Wednesday, September 30, 2009


Tomorrow is the 22nd MSU Fall Career Fair. Many businesses will be at the fair speaking with MSU students about career possibilities or internships. The Career, Internship, and Student Employment Services office hosts several career fairs each year including a "Almost Spring" fair, a Montana Educators Fair, and an Agricultural Industries Fair. Leading up to the fall career fair this year they also hosted many workshops for students to prepare them to enter the workforce including workshops on writing a resume, how to search for a job or internship, mock interviews and workplace etiquette among other special programs. After the fair students will have the opportunity to interview with some of the companies at the career fair right on campus.


Career, Internship and Student Employment Services offers many great resources for students throughout the year that will help them find great careers after graduation. Besides the career fairs and workshops they also offer career counseling and information about jobs on campus or internship opportunities.



Wednesday, September 23, 2009

MSU's Admission Requirements


Many of the students that I am meeting with in New England are surprised and relieved to find out about MSU's admission requirements. Students considering Montana State University should know about our unique and student friendly application process. One of my favorite things to tell prospective students is that they don't have to write an essay or ask teachers for letters of recommendation. MSU's application is actually very straight forward and students probably complete the application in less than an hour. Different from any other colleges you are looking at? I thought so!


Now, you are probably wondering if there is no essay or letters of recommendation needed, how are we deciding who to admit? Well, if a student meets ONE of our four admission requirements, they will be admitted.

Score of 22 or higher on the ACT OR
Score of 1540 (M, CR, W) or higher on the SAT OR
2.5 cumulative high school GPA OR
Rank in the top half of your graduating class


Considering all of the news lately about colleges and universities tightening admission criteria and making it harder for qualified students to get into schools, it is no wonder why students feel relieved to hear how transparent MSU's admission process is. No surprises!

We are on rolling admissions, which means that students can apply year around and our technical deadline is July 1 (after your senior year is completed). When students apply, they also receive an admissions decision very quickly, usually within two weeks.

Students can apply online and each year about 75% of students use our online application. So, what are you waiting for? Apply soon and get the ball rolling!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Think Montana State University!


I have been keeping busy this week on the Central Montana Fair Tour. This is my first time working Montana Fairs and it is fantastic! There has been a ton of interest in Montana State and still many more fairs to come. Check out the Montana Fair schedule to see when the fair will be in your area!

MSU offers fantastic scholarship opportunities to Montana students. The Montana Freshman Premier Scholarship, the Presidential Scholarship and various departmental awards. This is the time to start looking into various scholarships to be sure deadlines are met and funds are still available. I have been encouraging students to apply for admission and submit scholarship applications by Thanksgiving, if not earlier. The deadline for the Presidential Scholarship is January 5, 2010.
MSU Fridays are another great way to explore all MSU has to offer! There are three MSU Fridays offered each academic year. The dates for this academic year are October 16, 2009, January 29, 2010 and March 12, 2010. Basically, prospective students take a Friday off of school and spend the entire day in Bozeman on the MSU campus. Prospective students, family members and friends will have the opportunity to take campus tours, residence hall tours, sit in on sample classes, meet with various academic departments and much more. The program is totally free! Do not hesitate register today!

Study Abroad!










Interested in studying in another country for a semester, year or summer? MSU offers tons of study abroad options. There are over 250 locations to choose from in over 50 different countries! You can choose from countries like South Africa, Germany, Japan, Ireland, Morroco and many more. Our Office of International Programs can help you find the program that fits you.



Studying abroad is great way to experience another culture and see the world from another perspective. When I was a student I went on a study abroad program in Bergen, Norway. I spent a semester there taking classes at the University of Bergen and living in a residence hall with Norwegian students as well as other exchange students from all over the world. I had a great time, I now have friends from all over the world and got the chance to do lots of traveling around Europe while I was there.




There are many ways to fit studying abroad in to your studies. MSU offers semester, year long or summer programs. Some departments build study abroad programs right into their curriculum such as the School of Art which has a program for students to go to Italy for a semester. The Office of International Programs offers information sessions and a study abroad fair each semester for students to learn all about the many study abroad options opportunities available to MSU students. If you are interested in studying abroad be sure to check out all of your options!







Friday, September 18, 2009

Testing, Testing, Testing!

