My View of the Hill

Hello blogosphere! My name is Ally Martel and I am senior here at WKU! I will be graduating this May with a degree in Creative- Print Advertising and Graphic Design. I absolutely love the career path I have chosen, and cannot wait to take my talent to the real world (let's just hope they like it!). Besides the stresses of being a college senior and planning a wedding, I'm also a student worker and retired tour guide for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. It's truly the best job I have ever had!
Well, I think that's enough about me! Now onto more important matters... COLLEGE! College is said to be the best years of your life, which makes the "Which college do I go to?" question so much more difficult. This is the place where you make life long friends, discover yourself and your future, and create memories that you will never forget! So, it's important you chose a college that is the best fit for you.
WKU can definitely be the place for you! There are so many great professors and staffers willing and ready to help. I remember feeling so lost and disoriented my first day of class, and I found so much comfort in my RA and the girls on my floor. Everyone at WKU is incredibly supportive, and I couldn't be happier with my decision to attend Western. My decision to go to WKU was an easy one, when I was junior in high school I visited Western and completely fell in love with the campus. I researched the art program and toured the department, and the decision was final, I wanted to be a Hilltopper! I truly feel that WKU has shaped me into a confident young woman, ready to take on the world! I hope all of you decide to start the best years of your life on the hill!
I'll write soon :)
Ally

Why I love WKU.

I remember when I first came to Western Kentucky University. I came with some people from my high school in the summer of 2004, right before I started my senior year. I remember just absolutely falling in love with the campus. I knew right then and there that I would be coming to WKU in the fall of 2005. There was something about this campus that makes you feel right at home when you come here.

I lived in Gilbert Hall, an all girls dorm when I got here my freshman year. As much as I thought I would hate it, it was an awesome experience. I lived in "The Vally" and me and some of the girls would always go to McCormack hall or Rhodes and just hang out. That environment and community in The Vally was the highlight of my freshman year.

WKU sporting events are always a blast. Everything from the tailgating, to the "Topper Walk", to the game is exciting. The atmosphere on campus during football season is fantastic. The basketball games are a blast too. I've never had so much fun at a basketball game till I came to Western. That's something that you can look forward to in the fall.

I've been here for 5 years now and I fall more and more in love with WKU everyday it seems. There is something about Western that has for one kept me here all these years, secondly has shapped me into the person I am today. There is a saying that you will hear hundreds of times while you are at WKU, and it is "The Spirit Makes the Master." I think everyone has a different meaning for it. For me that spirit has given me the drive to be successful at whatever I do. That is "The Spirit Makes the Master".

From alumna to recruiter

That profile picture of me was taken in May 2009 as I walked into Diddle Arena as a graduate student and walked out an alumna of Western Kentucky University. I was so excited to have my master's hood placed over my head by my thesis advisor, Dr. Blair Thompson, but at the same time I was quite sad that my time at WKU was coming to a close. When I saw a job posting for the Office of Admissions I jumped at the chance to stay on the Hill -- and my enthusiasm must have showed, because I was offered the opportunity to join this office as an admissions counselor in November.

Some of you may be wondering, as I was three months ago, what exactly an admissions counselor does all day long. Let me tell you, it's a whole lot. On days when we're in the office, our list of duties runs something like this:

• Answer incoming phone calls from prospective students, parents, guidance counselors, and whomever else selects "speak with an admissions counselor" from our automated menu
• Meet with prospective students and their parents who come in to Potter Hall, whether scheduled or unscheduled (both are fine; you don't need an appointment to stop in)
  
• Schedule visits at high schools and community colleges
• Send notifications to guidance counselors and students of upcoming visits
• Send thank-you notes to guidance counselors and students following a visit
• Enter data from the information cards students filled out during a visit
• Answer questions posed via e-mail and snail mail
• Write letters to students who indicate interest in WKU by sending us their ACT/SAT scores
• Fill in for our tour coordinator if he has to miss the daily tour/info session at the Welcome Center
• Act as back-up for our application processors during the busiest parts of the year
• Make a daily run to Java City for a cappuccino and a Rice Krispie treat (OK, so I'm the only one who does that)
• Assist where needed for Focus on WKU, Minority Preview days and the Academic Transitions Program (some counselors are in charge of actually planning those events)
• Recruit students for, design, and oversee the production of Office of Admissions publications like our annual Viewbook
  
• Plot ways to get someone to paint over my bright-green office with a more respectable shade of coffee-with-cream brown (again, that's just me)
  

When we aren't in the office, we're most likely visiting a high school, community college, or career/college fair somewhere in this great nation. Usually at those visits we'll set up a table with information about WKU, then wait for people to stop by and ask questions. Sometimes guidance counselors will allow us to make a presentation for a group of students, which is nice because it gives us more time to talk about what makes WKU so great. Each WKU admissions counselor is a fearless public speaker (I even taught a public speaking course at WKU), so, given the microphone, we can ramble on for days (or at least hours) about the Honors College, Study Abroad, scholarships, and a plethora of fast facts about our alma mater.

I'll be popping back in now and then to update everyone on exciting happenings in the world of admissions counselors, and I'll be sure to let you know what happens in my quest to get my bright-green office painted. Thanks for visiting our blog, and we hope to see you soon on the Hill!

New Kid on The Blog- Amber P

Well hello everyone, my name is Amber P and I'm the newest student blogger. I'm a 5th year senior from the big city (sarcasm) of Morganfield, KY where the corn crops more than likely out number the residents. I'm a small town girl with big town dreams. I graduated from Union County High School in 2005 and came to WKU the fall of the same year. WKU is the only school I applied to. I just knew this was the school for me after a few visits(excluding my 5th grade trip here). But my mom had her heart on me going to Murray State which was the biggest set up if I'd ever seen one. Besides WKU's outstanding journalism and public relations program, I just fell in love with the campus. I felt at home here.

I'm majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with an Emphasis is Organizational Communications. I have one more semester left (fingers crossed) until I'm done with my undergraduate degree.

I've been involved in different campus activities here on campus, but I'm mainly a part of FCA which I have been a leader for the past few years, and Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU). These groups have helped me not only grow spiritually but also have given me the opportunity to travel across the country and make lasting friendships. Just last year I was given the amazing opportunity to attend Barack Obama's Inauguration with the political science department and that was an experience that I'm so grateful for. I will be telling my children and grandchildren about that experience. WKU gave me the opportunity to witness history.



WKU has been such a positive experience for me, with the different programs that WKU offers, it's evident that they want you to be successful here. I've always been on a first name basis with my professors and they have always been more than helpful. I still have relationships with some of my teachers that I had freshman and sophomore year. WKU faculty and staff have been nothing more than friendly.
The campus is beautiful and its growing and I love it. I can't wait to come back to Western as an alumni and see what the campus looks like. One of my favorite things to do here at WKU is go to the sporting events, mostly football and basketball. Its such a unique atmosphere and I love it. I'm always entertained and Big Red definitely makes the games more memorable. Oh and by the way no need to be scared of Big Red, he is the best mascot around.

I'm looking forward to updating you about whats going on here at WKU. I hope that you will be joining me on the hill soon. GO TOPS!!!