1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,500 Welcome to Students Incorporated. I'm your host, Mr. Jason. Join me weekly as my team and I produce content that's informative, positive, fun, and uplifting. 2 00:00:13,500 --> 00:00:20,200 This podcast is created and produced with the help of students from the International Community School of Bangkok. 3 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:29,500 In today's episode, we get the privilege to sit down and have a conversation with several college reps who will shed some light on how to choose the right school that fits you. 4 00:00:29,500 --> 00:00:39,600 They'll be answering a lot of questions about academics, student life, debunk misconceptions, and they'll be talking about the importance of finding your own educational path, 5 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:43,900 whether you're a student heading off to college or a parent of a student heading off to college. 6 00:00:43,900 --> 00:00:51,900 There's no one size fits all when it comes to colleges and universities. But first, let's hear our quote of the day and get some headline news. 7 00:00:51,900 --> 00:01:00,800 Our quote of the day comes from Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa. He is quoted to have said, 8 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:15,700 The quote itself is short, but it packs a punch. While he tells you not to be satisfied with what you have now, he tells you to stay ambitious, hungry, and strive for the better. 9 00:01:15,700 --> 00:01:25,200 It can be applied in any aspect, and there's always an aspect that you can use that in. And that's our quote of the day. Now onto some headline news with Mia. 10 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:31,600 Thank you for our quote of the day, Frank. Here's the top three ranked universities in the world instead of some headline news. 11 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:37,500 Our third place is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, often abbreviated as MIT. 12 00:01:37,500 --> 00:01:45,900 It is a world renowned research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, known for its cutting edge science, engineering, and technology programs. 13 00:01:45,900 --> 00:01:52,700 MIT emphasizes innovation, entrepreneurship, and interdisciplinary collaboration across diverse fields. 14 00:01:52,700 --> 00:02:05,100 Moving on, our second place is Stanford University. Located in California's Silicon Valley, Stanford is a prestigious research institution known for academic excellence, innovation, and entrepreneurship. 15 00:02:05,100 --> 00:02:12,800 It offers a wide range of programs in technology, business, and the sciences, helping foster leadership and collaboration globally. 16 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:23,900 Our final and first place is Oxford University. Located in Oxford, England, it is the oldest English speaking university, renowned for its rigorous academics and historic traditions. 17 00:02:23,900 --> 00:02:32,000 Oxford excels in diverse fields, especially in humanities, sciences, and law, fostering global leaders and cutting edge research. 18 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:47,700 Fun fact, it's older than the Mayan civilization. And that's our headline news for this episode. 19 00:02:47,700 --> 00:02:54,800 Thank you for the quote in the headline news. We have several college reps all the way from the US and Canada in the studio today. 20 00:02:54,800 --> 00:03:05,900 This was kind of a last minute booking, so we're excited to get the chance to hear directly from a group of people who hold the power of college admissions, or at least some of that power. 21 00:03:05,900 --> 00:03:10,500 Either way, I encourage all high schoolers and their parents to tune in and take some notes. 22 00:03:10,500 --> 00:03:12,800 Okay, Mia will kick off our first segment. 23 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,800 Hi, everyone. I'm super happy to have you all here in the studio with us. 24 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:25,200 So to start, could you all please introduce yourself? Tell us what college you're from, where it's located, and then one unique fact about the college that you represent. 25 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:29,700 Sure thing, Mia. Thanks for having us here. It's a pleasure to be joining you in the studio today. 26 00:03:29,700 --> 00:03:38,200 This is Mr. Ben, and I'm here today with my college admissions hat on to represent Grace College in northern Indiana. 27 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:48,800 And one unique fact about us is that we're located right next to a beautiful lake with lots of nature environments and activities and things to do outside of school. 28 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:54,100 Yeah, my name is Alex Walker. I'm representing Trinity Western University. 29 00:03:54,100 --> 00:03:59,500 We're the Canadian University today. We're over in Vancouver, British Columbia. 30 00:03:59,500 --> 00:04:04,100 And one unique fact is that we are a very international school. 31 00:04:04,100 --> 00:04:10,700 We estimate we have about 50 percent international students and 80 different countries represented in our student body. 32 00:04:10,700 --> 00:04:18,100 My name is Alexa, and I am here representing Palm Beach Atlantic University from West Palm Beach, Florida, by the beach. 33 00:04:18,100 --> 00:04:23,300 We're a Christian university. And one unique fact is that we offer scuba classes. 34 00:04:23,300 --> 00:04:29,500 My name is Gavin Landis. I'm from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, about 30 minutes from the city of Pittsburgh. 35 00:04:29,500 --> 00:04:33,800 And one unique fact is that we're one of the few schools that offers aviation as a major. 36 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:39,900 Hi, my name is Taylor Drogue, and I'm here on behalf of Dort University in Sioux Center, Iowa. 37 00:04:39,900 --> 00:04:45,600 And a unique fact about us is that we have a cadaver lab on campus for our undergrad science students. 