Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! This is a great time of year to think about all of the upcoming events in the next year and for many of you, college is one of them! Black Hills State University has a rolling admission but scholarship deadlines are approaching fast. In order to be eligible to be awarded any scholarships, students need to have applied and been accepted. This is an easy process and some of you could make it your New Year’s Resolution to complete your BHSU admission application and scholarship application!

It is important to do before the end of your senior year for several reasons. Often students wait to apply until after they have taken the ACT or SAT or until they are approaching graduation but by this point, many scholarship deadlines have passed and it is difficult to find available scholarships. It can also be overwhelming to wait so long. The longer you wait to apply, the harder the decision is to select a school. There are also many other things that come on a “first come, first served” basis. Residence Hall rooms are first assigned to those who have been accepted and completed the housing contract. If you want to be placed in a certain hall or request a roommate, fill out the application for admission! The longer you wait to do so, the less likely you will be to get the hall or roommate you wish. Other things such as selecting a New Student Registration day is offered to those students who have already been accepted. Sometimes students have summer jobs or are traveling so there are only a handful of days that are a possibility to come to campus and register. If you have been accepted, you will get first choice when selecting what day works best for you.

So you can see there are MANY reasons why it is essential to fill out the applications for admission and scholarships right away. Being accepted to a school and completing the scholarship requirements does not commit you to attend that school, so you can apply to as many as you want and then make up your mind later! Remember that BHSU’s offices are open through the Holiday Break so don’t hesitate to call or email with any concerns or questions. Enjoy the last of 2009 and Happy New Year!

Emily Pier
Admissions Counselor
Emily.Pier@bhsu.edu

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Resolutions

The long anticipated Holiday Season is in full swing! Although the weather put a few major kinks into my plans, it still has been great and festive; I hope the same for all of you. I still have to make plans for New Year’s Eve, oh and make my New Year’s Resolution!


Wow – resolutions! You know when I think about it, I make resolutions year round. My to-do list that I keep on my desk is like one giant resolution filled with smaller ones! It always does feel really great to cross one of those off, but I suppose to think even deeper into the New Year’s Resolution, you can’t count a to-do list, this one needs to be a big one that really calls for a commitment. I am going to have to continue to think about mine, but I have an idea for all of you students trying to figure out what to do next – Your New Year’s Resolution can be:
APPLY – www.BHSU.edu/Apply
SCHOLARSHIPS – www.BHSU.edu/Scholarships


Now I know that I said your resolution should require commitment, and these tasks do, but really both applications are very simple and shouldn’t take you more than 30 minutes to fill out, but you are committing to moving towards furthering your education. Not a bad resolution and an excellent thing to commit yourself to!


It doesn’t take too long to fill out our Scholarship application, but scholarships can definitely become a commitment, because you are not only going to want to complete the BHSU scholarship application (by February 1) but continue to explore and seek out scholarships that are available in your area, region, and even nationally. Scholarship money is the best money to receive; you don’t have to pay it back!!


The Office of Admissions is still busy accepting students for the Spring 2010 semester. There is still time to become a BHSU student before the Spring semester starts on January 13. We are also very busy planning for events coming up at the end of January and through February. Preview Day, Sheridan and Gillette Receptions, Career Fairs, Business Expos, Athletic Tournaments, College for a Day…. Just to name a few. Check out our BHSU on the Road Calendar to see if we are in your area.


I better go and figure out what my resolution will be. Stay tuned to see what I figure will be worth a commitment!! Next time I blog it will officially be 2010 – man a whole decade into the new Millennium. I wish you all a prosperous New Year!


Laura Weber – Assistant Director Admissions
Laura.Weber@BHSU.edu
Black Hills State University – GO YELLOWJACKETS

Monday, December 21, 2009

We are Open! Call us Today!

Good Afternoon!

Today is hopefully the first day of Christmas Break for most students. The Admission Office, as well as most other offices on campus, do not close for the break so feel free to call with any questions! We want to make sure that when you are on break and hopefully working on admission applications and scholarship applications, we are available to help. This is also a great time to come see us if you are out of school. Not only will you avoid missing school but this is a beautiful time of year to see the Black Hills. There are many holiday activities to take part in.

Residents of the Black Hills can cut down their own tree in the forest for only $10! “Christmas Tree Hunting” is a great weekend activity for anyone. Also, the 1880 Train in Hill City hosts a special holiday edition including hot chocolate, cookies and Santa Claus! All while traveling through the Black Hills and enjoying the scenery. There are also choir, band, and theatre productions that take place on campus and in the community. This is truly a wonderful place to be for the holidays!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from the BHSU Admissions Office!

Emily Pier
Admissions Counselor
Emily.Pier@bhsu.edu

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Christmastime is Here!

Good Morning!

I am in Spearfish at the main campus today for two reasons: 1) we are having staff meetings, and 2) HOLIDAY PARTAY! The conference room is full with delicious main dishes, dips, appetizers, and of course desserts. I have a feeling that I may be comatose by the time this day is over! Bring on the un-healthy holiday food!

We have a lot of students ask us questions on the road concerning our athletic teams. "What types of competitive sports does BHSU have?" "Are they successful?" "How can I be a part of one of the teams?" These are all good and valid questions, so I thought I would take the opportunity in this blog to address them.

Black Hills State University has 5 men's sports including Basketball, Cross Country, Track & Field, Football, and Rodeo; and 7 women's sports including Basketball, Volleyball, Golf, Softball, Cross Country, Track & Field, & Rodeo. If you have some extra time and would like to explore a little more about each sport's records, schedule & stats, etc, you can check out www.bhsu.edu/athletics.

