Hello Again!

I’m still Kyle Fassett and I’m still a 1^st year in the College Student Personnel master’s program interning as a pre-major advisor!

The month of October was a little crazy in the office of Advising Services, as I have a caseload of 80+ first-year undecided students. With that, these students have mandatory holds on their registration until they meet with me (insert evil laugh here)! I work with the students to teach them how to register and find classes that will help them explore majors while meeting the general education requirements.

Outside of the general day-to-day advising, I’ve been working on an assessment with a senior advisor to learn about students’ perceptions of our services. Additionally, I tried my hands at admissions, working two events for our office (one at BGSU, one where I traveled to Dayton, OH).

Internship aside, what is graduate school without classes…and midterms? October proved to be a busy month not only for work but also for coursework; I spent many hours studying with Jerome, the Jerome Library that is! However, I cannot complain too much about studying, because I frequently took breaks to view the fall foliage from the 8^th floor windows. People weren’t joking when they said Ohio is flat; you can see for miles!

Anyways, the month has gone by very fast as we are now into November! I am excited to think that Thanksgiving break is soon!

Roll Along!

Kyle

P.S. I may have failed to mention it previously, but “Roll Along” is one of our school’s sayings!

By Kate Branstetter

My internship in New Student Orientation & First Year Programs has been nothing short of wonderful. Our office has been very busy! Over the past few months I have been doing a lot to prepare for summer orientation here at BGSU. I was involved in the process of hiring three Orientation Team Leaders and now we are recruiting Orientation Leaders. I enjoyed creating a recruitment plan and executing outreach efforts. We are expecting over 100 students to apply for the 18 positions so I will be hard at work reading applications! I am excited at the prospect of selecting and working with an enthusiastic group of student leaders from the spring semester throughout the entire summer.

In our theory course (CSP 6020: Theory of Student Development), we have been studying a variety of theories that allow us to examine how students learn, develop, and grow during their college years. I have enjoyed learning more about how students develop through each of the various stages and what types of experiences spur this development. Before discussing Schlossberg’s Transition Theory, Dr. Carney Strange said, “We as student affairs professionals are in the transition business.” This really resonated with me. The transition from high school to college really transforms students into the person they will become. Student affairs professionals have a significant impact on these students during their transition. In Schlossberg’s Transition Theory, there are several factors that affect a student’s transition. I have observed a variety of these factors in working with students through my internship. When interviewing candidates for the Orientation Team Leader, we asked the candidates the question, “How have you grown from the Orientation Leader position?” Their answers were very indicative of their growth in different areas of development. I have noticed that my study of theory has allowed me to see students through a multitude of lenses in order to better aid them in their development. When I hear students’ struggles or complaints, the theories we have studied allow me to better understand their situation and support them accordingly.

In CSP 6010: Foundations and Functions of College Student Personnel, we had a midterm exam about the history of student affairs and the significance of those individuals, events, and documents that formed the basis of the profession. This course has really captured my interest. I feel much more knowledgeable about how this profession has evolved into what it is today. Learning about the functions of the field and comparing it to my experiences in my internship has been helpful when thinking about what functional area I will pursue. Both of the CSP courses I am taking have validated my interest in the student affairs field.

Overall, I feel that I’m getting a well-rounded experience here at BGSU. The courses provide me with knowledge that I can put to use in my internship. Even though it is my first semester, I can already tell that I will be well prepared for the student affairs world when I graduate!

Hello readers! My name is Michaelangelo Misseri and I’m a First Year College Student Personnel Graduate Student. Originally, I’m from Brooklyn, NY and just completed a Bachelors of Arts with Honors in English and a Bachelors of Science in Human Development at Binghamton University last May. My internship is with the Office of Residence Life, for which I’m the Graduate Hall Director for Kreischer: Ashley/Batchelder, a mostly first-year residence hall on campus. I can tell you one thing about that: there’s never a dull moment in my building with about 660 residents and 22 RAs!