38 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:51,100 My name is Brenda. I am here representing Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. 39 00:04:51,100 --> 00:04:55,200 And something about us is that we are seven minutes from the beach. 40 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:57,500 We have a shuttle that drops you off right in front of it. 41 00:04:57,500 --> 00:05:02,500 And we have hiking on campus and some of the most beautiful hikes right behind us. 42 00:05:02,500 --> 00:05:04,600 Awesome. Thank you all so much for the introductions. 43 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:06,900 And now moving on to my second question. 44 00:05:06,900 --> 00:05:14,800 Since you all are college reps and are basically here to help, you know, influence future students to come to your own college on a more personal level, 45 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:20,900 who or what has been an influence on your own commitment to pursue this type of role at this university level? 46 00:05:20,900 --> 00:05:24,300 My name is Alexa here from Palm Beach Atlantic University. 47 00:05:24,300 --> 00:05:28,900 Something that's influenced my commitment to this role is that when I was in high school, 48 00:05:28,900 --> 00:05:34,200 I, you know, my parents didn't go to college, so I just felt kind of a lack of guidance. 49 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:44,700 So it's really my heart and passion to help students navigate through this process and answer their questions and just be a resource for them and to support. 50 00:05:44,700 --> 00:05:46,100 Yeah. So this is Mr. Ben talking. 51 00:05:46,100 --> 00:05:52,200 I think for me, when I think about something that inspired me and does still inspire me to continue in this role, 52 00:05:52,200 --> 00:06:00,400 is just my own experience at Grace College and how much being in a faith based environment like that with professors who care for you 53 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:06,400 and truly invest time with you is something that I saw a lot of personal growth in my life through. 54 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:13,900 So if that's something that I can help bring other students into, I find a lot of value and purpose in that. 55 00:06:13,900 --> 00:06:15,500 This is Brenda from Westmont. 56 00:06:15,500 --> 00:06:20,600 And one of the things that inspires me to be in this role is my younger siblings. 57 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,800 So I did not have that support either, just like Alexa had mentioned, 58 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:30,800 I was a first generation student and I remember going through it feeling just confused 59 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:40,200 and ended up going to a large public university in the U.S. instead of a private Christian university because I didn't think that it was possible. 60 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:44,600 And so with my younger sister, who is about to be 21, 61 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:48,500 I got to walk alongside her and help her through the process. 62 00:06:48,500 --> 00:06:54,600 And I realized that I loved it, but I really do have the ability to help students come to schools 63 00:06:54,600 --> 00:07:00,600 where they will grow deeper in their faith and also get really strong academic knowledge. 64 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:02,400 So that's why I do what I do. 65 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:08,500 Okay, so that's definitely great, you know, having something or someone that can motivate you, can work wonders. 66 00:07:08,500 --> 00:07:14,000 So now moving out of college questions, can you give us like some inside peek of how your job works? 67 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:18,700 Like what are some of these week to week things that you guys are responsible for? 68 00:07:18,700 --> 00:07:22,200 Yeah, this is Gavin from Geneva. All of our jobs look a little bit different. 69 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:26,000 We're all working with international students as an enrollment counselor. 70 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,100 Some of us like me also work with students on campus. 71 00:07:29,100 --> 00:07:35,300 But speaking from all of our job as an enrollment counselor, a lot of it looks like answering emails from students with a lot of questions. 72 00:07:35,300 --> 00:07:36,800 We value that personal interaction. 73 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:38,600 It could be phone calls as well. 74 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:46,800 And also we review applications with the transcripts and just viewing how do we accept the student based off these things and how do we look at scholarships. 75 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:51,500 So a lot of it is talking with students directly, which is a really beautiful experience. 76 00:07:51,500 --> 00:08:01,200 And then we also work with our databases in order to just see trends and where the students are coming from in the applications and work on getting a better future for our enrollment in our school. 77 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:02,900 Yeah, this is Alex from Trinity Western. 78 00:08:02,900 --> 00:08:06,800 I think that was pretty spot on as to like a lot of what we kind of do. 79 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:11,300 We also like in the fall season, we do these fairs. 80 00:08:11,300 --> 00:08:14,100 So we go around and we visit different schools. 81 00:08:14,100 --> 00:08:25,800 Oftentimes we're putting up a booth and just talking to students and talking about, you know, what they're looking for in a university and try to help them find what's right fit for them. 82 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:32,700 And sometimes we'll do workshop presentations at these schools that we do Q&A sessions kind of like this one. 83 00:08:32,700 --> 00:08:41,400 And this is almost sort of the best part of the job just because you really get to talk to the students one on one and look them in the eye and just hear their stories. 