Love

I finally watched the movie Temple Grandin, the story of how a woman with Autism defied all odds and revolutionized the meat processing industry.  Having worked with several very successful students who happen to have NLDs or autism, it was amazing to get a different perspective on how having this “disability” can give a person the ability to see the world in a revolutionary way.  If you haven’t seen the movie, the phrase Temple keeps repeating to herself throughout the movie is something along the lines of “A door opened and I walked through it.”

It’s such a powerful concept–a door opened and I walked through it.  It can apply to so many things, but I often think about opportunities as labors of love, which seems fitting since it’s Valentine’s Day.  I often think about how a door opened and 650 women ended up on our campus, and what that means for each of those students–to have a community that not just cares about your future, but really loves you in a profound way.  To have friends and mentors that will aid and assist you through the good, the bad and the ugly.   To discover the things that you are passionate about and having the opportunities to pursue them.

Walking through the door of a place like Sweet Briar almost immediately grants you access to love–the things that you love and are passionate about and the opportunity to immerse yourself in the subjects you love, and a community that you’ll grow to love and in turn will grow to love you.

So to all you lovely ladies out there, happy Valentine’s Day–may you have all the opportunities you need in front of you, plentiful doors to walk through to get to where you need to be, and a loving and supporting community waiting for you when you get there.

Getting Back

Sorry for the delay in posting.  To sum up the past week, I spent the better part of last week curled up sleeping off a nasty bug, and this week I’ve been trying to enter back into the land of the living.

But we’ve been staying busy here–here’s just a snippet of what’s been accomplished this week…

• I read my booty off at the beginning of the week–several of you should be getting decisions in the next few weeks!
• Docent interviews are in full swing–we’ll hopefully have the gang all hired by next week, and they are so excited to meet you all
• While I did sleep through the Superbowl, I managed to stay awake for both episodes of Glee this week–love love love love love!
• I finally was able to make it over to try the Brewed by Starbucks on campus.  Bad move on my part because I may need the beautiful pick-me-up of the Cappuccino every day around 2pm now….
• Next rounds of Skyping begin tonight–remember, it’s not just for entrance interviews!  If you have questions and you want answers, you just let me know

I know there will be more to update as we move forward, but just wanted to come up for air and say hello–thanks for sticking with me, Bleaders!

Liberal is not a dirty word

liberal arts

–noun

1.  the academic course of instruction at a college intended to provide general knowledge and comprising the arts,humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences, as opposed to  professional or technical subjects.

2. (during the Middle Ages) studies comprising the quadriviumand trivium, including arithmetic,

geometry, astronomy,music, grammar, rhetoric, and logic.

In the midst of doing reading for my gardening blog last night, I posted on twitter the phrase, “why it’s important to be liberally educated.”  I made the comment because of a blog post and a related article discussing the impact of the USDA decision to allow Roundup Ready alfalfa to be planted without restriction.

What does this have to do with college admissions and the impending application deadline?  Bear with me as I go down a few rabbit holes to get there….

I think all too often when “liberal” gets thrown into a conversation, we immediately go to a definition that is familiar and more politically driven.  When phrases like “liberally educated,” or even “liberal arts” come up, people automatically assume it has a politically liberal bent to it.  I can’t even tell you how many times  a student decided to walk away from that college fair table because we were a “Liberal Arts” college and because that student assumed that we were a politically liberal institution.

Being liberally educated is like being liberal with your cashew butter.  It means you get more of the good stuff, and you’re able to spread it around easily.  You are not limited to the bread that you spread it on, and you’re certainly not limited to the toppings you can add on to it.  My personal favorite is whole wheat toast, cashew butter and bananas, but that’s getting away from the point here.

The point goes back to the Genetically Modified (or GMO) Alfalfa.  To understand why Margaret Roach and others consider this to be a crisis, you need a wide range of understandings–biology, history, chemistry, government, environmental studies, business, and how they all work together.  If you’re missing even one piece of that puzzle, you miss the greater meaning of what is going on.

Being at a Liberals Arts and Science school like Sweet Briar affords you the opportunity to take all these subjects (and more) in.  It encourages you to stray far and wide from your major, and applauds you when you’re able to bring that knowledge base back and use it productively within that major.  It is a place that regardless of your political preference will allow you to be liberally educated, and to think and generate opinions and engage socially with our global community in ways that are multifaceted and complex.

If you want to become a meaningful member of any community, I guarantee you that a Liberal Arts and Science degree, and specifically a Sweet Briar degree, will allow you to become the woman you want to be, and a woman others want to be with.

So regardless of if you’re for or against GMO foods, I hope you’ll think about what it means to be well-rounded, and how giving yourself the opportunity to study in a place that encourages that depth can help you get to where you want to go in life.

And I hope that place can be Sweet Briar–hit submit, get that application in now! The deadline is TOMORROW!

***

And should you be disturbed about GMO foods, I would highly encourage you to learn more about what it means for our environment and our food sources, and if you feel so moved, contact The Man in Charge to tell him how you feel.

Dear, Sweet, Prospective Applicants…

HIT. SUBMIT.

