLI, click here.

We’re looking forward to welcoming the Class of 2013 to campus this fall and can’t wait to see the impact they make on our community!

-Marleigh

Related posts:

1. Life Sized Benny
2. Academics Vs. Athletics and OSU Gymnastics
3. OSU students save a life…literally

Beaver Open House is another chance to get an in-depth look at Oregon State University and see what we have to offer. BOH is a full-day program with opportunities to meet OSU faculty, staff and current students, tour the campus and learn about the opportunities at OSU. Beaver Open House is scheduled for Saturday, November 21st.

As always, there are personal campus visits offered during the week. See Visit OSU for details.

-bv

Related posts:

1. OSU Preview complete; Beaver Open House yet to come
2. Preview OSU – Friday, October 13, 2006
3. Announcement-Admissions office closed January 4th

While this is no surprise to this blogger, some see our size as a hurdle (pop. 50,000) to being a sports mecca. But if you’ve heard the crowds at Reser, legendary Gill, and Goss Stadium when the Beavers are home, you know how great a sports town Corvallis can be.

So let’s show them how it is on Saturday against Stanford!
GO BEAVS!

Hat tip to Buker at The Oregonian.

-bv

Related posts:

1. OSU student one of ‘Top 100 Filipinas’
2. OSU in Top 100 for LGBT students
3. OSU MBA Program Among World’s Top 100

This year’s report is now available in printed form by contacting the Oregon State University, Department of Public Safety, which is located in room 200, Cascade Hall, 601 SW 17th Street, Corvallis, OR 97331. The report may also be found on the University’s web site at:

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/security/ccr_clery_act/statistics.php

Please note that, due to a clerical error, the crime statistics reported for Year 2007 were not comprehensive when originally published in the 2008 Annual Security Report. The University has since revised the 2007 crime statistics and included them in this year’s Annual Security Report.

-bv

Related posts:

1. Hui-O-Hawaii Club 53rd Annual Lu’au Report
2. OSU Faculty Report on Immigration Issues Through Student Experiences
3. Chinese New Year Celebration Student Report

To the casual reader all they know so far is that my name is Sam, I attend Oregon State, and, hopefully, I am funny and well educated. But, much like my personal hero Optimus Prime, there is more to me then meets the eye.

Before attending OSU an arduous journey awaited me; college applications. Yes like all high school seniors I wrote the essays, took the tours, applied for the scholarships, and counted down the days until college acceptance, ore rejection letters, are sent out. Yes surprisingly enough there are a few schools out there who did not realize my potential and rejected me, but I hold no grudges against those schools for I have found a great home here in Corvallis. Other then OSU I applies to Humboldt, UC Santa Barbra, UC Davis, and unfortunately University of Oregon. But once I was accepted at the honors college here at OSU I accepted without hesitation,  before recieving a response from UCSB; which is saying a lot because UCSB was my top choice for a long time.

Now that I am at OSU I am majoring in Marine Biology and I plan on graduating from the honors college in a timely manner. After OSU I will most likely attend graduate school, hopefully at Scrips, and then I plan on studying the giant squid off of the coast of Japan. Although recently I have toyed with the idea of becoming a teacher or changing my major all together and becoming an English major. My only explanation as to why I would change to an English major is because of my high school English teacher Mrs. Devlin. Mrs. Devlin challenged me in every way she could every minute she could in order to make me a better write, but more importantly a better person. Everyday as I walk around campus or I am in class an opportunity presents itself where I can apply something that Mrs. Devlin taught. Whether it be a chance to write a lovely flowing sentence or a chance to recognize an allusion to Icarus as he fell from the heavens.So thank you Mrs. Devlin, from the bottom of the souls of my shoes, I thank you for all that you have done for me.