84 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:44,000 And so probably my favorite part of the job. 85 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:45,900 Yeah, and I'll jump in there just to add on to that, Mr. 86 00:08:45,900 --> 00:08:54,500 Ben from Grace again, that really like the biggest thing that all of us are doing as counselors at these Christian colleges is coming alongside you guys. 87 00:08:54,500 --> 00:09:01,300 Like it can be a difficult and sometimes intimidating process to go through the university admissions process in the U.S. 88 00:09:01,300 --> 00:09:11,300 And so having that personal connection and somebody that's willing to answer all the questions you have and to encourage you and to basically cheer you on and finding the right college for you. 89 00:09:11,300 --> 00:09:13,800 That's that's really at the heart of our our jobs. 90 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:15,400 So that's why we're here. 91 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:21,400 Sounds like a lot of responsibility, but I'm sure the traveling part and talking with students is probably really fun. 92 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:27,900 Now, for me, I am a senior here at ICS and I do want to make sure that I pick the right school that best fits me. 93 00:09:27,900 --> 00:09:37,500 And so with the goal of matching the right student to the right school and with a large number of good quality schools that are available, how do you help students think through their options? 94 00:09:37,500 --> 00:09:39,900 Yeah, that's a really good question, because you are right. 95 00:09:39,900 --> 00:09:42,400 There are so many good schools out there. 96 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:51,600 That's one of the cool things that we've all kind of experienced as a group traveling together is getting to know a bit more about some of the other Christian universities in Canada and the U.S. 97 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:57,000 and being aware of just how many good Christian supportive universities there are. 98 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:05,100 I mean, one major thing that really can help narrow down or add some options is first thinking about your program of study. 99 00:10:05,100 --> 00:10:15,300 A lot of our schools have a lot of the same programs, but like Gavin said, that he has aviation and some schools have architecture and some schools have engineering and some don't. 100 00:10:15,300 --> 00:10:21,200 So first off, looking at your program of study can be a good way to narrow things down. 101 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:27,600 Also thinking about some of the activities possibly that you might want to be involved in, such as sports or music or theater. 102 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:31,200 Some schools have scholarships for some things and not others. 103 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:49,300 So that can be a good way. And also just speaking with your admissions rep, they can help put you in contact with professors from programs and with students from the schools that can help you get to know a little bit more what the school is like and what the program that you're interested is and is like. 104 00:10:49,300 --> 00:10:52,800 Just adding on to that real quick is Gavin from Geneva. 105 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:57,300 We all represent liberal arts schools, and I think that's an important piece as well. 106 00:10:57,300 --> 00:11:03,200 There's a lot of schools in the U.S. and around the world that are not liberal arts, meaning they focus primarily on just your major. 107 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:08,800 But we all students at our schools take multiple classes from multiple disciplines like my school. 108 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:16,800 Everyone takes a political science class, Bible courses, humanities, which is similar to history, English communications, because we believe, you know, 109 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:29,300 as a person who is living in society, you need to be equipped to be an expert and not completely an expert, but just someone who is able to understand these different fields and interact as an active member of society. 110 00:11:29,300 --> 00:11:34,800 So, yeah, I think that's also something that we would sell as a key part of one of our schools. 111 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:37,100 Yeah, this is Alexa from Palm Beach Atlantic. 112 00:11:37,100 --> 00:11:47,200 One thing, one way that I have been able to help students thinking through in the process, in addition to all these wonderful points about doing all your research, 113 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:58,200 knowing if the school has what you're looking for, knowing what it is that you prefer in a college and learning that, you know, any research you can do is so important. 114 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:10,200 But also, you know, praying with students and, you know, encouraging them that, you know, God is in control and has a plan for their life has been it's been cool to see how God has led students. 115 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:14,400 Of course, you know, as an admissions representative, we want them to come to our school. 116 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:21,100 But also, we understand that, like, there's a bigger picture and we want ultimately for students to be, you know, 117 00:12:21,100 --> 00:12:25,200 walking in their purpose and the things that the place that God wants them to be. 118 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:32,200 Ultimately, that is definitely a great take on it. You know, having someone that can help you find the right college is definitely important. 