After having just wrapped up a week in Eastern Montana meeting with students at college fairs, I was impressed with the number of students who have already taken an ACT or an SAT test. Every year, colleges and universities across the United States base many of their admissions requirements and scholarships off an ACT or SAT score. Students who take their test early can apply earlier to schools, but also have the opportunity to retake the test if they want to improve their score! At MSU, we base many of our admissions requirements as well as many of our scholarships off the ACT or SAT. MSU will always take a student's highest test score no matter when the test was taken, or how many times it was taken. By having several opportunities to retake an ACT or SAT, students are enhancing the chances to be admitted and to be potentially receive a scholarship! There are test dates for ACT and SAT listed on their sites so make sure to check them out online or talk with your counseling office to find out about future testing dates!




Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Colorado


I am currently in Colorado visiting high schools, attending college fairs and hosting pizza parties. I am driving all over the state on this trip from Steamboat to Durango to Crested Butte and everywhere in between visiting students. It has been a great trip so far with some great college fairs, visits and two fun pizza parties in Lakewood and Avon.
I am often asked while on the road about the scholarship opportunities available to students at MSU. This a great question! MSU offers students millions of dollars in scholarships each year! We have posted details on the scholarships and information on how to apply or qualify on our scholarship website. Be sure to check them out!

Vermont


Greetings from Vermont! What a great trip to have in the fall, just at the beginning of foliage season. I have been in Vermont this week and I have already met several students who are strongly considering attending MSU this fall. Each year around 20 - 30 students enroll from Vermont, and it is probably because Montana and Vermont really have a lot in common. Both have tons of outdoor opportunities and abundant ski areas, and similar weather (these students aren't afraid of a little snow). It is exciting to see so much interest from students in an area that is so far away.
I started in southern Vermont and worked my way north to Burlington, the largest city in VT. There is a college fair here on Thursday and Friday and it is usually one of the best fairs in New England!


One of my favorite events to host while on the road is pizza parties, an informal gathering that students can attend attend at night to find out more about MSU. I have already had two pizza parties in Vermont (Bennington and Burlington) and both have been a great success. The first one was at Bennington Pizza House (on the left) and three students attended all from different high schools, one was actually from NY. Pizza parties are so much fun and if you have a chance to attend a pizza party near your hometown, I would really encourage you to go! You can have any of your questions answered and bring your friends and family for free pizza! YUM. You can also meet other students from your area who are interested in Montana State. I will have a total of 5 pizza parties in New England and Kelsy will be out here in October hosting a few more. Make sure to check the Admissions Travel Schedule to see what pizza parties are in your area. If you are in New England, I hope to see you while I'm out here!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Meg is on the road!






It was a beautiful weekend in Bozeman, MT with perfect fall weather. I had a great time trail running in Hylite Canyon and biking around downtown but I couldn’t help but be a little nervous...my first travel season kicked off yesterday! Of the five traveling Admissions Representatives, all five of us are on the road. Currently in Glasgow, I am on an Eastern Montana College Fair tour.
Talking to high school seniors today brought me back to my senior year in high school. I could not decide on a school! I even had campus housing deposits at two of them. Choosing Montana State University was something I thought long and hard about. But I could not resist the wide variety of academic programs, amazing faculty, tight knit community, active student body and endless outdoor opportunities. A place where I could choose from tons of majors, get personal attention from my professors and be a 25 minute ordeal away from Bridger Bowl (our local ski resort) was worth a shot. Who would have thought it would have been one of the best decisions of my life?!?
Making a college choice is extremely difficult and my best advice is to visit the schools you are interested in. We have our first MSU Friday event coming up on October 16th which is a huge event with over 500 prospective students from around the country participating! There are sample classes, tours and information sessions all day long. And if you can’t make an MSU Friday event, we welcome visitors every Monday-Friday (except on holidays). I recommend you check us out if you are thinking MSU!


Friday, September 11, 2009

Gold Rush!

Tomorrow marks the day for the first home football game of the year and campus is buzzing with the excitement of the game! A tradition at Montana State University and the first home football game is to deem this our "Gold Rush" game where fans are asked to wear gold and make the stadium seem like a gold sea of fans! Students, alumni and MSU fans have been snatching up their official MSU Gold Rush shirts from the MSU Book Store or Universal Athletics (for those not in Bozeman) for only $10 (which is a great price) and it seems as though it will be another successful Gold Rush this year with a sold out stadium expected as usual! I can't wait to get to the stadium to have a burger at the tailgates, watch the team enter the stadium during the "Bobcat Prowl" and hear the cannon signaling the kickoff! As usual, it should be another great day to be a Bobcat!





One of the perks of being a student is that all home games are free for students to attend. Whether it is a home football game or going to the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse to support our men's and women's Bobcat Basketball teams or volleyball, track and field and all the other NCAA athletics teams MSU has to offer. There is great support for our student-athletes from students, staff and faculty, the Bozeman area and fans around Montana and the U.S! Make sure to keep up with everything going on with Bobcat Athletics throughout the year! GO CATS!