For those of you who are not Mrs. Devlin I apologize I hope that did not bother you too much. Other then my academic life I am a ballroom dancer and I hope on joining the prestigious ballroom dance team, know as cool shoes, and I swim and play water polo. When I am with my friends I love to laugh and tell jokes or play video games, or play ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, soccer, or capture the flag, all games that I have played with my new friends at OSU. Living at OSU has been fairly simple and straight forward. Everyone I meet is friendly and eager to be my friend, though from what I have heard most freshman are like that. But as I sit downstairs in the spacious McNary dorm recreation room and look out the window to the parking lot where my parents and I parted I can not help, but feel a flicker of homesickness deep within my stomach as I think about my friends and family back home and all the crazy things that they are doing that I am missing. But then I look to my right where I see the ping pong tables and couches and remember all the conversations I had here or I look out the opposite windows to the fields and recall the hours I spent running back and forth along those fields and the homesickness flickers out. Only to be replaced by a roairng inferno of hope and happiness and excitement because at OSU all things seem possible, and, much like the weather, you never know what you will run into next.

PEACE

sam

No related posts.

A 7-foot beaver will be tearing through the streets of downtown Los Angeles today, piloted by two Oregon State University seniors.

West Linn’s Jeff Woolson and Tigard’s Brian Pavlukovich will hop into their furry vehicle and face off against more than 40 other contestants in the Red Bull Soapbox Race.

Organizers of the race, which drew more than 100,000 people to the same event in San Francisco last year, picked their entry — the only one admitted from Oregon — out of more than 200 applications across the western United States.

2009 Red Bull Challenge entry from two OSU students. GO BEAVS!

We are definitely pulling for our guys! Thanks to Nicole Dungca, The Oregonian.
GO BEAVS!
-bv

Related posts:

1. Jr. Benny rollout tomorrow (11/12/08)
2. OSU students exercise their ‘power’
3. Notice to admitted students

A pair of comfortable walking shoes
Several decks of cards
Patience
Several close friends (can be replaced for your entire wing, or your entire dorm)
Several topics to discuss
An i pod (in case you run out of things to talk about and games to play)
A list
An idea of where things are
The ability to meet new people
Patience
A pillow or lawn chair to sit on
Something warm
Patience
Strong arms
A good eye for deals
Money
Luck

Patience

A small side note: the comfortable walking shoes can be replaced with a bus ride, but that will require at least five more servings of patience.

Describing Fred Meyer to a Californian like myself is simple enough; imagine a classy version of a walmart with a bit more food, most of which is organic. To describe Fred Meyer night to anyone who is not enrolled at OSU is a near impossibility, but I will do my best.

As my entire wing of McNary headed of to Fred Meyer I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I figured there would be a few people waiting in line for sub par deals for things nobody wants. So as we meandered down King Street three hours before we were allowed inside Fred Meyer I had low expectations for what the night would bring. My fellow freshman and I talked about what the night would bring and as we arrived at Fred Meyer there were no more then twenty people in front of us and our hopes were high. And then the waiting began.

We played cards, we talked, we played more cards, and we talked some more. Slowly but surely people were filling in behind us doing much of the same thing. You could tell the upperclassmen from the underclassmen because the freshman lacked things to sit on, other then the concrete, while most everyone else had chairs or pillows to sit on. Yet the line did not seem to get any longer behind us. If anything there were more people in front of us as people let their friends and their friend’s friends cut in line. Still it did not seem appropriate for us to be at Fred Meyer three hours early. As the night wore on and the entrance time arrived the noise level grew and grew until it was indistinguishable sound. And then the doors opened.

As the creaky gates swung outward the mob of people in front of us, which had started out as ten people, but had grown to at least one hundred people due to cutting, rushed forward and I was taken along for the ride. With my arms trapped at my side and the smell of thousands in the air we flooded Fred Meyer with whoops of joy and of excitement. Upon entering we were given a raffle ticket and a page of coupons. As I looked down at the coupons I realized that these were no ordinary deals, and I felt the sudden urge to buy more pairs of jeans because they were twenty percent off or more electronic gizmos because they were ten percent off. As I perused the aisles of Fred Meyer twangs of guilt racked my stomach as I saw all the deals that I was passing up. Fred Meyer had instilled in me a sense that I had to take advantages of these deals and if I did not then there was something wrong with me. It was at that point that I realized the power Fred Meyer held over me fellow classmates and myself.