119 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:39,700 Now, I have a follow up question with the ultimate goal of wanting every student to become a positive benefit to society. 120 00:12:39,700 --> 00:12:42,100 In what ways can high school partner with you? 121 00:12:42,100 --> 00:12:44,700 Well, I think this is yeah, this is Alex from Trinity Western. 122 00:12:44,700 --> 00:12:55,100 And I think whenever a high school does participate in one of these fairs, I think it's it's really, really great because it's just it's it's allowing their students to really get to talk one on one. 123 00:12:55,100 --> 00:13:05,400 In person with representatives from all these different universities and just give them a great opportunity to sort of not have to do some of that legwork themselves, but just bring people to them. 124 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:14,000 I think another great thing to emphasize, especially as as we help students make the transition from high school to university, 125 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:22,400 there can be a lot of pressure for for, you know, 12th grade students really feel like I have to know what I got to do for the rest of my life right now. 126 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:26,100 And that's not that's not necessarily a realistic standard. 127 00:13:26,100 --> 00:13:29,600 You know, you don't have to just pick a career right now and stick with it your entire life. 128 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:34,800 I think it's really helpful to help, you know, high schoolers understand that right now. 129 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:46,800 Let's just choose your next step and your next step could be Christian University and you can keep learning about what your journey and where God wants to take you as you keep making those steps. 130 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:53,200 So I think just a great way is if the us as universities and you guys as high schools, 131 00:13:53,200 --> 00:14:01,700 we just really help 12th graders understand that that that life is a journey and there's not this huge pressure for you to have it figured out right now. 132 00:14:01,700 --> 00:14:02,700 And this Mr. 133 00:14:02,700 --> 00:14:09,900 Matt from Grace again also add that I think something that teachers at ICS and counselors do very well in other high schools will do this too, 134 00:14:09,900 --> 00:14:15,600 is they'll help you as students find the best fit for you because they know you they've seen you in class. 135 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:16,700 They've seen you around school. 136 00:14:16,700 --> 00:14:20,800 They know your interests and maybe where you'd fit in best with a particular college. 137 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:30,200 So like some of the other reps here, I've been saying about well, it's really finding the school that fits you where you can thrive the most in and that's something that your counselors and teachers can help you with. 138 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:35,000 So as you get ready to apply to schools, go talk to them, go ask them for their advice. 139 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:36,000 It's very helpful. 140 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:43,300 Yeah, Gavin from Geneva and just one thing to add to I think high school kind of makes you appreciate university makes you want to go to university. 141 00:14:43,300 --> 00:14:47,800 A good high school teaches you to love learning teaches you to love all kinds of learning too, 142 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:51,700 because you're taking a wide variety of classes just to connect back to the liberal arts thing. 143 00:14:51,700 --> 00:14:57,900 So you want to grow in learning from all these subjects and just discover your place in the world. 144 00:14:57,900 --> 00:15:07,000 How can I best fit into kind of what I'm you know, I feel like I'm meant to do in society to better society and high school is like that stepping point into university. 145 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:15,600 So I think any high school that really just prioritizes learning from all these different areas is just a beautiful thing and prepares you well for college. 146 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:17,800 Hi, this is Taylor from Dort. 147 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:21,300 Yeah, another thing that I would add, which I'm your teachers seem amazing. 148 00:15:21,300 --> 00:15:29,500 So I'm sure they already do this very well, but helping guide students where they are at and because there's a lot to the college admissions process, 149 00:15:29,500 --> 00:15:37,000 it can feel overwhelming, but just to grades nine and 10 students reminding them to really just focus on their grades and staying in activities 150 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:43,800 because that's what they can do now and maybe grade 11 students encouraging them to take or consider taking the SAT or CLT 151 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:50,500 and narrowing down their list maybe a little bit and then in grade 12, just really giving that increased guidance. 152 00:15:50,500 --> 00:15:55,000 OK, and with that last piece of advice on partnership, that ends our first segment. 153 00:15:55,000 --> 00:16:04,300 Stay tuned as we'll be right back after this short PSA announcement as our guests give us a little update about each of their respected colleges. 154 00:16:04,300 --> 00:16:09,000 One, two, three, four. 155 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:13,300 All right, this is Mr. Ben with why you should think about Grace College. 156 00:16:13,300 --> 00:16:19,600 Well, first off, how many amazing teachers from ICS have graduated from Grace? 