Thursday, September 10, 2009

The Soloist: 2009 Freshman Convocation

Last night I attended freshman convocation - a welcome event for MSU's new freshman students. The book selected for the summer reading this year was "The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship and the Redemptive Power of Music" by LA Times columnist Steve Lopez. It was required summer reading for all 2,400 incoming freshman and this novel will be discussed in classes and several venues this fall. Check out Steven Lopez's message to the MSU Class of 2013.


"The Soloist" is a factual account that traces the development of a four-year friendship between Lopez and homeless musician Nathaniel Ayers, a former Julliard prodigy living on the streets of Los Angeles. Lopez was a great speaker and delivered an important message to the MSU Class of 2013. MSU is fortunate to bring wonderful speakers throughout the year with programs on campus like the MSU Leadership Institute.

To end the night, Champ the bobcat mascot and President Gamble came to the stage and sang the MSU Fight song. The Fieldhouse was packed with students proudly singing their fight song and a energetic end to the evening and a fun kick off to the school year!









Wednesday, September 9, 2009

New Flip Cam!



The Admissions Office made an exciting purchase today, we now have a Flip cam! The Flip cam is smaller than my cell phone so it will be super easy to bring all over campus and Bozeman to film some fun movies showing what it's like to be a student at MSU.


We will be trying the camera out tonight at freshman convocation where Steve Lopez author of The Soloist will be speaking. So be on the look out for some fun new videos on the blog and our Facebook page soon!

Seniors Take Action!

Travel has officially begun! I have the privilege of kicking off the fall 2009 travel season. So far my travels are going well. I arrived in Fresno, CA yesterday and have already met with many interested students. I hosted a pizza party last night, visited high schools this afternoon and will attend a large area college fair tonight. This is the time when you high school seniors should begin filling out applications and taking the ACT and/or SAT if you have not already. Do not forget to check out our fantastic scholarships!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

MSU AdvoCats

One of my responsibilities as an Admissions Representative is coordinating the student campus tour guides. At MSU we call our tour guides AdvoCats since we are bobcats...aren't we clever! This year we have more than 50 student volunteers who will be giving tours to over 4,000 students and family members who visit campus. Above is a photo from our ice cream social last spring.


We had our first class yesterday and they are such a great group of students! Yesterday's class was full of information and we finalized the campus tour schedule. Soon the 2009 AdvoCats will be featured on our Meet our Students webpage, and you can get to know more about them!




The AdvoCats also have a blog, so you can keep up to date with this student group if you would like. AdvoCats are volunteers, but they have some pretty amazing opportunities throughout their year of service. Last year, we were able to have dinner at the President Gamble's house, tour the underground steam tunnels that run through campus and go on a behind the scenes tour of the Museum of the Rockies. That's us to the left with Big Mike (the full size bronze sculpture based on a T-Rex found in Eastern Montana in 1988).


Hopefully you will have a chance to go on a tour led by and MSU AdvoCat this year. You can find out about our visit opportunities and contact the MSU Office of Admissions at 1-888-MSU-CATS to arrange your visit to campus.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Concerts in Bozeman






We have been having great weather in Bozeman this week which is great for attending outdoor concerts. This friday I will driving to Red Lodge, MT and attending a Montgomery Gentry concert. This concert is a little bit of a drive but I have been able to see quite a few bands right in Bozeman in the last few years including Carry Underwood, John Mayer, Maroon 5, Flogging Molly and lots of other groups. Big concerts are usually held in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse which is right on campus and will be hosting Jason Mraz in a couple weeks.



Many bands play at various locations around town such as the Emerson Cultural Center where I saw Josh Ritter this summer. In the Strand Union Building many Friday nights each semester the student government, ASMSU, sponsors free concerts. They bring in local and regional bands that have a variety of music styles. Another one of my favorite events is Music On Main which happens every Thursday night in July and August. Above is a picture of the crowd at one Music On Main this summer. It's a free event and two blocks of main street are shut down for bands to play during the event. Although Music On Main is done for the year there is going to another fun concert this weekend featuring a Bozeman band The Clintons. The concert is called Clinton Fest will be held this Saturday at the fairgrounds. They are one of my favorite local bands and put on lots of great shows around Bozeman throughout the year.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Travel, Travel, Travel...


As things are coming to life around campus, we admissions representatives are getting ready to hit the road! We will be traveling across Montana and the country visiting high schools, attending college fairs and hosting pizza parties. Keep up with us by checking out our travel schedules and continuing to follow our blog. Also, do not forget to check out the Cateye webcam to see what is happening on campus!