The only thing better then the amazing deals was the copious amounts of free food. Pizza, chips, monster energy drink, five hour energy drinks, kiwis, apples, and even when you were all done shopping and you walked outside and you gazed upon the line that wrapped around Fred Meyer twice; you suddenly appreciated those three hours you spent waiting in line because now you could go home while they were forced to wait for their turn inside Freddie’s. After that moment of total bliss a worker standing beside several shopping carts full of bags handed you a bag and said “thank you for shopping at Fred Meyer” as they handed you more free things. In that euphoric moment as all things seem possible and nothing is beyond your grasp, you stand in awe at the power of capitalism and Fred Meyer. The walk back was uneventful. As was the time I spent unpacking and fawning over my free treasures. That night our dorm stayed up late, as if I was Christmas and none of us dared to fall asleep for fear that we would walk up and this amazing night would be naught but happy dream.

These next section had no place in the blog, yet I feel it is a key part of the Fred Meyer experience. While waiting in line and inside Fred Meyer and even later that night, in their delusional state people say things that are truly out of this world and yet describe parts of the night. Here are a few of the quotes that I heard and remembered. If you heard any more, or had one you made up please add it to the comments section.

Fred Meyer Quotes:
“Standing in line for Fred Meyer is just like a high school dance”

“Hey what did you do last night?”
“I went to Fred Meyer and had a pretty awesome time”
This quote I used myself and heard several times throughout the time following Fred Meyer night. Fred Meyer is more then just a time to buy things for cheap it’s a social event. Sure you could go out that night and do other things, but the following day the most exciting thing people can talk about is Fred Meyer.

Related posts:

1. OSU to participate in Q Center College Night
2. Passing out doughnuts…VIDEO!
3. All About Sam

Business Affairs will not be doing the 1st of term in-person student check distribution for Fall term, as part of our planning to help prevent the potential spread of the flu virus. Direct deposit payments are scheduled for deposit into students’ banks on Monday as usual. But printed checks will be sent in the mail on Monday 9/28, they will not be available for pick-up at the Cashier’s window.

After careful consideration and consultation with our partners in Financial Aid and Student Affairs, we determined that in order to reduce the risk of spreading the flu for students and staff, and because other options of direct deposit and US mail are available, it was a reasonable prevention method to cancel the mass in-person check pick up in the Kerr lobby. The preparation and processing of tuition and financial aid will not change, and all regular Student Finance services will continue – emergency loans, payment posting, billing inquires, etc.

We are working on sending out this notification through several communication channels, including encouragement for students to ensure their current mailing address is accurate.

Please forward this message to others as appropriate, and please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

-bv

Related posts:

1. Bridge to Success Program Covering More Students Than Anticipated
2. Advance Tuition Deposits now online!
3. OSU’s Own Students Outwit Wall Street

1. Use Dixon Recreation Center!  You pay for the privilege to use this facility in Student Fees – take advantage of it.  Dixon offers facilities for swimming, cardio work outs, weightlifting,  running indoors, racquetball, basketball, volleyball, and indoor rock climbing, to name a few.
2. Participate in the health promotion programs offered through Student Health Services.  Some examples would be the annual Beaver Strides program, Health Coaching, and general medical care.
3. Get together with hall mates and friends to join an intramural sports league.  OSU’s Dixon Recreation Center hosts different leagues and events each term of the academic year.  You’re likely for find various options including flag football, racquetball, indoor soccer, water polo, golf, and homerun derbies.
4. Make healthy choices!  The Dining Centers on campus offer a variety food choices that will satisfy anyone’s appetite.  Keep an eye on what you’re eating throughout the day and make sure to add some fresh veggies from the salad or steam bar to every meal.
5. Take a Physical Activity Course (PAC).  These classes allow you to get credit for being active and give you a specified block in your scheduled for doing so.  PAC classes are very popular on campus, so register early!  Some options that may interest you are yoga, weightlifting, relaxation, snowboarding, rock climbing, and a variety of dance classes.
6. Walk or bike everywhere.  Who needs to drive a car when Corvallis is so walker and biker friendly?  Whether you’re heading somewhere on or off campus, OSU and its surrounding area has a lot to offer with a variety of restaurants and grocery stores.  Also, don’t forget about Downtown Corvallis.  It’s just a short walk from campus and can be the perfect Sunday morning pick me up!