I’ve been at BGSU a little longer than most of my cohort, having moved out to Ohio with everything that fit in my Jeep mid-July for Graduate Hall Director Training and to prepare the buildings for the RAs’ arrival and move-in day. I was nervous about moving to Ohio, especially since it’s a little different than New York City, but I’ve had such a great time at BGSU! Homecoming, Family Weekend, football games, and hockey games have kept me busy on the weekends. BGSU’s location is really convenient for weekend trips, which I have taken advantage of since being here! So far, I’ve visited Columbus, Cleveland, and Ann Arbor. The Black Swamp Arts Festival that happens annually on Main Street in downtown Bowling Green made for a great weekend, too!

After about a month of training, I was looking forward to classes starting (weird, right?). Something that really drew me to the BGSU CSP Program was the well-known, accomplished faculty and the rigorous classes they teach. I mean, who wouldn’t love to sing their way through the various student development theories with Carney Strange? Additionally, Foundations and Functions of College Student Personnel, one of the required classes of the program, has already taught me so much about the history of the student affairs profession.

Both the 1^st and 2^nd year CSP cohorts are filled with amazing people! Each and every one of us brings the different experiences we’ve had to the program and that is something truly invaluable. Luckily, I’ve become really close to some members of my cohort and don’t know where I would be without them. Being a full-time student and part-time professional can be hard, but it’s comforting to know that you can turn to so many other people around you who are going or have gone through the same experiences. The cohort is there to offer support for the challenges, and relief from the long workweeks.

Well, readers, that’s all for now! Next time, I promise to go more in depth about my internship and classes!

Ay Ziggy Zoomba!

Hometown: Nacogdoches, TX/ Sewanee, TN

Undergraduate Institution: The University of the South, Sewanee, TN

Internship Site: The Office of Service-Learning, Bowling Green State University

Having spent the last nine years of my life living and working in a small town in Tennessee, I found myself frequently explaining that I was not moving to Kentucky but instead Bowling Green, Ohio, for graduate school.  To be honest with you, I never thought I would end up in Kentucky much less in Ohio but when it came time to make the final decision on where to attend graduate school, all roads led to the buckeye state.  I am excited to spend the next two years exploring Northwest Ohio but more on that in a second, after I get the rest of my introduction out of the way…

My path to graduate school was a little bit different than the majority of the members of my cohort.  I have been out of college for almost six years now working professionally in undergraduate admissions at my alma mater.  Although I had the epiphany that higher education was my desired career field while still in undergraduate, I wanted to test drive it a bit longer before pursuing my master’s degree.  I also had been told by several of my mentors that a little professional experience under my belt would go a long way in graduate school.  I had no intentions, however, of working for as long as five years before returning to school; once I got into admissions, however, I found myself so fulfilled by my career that I had a hard time committing to returning to the classroom.  Thanks in large part to the urging of several mentors and friends, I began the application process this time last fall and the rest is all history. 

One of the first assignments you will have as a student in the CSP program is to read an article entitled “Don’t Drink the Water” by Elizabeth Whitt.  The gist of the article is that when transitioning from institution to institution you should do your best to be open-minded and to get to know the culture of the institution as best you can before drawing premature conclusions.  Although this might seem like pretty obvious advice, the article offers some great insights and has helped me make the most of my first two months in BG by encouraging me to “experience local color,” “see the sights,” and just have fun. 

One of the nice things about the cohort model is that when moving to a new city you have a built in group of friends with whom to explore your new surroundings.  On one of my first weekends in BG, for example, I convinced Caitlin, another on-offer (meaning we work on BG’s campus but live off campus) to head up to the German American Festival in Oregon, OH.  We had a great time soaking in the sun and German culture and even bumped into a few of our favorite Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) Faculty.

The following weekend was the Black Swamp Arts Festival which is a local street festival highlighting art and music.  During Black Swamp, I hosted a few of the off-offers (CSP students who live and work at partnership institutions within a two hour radius of BG at my apartment so they could spend the weekend exploring the festival as well as spend some quality time my dog, Paco.  As a member of BGSDA, the Bowling Green Student Development Association, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the festival selling beer (not too shabby in terms of volunteer opportunities if you ask me).  It was a great way to get to meet local citizens and other graduate students all while helping a good cause.  During that same weekend, BGSU hosted its first home football game of the year and HESAnation represented our Falcon spirit.