If you are an athlete looking to play college sports at BHSU, your first step would be to fill out a recruitment form on the website, www.bhsu.edu/athletics. Simply look under the sport of your interest and click on "recruitment." This form will ask you various questions about your sporting accomplishments, college goals, and personal questions. As soon as you fill out the form and click "submit," your form will go directly to the coaching staff.

Our athletic teams are very successful in our conference, the DAC, as well as our division which is NAIA division II. The Women's Cross County team recently returned from the NAIA nationals, placing 10th, while the Women's Volleyball team received another birth into the NAIA playoffs for the 2nd year in a row. Both our Men's & Women's basketball teams competed in the national tournament last year, and are on track to make appearances again this year. These are just a few of our recent accomplishments, so definitely check out the website above for more information!

On another note, if you haven't yet checked out our campus we would love you to do so! Christmas break is a GREAT time to accomplish this, as our offices are open every weekday except December 24th & 25th. Schedule a campus visit today by calling 1-800-ALL-BHSU or by going to http://www.bhsu.edu/Admissions/Visit/tabid/118/Default.aspx.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from the BHSU Office of Admissions!!

Maria Hartung
BHSU Admissions
Maria.Hartung@bhsu.edu

Friday, December 4, 2009

The Two S's: Scholarships & Spearfish- Two AMAZING things:)

Good Afternoon on this beautifully frigid winter day! Yes, I said "beautifully" frigid. Even though it has been quite cold the past few days, the Christmas spirit is certainly making it's way out into the world and it is definitely starting to show. We held our 3rd Preview Day for the semester today and welcomed close to 100 students and guests on to campus. What a great day it turned out to be! I hope that all of you attendees took at least one thing from the program today, and are able to use that to make your college decision. We are definitely here to answer any questions/concerns at any time, and can be reached via email at admissions@bhsu.edu, or by calling 1-800-ALL-BHSU.

Scholarship deadlines are fast approaching! This is not only so for the BHSU Scholarship application, but also for outside scholarships available from area businesses. I know what most of you are doing, which is PRO-CRAST-IN-ATING! I was there once, in your shoes and believe me, I wanted to do the same thing. However, I pulled myself out of the dark hole which is "senioritis" and committed myself to working on scholarship applications every day after school until they were done. Let me tell you- it paid off!! Please, for once, follow in my footsteps on this one and get those apps filled out and submitted. In a few mere weeks we will start to sit down and browse through the piles of scholarship applications. I sure hope to see one from you in that pile!

Now, on to another amazing thing that also starts with an "s"- SPEARFISH! Black Hills State University is located in Spearfish, SD. With approximately 12,500 residents, Spearfish is truly a small community with big town atmosphere. There are so many things to do here! I now live in Rapid City, but I must tell you, Spearfish has been by far my favorite place I have lived thusfar. The atmophere is a perfect mix of "artsy" individuals, outdoor enthusiasts, college students, retirees, and families. With so much to do both indoors and out, you can't go wrong! You can find some great information about Spearfish and the surrounding area on the chamber website, which is http://www.spearfishchamber.org/. Happy exploring!

I hope you all have a great weekend. If you live around the area, come up to Spearfish and do a little exploring of your own if you have time. If you don't live around the area, come up and visit us. We would love to show you around.

Maria Hartung
BHSU Admissions Counselor
GO YELLOWJACKETS!!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Spearfish & "The Road"

You know the best thing about being out on the road – coming home again!! I hope all of you have had a great Thanksgiving break and are ready to finish out the year in style. I have been out and about for the majority of the last few weeks and man did I have some great times.
We continue to register students for the Spring Semester and there is still time to apply and become a Black Hills State University Student by 2010. Contact the Office of Admissions if you have any questions – Admissions@bhsu.edu or 1.800.ALL.BHSU.And for those students that are interested in attending BHSU Fall of 2010, there is no better time to APPLY as the SCHOLARSHIP priority deadline (February 1) continues to draw closer.

I had some incredible High School Visits, tons of students came to speak with me and of course I gave them tons of information. I do have to give some shout outs – South Heart HS, Scranton HS, Mott/Regent HS, Hettinger HS, Bowman HS, Faith HS, Timberlake HS and McIntosh HS!! There are some incredible students from all of these High Schools. I hope to see you all on campus real soon. College Application Day at Standing Rock HS was an awesome morning as well! I hope that if you haven’t heard that I will be stopping by your school and you would like me to that you would let me know right away. I can’t wait to schedule my next round of visits.
I do truly enjoy being on the road and all highways I get to travel always have something interesting to check out. Amazingly enough, people are still harvesting corn and sunflowers, hunters abound, and even a couple of rather large bucks were seen roaming western North and South Dakota. But as I said before there is no place quite like Spearfish, SD to come back to. Coming from the rolling prairies to the Black Hills really is an awesome sight to see. Not only is the scenery great in this area but there is always tons of stuff to do. The snow is falling and the ski slopes officially opened last weekend. I need to try and take that sport up again – I haven’t done it since I was in Junior High so it could be interesting. Even in the winter it is hard not to be outside here! I know this weekend they are doing the Christmas Stroll down town; I can’t wait to go and really get into the Christmas Spirit and hopefully finish up some Christmas shopping. OH YEAH – then tonight the BHSU Yellow Jacket Basketball teams are playing South Dakota School of Mines Hardrockers, can’t miss taking in BHSU’s oldest rivalry. It is always a great game. I definitely can keep a full schedule of activities – hardly going to have time to actually wrap those presents!

Okay – I will be done informing you all of my social calendar!!! I can’t wait to welcome all of our Preview Day guests tomorrow; it is going to be great to have you all on campus. As always if you want to know more you know where to find us.

Laura Weber – Assistant Director Admissions
Black Hills State University – GO YELLOWJACKETS