157 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:24,800 You've got me, you've got Mr. Jason, you've got Miss Donnie, Miss Asia when she was teaching here. 158 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:28,600 If that doesn't give you some glimpse into how good the school is, then nothing will. 159 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:35,700 Another good thing is that Grace offers three year bachelor degrees and the chance to get a master's and a bachelor's in four years. 160 00:16:35,700 --> 00:16:39,800 All righty. Yeah, this is Alex from Trinity Western University. 161 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:44,700 Yeah, we are the largest Christian university in Canada, which is really awesome. 162 00:16:44,700 --> 00:16:52,400 We are also in Vancouver, which is the closest city to Asia and is also the warmest city in Canada. 163 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:58,100 If that's any comfort. Yeah, we also have a lot of different undergraduate programs. 164 00:16:58,100 --> 00:17:03,100 Like I said, we're a very international school, about 50 percent of our student body is international. 165 00:17:03,100 --> 00:17:06,000 And we have some excellent sports teams who play at the top level. 166 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:14,800 And in this past summer, we sent three of our alumni from our men's volleyball team to play in the Canada men's team at the Summer Olympics. 167 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:19,500 So this is Alexa from Palm Beach Atlantic University at Palm Beach Atlantic University. 168 00:17:19,500 --> 00:17:22,700 We were located in West Palm Beach, Florida. 169 00:17:22,700 --> 00:17:25,400 We are walking distance from the beach. 170 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:27,400 Students go to the beach in between classes. 171 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:29,700 And it's great if you love the beach. 172 00:17:29,700 --> 00:17:31,600 We are Christ centered university. 173 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:35,600 So we have a lot of different ways where students can grow in their faith. 174 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:42,200 And we have about 75 countries represented at PBA and over 100 majors to choose from. 175 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:49,800 Some of the top majors are business, engineering, marine biology, education and psychology and nursing. 176 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:51,800 Gavin from Geneva College. 177 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:55,300 I said before, we're a university in Pennsylvania, close to Pittsburgh. 178 00:17:55,300 --> 00:17:58,400 Sorry, we have we're a Presbyterian school. 179 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:01,000 Have about a thousand two hundred three hundred students. 180 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:04,200 Our top majors engineering were one of the top U.S. 181 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:06,400 universities for engineering. 182 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:09,300 We offer a wide variety from mechanical, biomedical, civil. 183 00:18:09,300 --> 00:18:16,400 And as I said, also offering aviation and other top majors include nursing, education, business. 184 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:18,800 And yeah, I was an international student there. 185 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:23,900 So that's also part of my pitch is that I was able to have a great experience as an international student there. 186 00:18:23,900 --> 00:18:26,400 Hi, this is Taylor from Dort University. 187 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:28,500 We have quite a few programs of study. 188 00:18:28,500 --> 00:18:37,800 We have a very involved student body on campus, which has led to our number one ranking in student engagement by The Wall Street Journal for six years in a row. 189 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:47,000 And we also have a variety of financial aid and activity opportunities, including sports, music, theater, worship, arts, gaming and a few more. 190 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,900 And an international student partial tuition grant. 191 00:18:49,900 --> 00:18:54,000 This is Brenda from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. 192 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:58,300 We have a thousand two hundred students on campus. 193 00:18:58,300 --> 00:19:02,600 We are Christian undergraduate residential liberal arts. 194 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:10,000 And we have a global emphasis for our students. We want them to go study abroad and to get that experience of leaving the U.S. 195 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:13,200 and meeting other people and being with other cultures. 196 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:21,700 Our top majors are communications, biology, economics and business, psychology and kinesiology. 197 00:19:21,700 --> 00:19:23,600 OK, and thank you for those updates. 198 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:27,000 We are back with our second segment and we'll pick up where we left off. 199 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,100 Mia, go ahead and get us started again. 200 00:19:29,100 --> 00:19:35,800 All right. Now that we've sort of talked about college on a more wider scale in the first segment on a more personal note, 201 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:40,800 what were some of the factors that you personally found helpful when choosing where to go for college? 202 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:43,400 Gavin from Geneva, a great question. 203 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:47,100 I think that's something that we really enjoy as college reps talking with students, 204 00:19:47,100 --> 00:19:52,800 hearing their story, because obviously we know that every person's university choice is very personalized. 