A few fellow CSPers and  local staffing the beer truck 

CSP 2012-2013 Falcon Pride

I would be remiss if I left out my favorite BG experience thus far - the famous Coomes’ Beer Tasting.  Mike Coomes, a HESA Faculty, has a great love of craft beers and each year he hosts several themed beer tasting events.  I remember learning about the beer tastings during I-Days and was pumped that I was able to score a highly sought after ticket.  This year’s first event was in honor of “Talk like a Pirate Day” and featured beers with nautical themes.  In addition to learning about the beers featured, Mike conducts a “pub quiz” to test your knowledge of the event’s theme and shares several jokes with the group.  My favorite joke this go around was, “Why did it take the pirate so long to learn the alphabet? Because he spent years a ‘C!’  Although there are a few more beer tastings between now and then, I am most looking forward to “The End of the World” beer tasting in December which is featuring Mayan beers. Pretty clever if you ask me!

If these past two and a half months are any indication of what the next two years will be like, which I am sure they are, I can’t wait to see what else is in store.

Greetings Readers,

First off let me introduce myself: my name Kyle Fassett and I am a first-year College Student Personnel master’s student at BGSU. I currently live on campus as a Greek House Director, while my internship is in Pre-Major Advising. I am from Saratoga Springs, New York and I did my undergraduate at SUNY New Paltz studying Theatre Design. Now that the formalities are over, let me tell you how I can B-me at BG, with the first few months of my experiences. 

Schoolwork aside, I am firm believer that in order to give a 100% to classes, work, and friends, you have to first make sure that you are at a 100%. With that, I have been fortunate to take of advantage of many therapeutic opportunities.

Morale Therapy: Only living here for such a short time, I already feel like a full fledge falcon! Everyone in my cohort and the 2^nd year cohort has been extremely open and welcoming through the transition of moving to the mid-west. I experienced my first home football game, donning BG apparel and learned our fight song. (We won incase you were wondering!)

Physical Therapy: A few of my cohort members and I managed our time to train for and run a half-marathon! And if you’re not from around the mid-west like me, the flat roads of Ohio make for some fast running; we all ran our personal best times! I am now training for a full marathon at the end of October!

Scream Therapy: I went to Cedar Point (about an hour away) for the day with some friends to enjoy the fall weather and relax; it was also a great way to scream out some stress! (Not to mention we received a great deal with discount tickets through the bookstore).

Food Therapy: This is probably the most important for me. Eating healthy helps my body and mind function more efficiently! However, this is not to say ice cream or froyo every now and then won’t kill you because I’m all about Pinkberry, which is on campus!

While the time constraints of school and work may be difficult to manage, I have been enjoying BG and being Me.

Roll Along,

Kyle

Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska

Undergraduate Institution: Creighton University (Omaha, NE)

Internship Site: BGSU, Office of New Student Orientation & First Year Programs

When I accepted my internship offer in April, I was excited, but I was still worried about moving to Ohio to live on my own for two years. To be honest, even as I was driving my little Honda across the country, I still wasn’t sure. Was this the right decision for me? Should I have stayed closer to my family and hometown? These questions filled my mind as I arrived in Bowling Green.

It only took a few days for me to realize that this is exactly where I need to be. While everything was different, I am surprised at how much I like it. I loved my college experience at a small, Catholic institution and BGSU is very different, but refreshing. I like the cute shops downtown and the small-town feel. My cohort is filled with people from states I have never been to: New York, Virginia, Connecticut, and New Jersey amongst others. I am grateful to be surrounded by classmates who have such a diverse array of interests and experiences they bring with them. I am continually impressed by, challenged, and inspired by them. I hope I can teach them a little bit about Nebraska, too!

As far as academics go, I’m truly enjoying my classes so far. I really love my student development theory class. I get “light bulb” moments when I’m reading about something that I’ve experienced in life, but now have a new understanding of it. I’m learning how to see the college experience through various lenses in order to grasp how to help students develop. Prior to coming to BGSU, I wasn’t quite sure what I would gain through classes that I couldn’t get from work experience. Now I am completely sold that these classes are giving me the tools to be a scholar-practitioner in student affairs. The courses have also helped me form a sense of purpose in this field. It has helped me align my passion with purpose: to show genuine concern and support for college students as they transition and develop. I also must say that the professors are wonderful. They are very knowledgeable on the content of the classes, but also know what CSP students are experiencing and are able to support us. I feel that I have much to learn from the faculty and I want to sponge as much wisdom as I can in these two years!