Most importantly, use the many resources on campus available to students and remember that a little bit of weight gain is normal and nothing to worry about.  Make sure that you are staying active, maintaining a healthy diet, and getting plenty of sleep every night.

-Marleigh

Related posts:

1. OSU Mountain Climbing Club on Everest
2. OSU students save a life…literally
3. OSU Racquetball Teams National Champs

Here’s the rest of the top 10:

1. Ithaca, N.Y. (Cornell)

2. State College, Pa. (Penn State)

3. Ames, Iowa (Iowa State University)

4. Champaign-Urbana, Ill. (University of Illinois)

5. Iowa City, Iowa (University of Iowa)

6. Charlottesville, Va. (University of Virginia)

7. Corvallis, Ore. (Oregon State University)

8. Bloomington, Ind. (University of Indiana)

9. Columbia (University of Missouri)

10. College Station, Texas (Texas A&M)

Seriously. What else do you need to hear? If you are considering OSU and haven’t visited yet, set up a personalized visit and see for yourself what makes Corvallis and OSU so awesome!

-jm

Related posts:

1. Corvallis Ranked 5th Smartest by Forbes
2. Corvallis is America’s Safest Small City…Again
3. More Accolades for Corvallis

We were expecting to be down today:

Oregon State will be transitioning to an updated version of our student information system (Banner) over Labor Day weekend. Since this is a pretty big update, we are expected to be without access to Banner until September 9th. This means that we will not be able to process, search, review or update any applicant information until the upgrade is complete.

We apologize for any inconvenience during our upgrade.

Kudos to all the folks working to get us up and running again!!!!
-bv

Related posts:

1. OSU information system down for maintenance 9/5-9/8
2. OSU Participates in an Online Virtual College Fair on March 25th and 26th!
3. Advance Tuition Deposits now online!

Louie Bottaro, CLA advisor mentors students

So this is my first foray at writing a blog under a predetermined topic for publication. I have been asked to write about the topic, “How to not be small in a large lecture hall.” Every summer I speak to hundreds of incoming students advising them of the ways of the world at OSU. Some students come from high schools where their graduating class was 8 or 17 or 43. The notion of sitting in a lecture hall of 300+ is extremely frightening. Not only is that number more than the people in their high school, in some cases it is more than the population of their hometown. Amazingly, though students survive this process and transition successfully if they listen to these pieces of advice…..

Tape recorders are so 20th Century. Some people would have you believe that you must buy a digital recorder to record the lecture and then rewrite your notes. Those people hold shares of stock in Radio Shack or Best Buy. The reality is that most students may record the lecture, (if they remember to bring it), but aren’t so likely to use it. What they need to do is…..

Print out notes from Blackboard. What is Blackboard you ask? You see a few years ago, former Vice-President Al Gore invented “The Internet”. And on this internet, OSU has a website, (I trust you know this know as you are currently reading from this site). Blackboard is an instrument where faculty members can share information with students, like course announcements, class notes and scores from exams and quizzes. So to adequately prepare for a lecture, you need to do these things….

1. Read the assigned chapters before class as stated in the syllabus (which according to Wikipedia is “an outline and summary of topics to be covered in a course”).
2. Take notes of the content covered in the assigned reading.
3. Print out lecture notes from Blackboard before class.
4. Add additional notes during lecture as professor adds specific emphases.
5. Review notes within 24 hours to reinforce what you have learned.

Now that seems like a lot of work for many of you, (this is certainly something that I never did), but it does work. In addition to adequately preparing for a class and taking notes here are some other things you need to do for success.