 

Application Dance

I was looking for a Glee clip about deadlines, but instead I found this gem.  And I promise you every time an application comes in, your counselor does an Application Dance that looks a little something like this.  You have 4 more days so you’re guaranteed to get your Application Dance!

Majoring in Chemistry

As most of you know, I’m not the most brilliant science lady you’ve ever met.  I wish I was, really and truly, but sadly I never felt that I had the knack for it.  Which is sad since SBC’s sciences are top notch, and almost a third of our students are majoring in some sort of science.  But don’t get me wrong, I love my major–I loved the classes I took, the professors I had, and I so loved every challenge I was faced with academically, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.

As I get older, though, I think about what it would have been like to add a major or minor in Chemistry.

Yes, you read right, I wrote Chemistry.

You see, this past year for me personally I’ve discovered a real passion for hobbies that require chemistry know-how–baking, making homemade cleansers, even my gardening hobby requires that I at least know the difference between an acid and a base.  I’ve considered getting myself a Chemistry for Dummies book, but I also play the what if game–what more could I be doing if I had been brave enough to take that Chemistry course?

So as we are still on the cusp of second semester, dare to be braver than me–take that course that sounds interesting even though it scares the pants off of you, join that club you’ve always dreamt about (or better yet, START that club), and send that application into that school that you know might be the perfect fit.

Because you never know–being brave might help your journey through life take a new path, or let you have a more interesting experience, or will let your family and friends rest a little easier at night that you’re not going to blow up the house with your newest all purpose cleaner

Smart Girls Have More Fun

Couple of quick take aways from my television time last night…

1. Tom Brady and I are officially on a break. Chris Colfer is officially my new TV boyfriend. If you’ve talked to me at all you know I have a love affair with Glee, not only for the catchy tunes that get stuck in my head, but because I love what the show is trying to do and the envelopes it’s trying to push. I love that there are characters I would have totally related to 10-15 years ago (and let’s be honest–there is always the little shadow of your high school self that lives in you–I will always identify with these characters!) like Kurt, Rachel, Tina, Artie and the rest of the “misfits.” I love that the show celebrates them within the context of reality, but shows us all how we can be better citizens in a world all too often filled with misunderstanding. Whether you are the cheerleader, the jock, the smartie, or the Gleek, I promise you that there are places for you and Sweet Briar is one of them (more on that later….)
2. As soon as Aaron Sorkin’s speech is findable on YouTube, I am posting it. If you find it first, please let me know! I literally stood up and cheered when he addressed his daughter in his acceptance speech saying, (and I’m paraphrasing here) Look at the women nominated here tonight–not only are they beautiful on the outside, they are smart intelligent women, and being smart is not something to be sorry about. Smart girls have more fun. YES! How refreshing is it for someone to showcase that, and to be able to show that it is ok to be smart, and to embrace all that comes with it. And let me tell you, Aaron, we most certainly do.

So today, despite getting my heart broken by the Patriots, I am on cloud nine with all the fantastic messages that punctuated the slightly hateful comedy of the host last night. Be strong, celebrate who you are, and remember what Crispen always told me–Smart girls play field hockey, and Smart Women attend Sweet Briar. Holla Holla, Ladies!

Boston Sweet Briar Day 2011

Last year I wasn’t able to make it to any of the Sweet Briar Days in my territory, and that made me sad.  Really sad.  I mean, why wouldn’t you want to go hang out with fabulous Alumnae, awesome current students, and future members of your class?

So this year I was ecstatic why my boss said, “GAL, Please go to Boston.” (and yes, you can be rest assured I’m playing the age old classic, Please Come to Boston in the back of my head while I type this…if you don’t know what I’m talking about, Google it.  You’ll thank me later!).

Despite all odds (aka snow), I made it up with only small hitches along the way, and as my good friend MLB ’06 and I waited on bated breath for the group to come, we hoped with all we had that this would be the event we had hoped for.

And it was!

We had over thirty people there ranging from high school juniors to very distinguished Alumnae.  Four, let me repeat it, FOUR of my applicants came, and two of my former students were there as well.  To say I was thrilled/humbled/excited/THRILLED would be an understatement.

It’s an honor to serve in this capacity for our college when people show up.  And I’m so proud to say that Boston showed up big time–Holla, Holla Boston Alumnae Club Ladies!

Just Do It

Dragging your feet on submitting your application?  Don’t be like your fearless admissions counselor and wait until the last minute of the deadline, and if you need a little motivation, here you go!

Don’t fret, don’t quit, just hit submit–you’ll be happy you did, I promise!

(and for those true blue procrastinators like myself, you still have a little more time–the deadline is February 1st.)

Quiet

Campus is eerily quiet today.  Staff is back and ready to tackle the New Year, but our students won’t return for another few weeks.

This makes for exceptional parking, peaceful days to get through all of the mail and e-mail we’ve received over the holiday, but it also means that it feels a bit like a ghost town if you walk around our halls or paths.  Students bring a certain depth and energy to campus that you just can’t replicate in their absence.  And while I’ll relish being able to park close to my building in the 20 degree morning temperatures, I’m looking forward to hearing their banter as you walk across our quad, or listening to them bustle into our office with their stories and such.

Happy 2011, Everyone–looking forward to seeing what it has in store for us here at the Briar, and how you’ll be a part of it!