My internship is in the Office of New Student Orientation and First Year Programs and it is off to a great start. I experienced Opening Weekend with the entire staff, including Orientation Leaders. The first evening, I got to stand on the football field as we welcomed 3,600 first-years into the stadium! I have been meeting with departments across campus and getting adjusted to the campus culture. This week, I am interviewing and selecting Orientation Team Leaders, who will lead new students during the summer orientation. I especially enjoy working with these enthusiastic student leaders and I know that I will learn a lot from them. I also have a supervisor who is a CSP alum and cares about my academics, work, and personal progress. She has been a great resource and a huge support for me.

The past two months have been a roller coaster of struggles and achievements. The most difficult part of this experience has been living far away from my hometown, family, friends, undergraduate institution, significant other, and everything familiar. I have never lived anywhere besides Omaha, Nebraska so I knew it would be a big transition anywhere I went. My relationships are so important to me, and it was difficult to come to terms with the fact that by pursuing my career goals I had to give up certain comforts. Most importantly, I had to give up the comfort of support and time with loved ones. The comfort I once found in familiarity, I now find in the newfound independence that I’ve grown to appreciate. A year ago, I would not have been ready for this experience, but I’m glad I was brave enough to make the choice.

I could not be happier with the decision that I made to come to BGSU. Every day, there are moments that confirm for me that this was the right decision. While I still face obstacles, I know that it will only get easier to surpass them with the support of those around me. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the semester brings!

Howdy Folks!

Here I am writing this blog post in the airport, wondering “WHERE DID THE TIME GO?” In what felt like a matter of days, instead of weeks, my time spent at Willamette University has ended.  I leave excited for the start of a new school year but also pained knowing I am leaving behind some wonderful people.

Today as I reflect on the week, but also on my internship holistically, I realize my internship was nothing like what I expected.  The people, projects, and living experience were completely different from the impressions and communications I received when I accepted.   I’ve come to the conclusion that this was neither good nor bad, since I am thankful for my experience and the relationships I formed.  Yet, it leaves me with quite a few suggestions and comments for graduate students looking for a summer internship experience next year.  So, if you don’t mind (and before I forget them) I offer these suggestions:

First, take time before the process actually begins to figure out exactly what you are looking for in your experience.  Ask yourself, how does this internship experience fit into my graduate school goals, but also my long-term career goals? What can I get from this experience that is different from my current experience?  What am I looking to gain from this experience?  For some it might be a new location, some to develop a new skill set, some to work with a different student population, or others might look to work at a different type of institution.   In whatever you decide, also reflect on your expectations of the experience.  How do you hope to be treated and welcomed? Do you want to be treated like an intern, or do you want to feel integrated as part of the staff? What do you expect out of your supervisor and they out of you?  This reflection process should not be taken lightly as I truly believe this will help you make the most meaning out of your experience.

Second, do not feel the need to accept the first position you receive.  I wish a second-year had told me this.  ACUHO-I or NODA are not the only internship experiences available- as demonstrated by Josh and Kaity Werner, who are abroad, and even Jessica, who is trying out three different experiences in BG.  There will always be student affairs experiences available, it is just a matter of deciphering what experience YOU need and/or want (see point above).

Lastly, take advantage and explore the community- you don't know what you will discover! Whether you are abroad, back home, or in a new location, summer is a great time to experience new things.  Especially since the pace of graduate school can be taxing, taking time to find those hobbies or experiences you enjoy will do wonders for your mental, emotional, and physical health. So go out, explore, have fun, because the time will go by faster than you expect.  

As I contemplate what lies ahead, time, like always, will continue to amaze me by how quickly it passes.  I will forever hold a special place in my heart for Willamette University: for the lazy river that flows through campus, for the pristine beauty and green of the landscape, but lastly for the people who have touched my heart by their kindness, generosity, and support.