Speak with your professor before or after class. Visit them during their office hours if you have specific questions about the content covered. Professors are real people too; they have just become very knowledgeable about certain specific parts of their field. Find out what they are interested in and get to know something about it. This is called brown-nosing.

Things not to do in a large class (or any for that matter):

Bring food that distracts others by your noisy eating, smell, or other distracting element.
Check Facebook all class long.
Snore.
Talk incessantly. No student paid to hear what you have to say.
Forget to shut your ringer off on your cell phone.

The last thing that is important regards where you sit in a lecture hall can have a positive effect on your performance in a class. There are many studies that show that students who sit in the front third of a class are going to earn better grades. Students that sit in the back get lower grades. This makes a lot of sense if you think about it. If you are in the front of the class you are more likely to be engaged in the lecture, listening intently to the professor and the pearls of wisdom they are dropping on you. If you are in the back of a class, there are many more chances for distraction and spacing out. So during every START session when I speak to Liberal Arts majors, I challenge the Liberal Arts students to sit in the front of all classes and let the Business majors sit in the back. Then I compare it to a reverse mullet. Think about it.

Louie Bottaro is an academic adviser in OSU’s College of Liberal Arts. He is a ‘99 CSSA grad from OSU and received a bachelors degree from Willamette University. He is a husband, father of two, and a member of the Student Media Committee. He is an unabashed Cubs fan and regularly heckles other NL Central teams at spring training. His golf game is better than his poker game but he’s improving on both.

Related posts:

1. Austin Entrepreneur Lecture Series- Jesse Coombs
2. OSU Baseball in the Baseball Hall of Fame
3. College of Liberal Arts Names Larry Rodgers as Dean

Here’s the link: Beaver Nation Migration Blog

The OSU Admissions Blog, always on the cutting edge, is thrilled to be the first to welcome Beaver Nation Migration to the OSU Blogosphere.

-jm

Related posts:

1. Welcome to Beaver Nation, Governor Kulongoski!
2. OSU Admissions Blog Adds New Author: James Miller
3. Conservation Biology Program at OSU Ranked First in Nation

Incoming students!  Time to get your tickets!!!

GO BEAVS!

-bv

Related posts:

1. Admissions upgrades International Student web site
2. Athletic Training Programs: Why OSU?
3. OSU’s official Facebook page

This is a photo of two of our Admissions Bloggers, Matt Ogawa and Blake Vawter with the cutout of Benny.

GO BEAVS!
-jm

Related posts:

1. Vote Benny or Die!!!
2. Benny rocks a MySpace profile
3. Jr. Benny rollout tomorrow (11/12/08)

Oregon State will be transitioning to an updated version of our student information system (Banner) over Labor Day weekend. Since this is a pretty big update, we are expected to be without access to Banner until September 9th. This means that we will not be able to process, search, review or update any applicant information until the upgrade is complete.

We apologize for any inconvenience during our upgrade.
-bv

Related posts:

1. OSU information system back online!
2. Information about pre med programs: Why choose OSU for a pre med degree?
3. OSU Admissions moving forward with document imaging initiative

Now, the OSU Admissions Office is a paperless unit, but if you send us something stamped with an OSU stamp…Your mail will certainly elicit a happy dance!

In case you’re still hedging as to whether you need these or not, here are some clever uses for OSU stamps:

A letter home to the ‘rents asking for money.
A letter to your daughter/son telling her/him to get a job.
Care packages (chocolate chips cookies are always a win).
Your BASF donation check.
Bills…Even the electric company loves OSU!
Tax returns, remember that OSU accountants score amongst the top five universities in America on the Fundamentals of Accounting Exam.
A letter home from your study abroad in Italy/Spain/Greece.
Resumes to potential internship employers.

Come on! What else do you need to read? Go get yourself a book of these handsome stamps!!

-jm

Related posts:

1. Recent OSU Grad Gives Thanks
2. OSU Hopes to Partner with Nissan for Electric, Hybrid Cars
3. Irwin Family of “Crocodile Hunter” at OSU on Wednesday