205 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:57,400 For me, one of the biggest parts of choosing university was as an international student from Morocco. 206 00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:00,100 How would I fit into University of America? 207 00:20:00,100 --> 00:20:04,400 My parents are American, but I never lived there, so I didn't really connect to American culture that much. 208 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:08,600 And choosing Geneva was key for me because of its Christian core. 209 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:15,900 I wanted to be in a Christian community where I knew I would be connected with and people would try to understand me as much as possible 210 00:20:15,900 --> 00:20:22,400 and just grow in their cultural awareness of my experience and as well as growing as my faith through professors and the community there. 211 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:26,900 So that was a big factor. And then from Geneva, my brother was an international student as well. 212 00:20:26,900 --> 00:20:32,400 He talked to me about how the international community was very accepting and just really connected. 213 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:35,700 So that was one of the reasons why I chose to go to Geneva. 214 00:20:35,700 --> 00:20:40,200 Yeah, for me personally, it was sort of a practical element to it. 215 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:47,900 I'm from Canada. I'm from the other side of the country from Vancouver, so a little province called New Brunswick. 216 00:20:47,900 --> 00:20:55,100 And my initial things I was looking for was a Christian school in Canada that offered film. 217 00:20:55,100 --> 00:20:57,400 Okay, so I was trying to narrow it down from there. 218 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:05,400 And in the US, it's really awesome. You guys have like hundreds of, like literally hundreds of Christian universities in the US. 219 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:15,400 But in Canada, it's a much smaller number. It's actually, depending on how you count, it's like 10 to 15 Christian universities in Canada, which is really interesting. 220 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:24,400 And so yeah, and I wanted to stay in Canada just because the Canadian dollar isn't very strong in the US, so I was trying to think of tuition costs and stuff like that. 221 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:34,400 So I went online, I was looking for Christian schools in Canada and Trinity Western University came up and they did have film studies, which is what I was interested in at the time. 222 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:39,400 And another thing too, just that I kind of influenced it was like, well, it was on the other side of the country. 223 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:45,400 And I was from a small town and I was like, you know what, I kind of want to explore. I want to get out there and see something new. 224 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:48,400 So that influenced my decision as well. 225 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:49,900 Yeah, this is Mr. Bad from Grace again. 226 00:21:49,900 --> 00:21:57,400 Bouncing off with Gavin and Alex were talking about it was definitely one of the biggest things for me was thinking about cost and financial aid. 227 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:06,900 So I actually applied to quite a few different schools, and that's something that I recommend for you all as well, because I was able to compare different scholarships and overall financial aid packages. 228 00:22:06,900 --> 00:22:10,400 And then that heavily influenced my decision to go to Grace. 229 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:13,900 So fit is important. Faith based community was very important to me. 230 00:22:13,900 --> 00:22:17,400 But definitely thinking about the bottom line was was a big deal. 231 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:18,900 Hi, this is Taylor from Dort. 232 00:22:18,900 --> 00:22:22,900 Yeah, I would say there were two main components to my decision to attend Dort. 233 00:22:22,900 --> 00:22:29,400 So I grew up in Northern California, but I decided I wanted to travel and go somewhere a little bit away from home when I went to college. 234 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:37,400 And so I was really looking for a school where I felt very supported by the staff and faculty at the school, where I felt like I'd be able to find a community. 235 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:44,400 And throughout my application process at Dort and at a couple other schools that I applied to that I really focused on, 236 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:53,900 I felt I could just really feel the strong Christian community and the strong focus and whole person support from all the people that I interacted with at the school. 237 00:22:53,900 --> 00:22:58,400 And then also echoing financial aid was a big thing as well. 238 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:04,400 At a smaller school like Dort, I was able to be involved in athletics and music and receive scholarships for those things. 239 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,400 And that really made it a more affordable option. 240 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:09,900 Those are great answers. Thank you so much for those. 241 00:23:09,900 --> 00:23:18,400 What are some common misconceptions about college life that you've seen high schoolers, students have and how can they be better informed? 242 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:20,400 This is Brenda from Westmont College. 243 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:27,900 I think one of the things that I hear from students is that they come in and they think they're going to drown. 244 00:23:27,900 --> 00:23:37,900 They're not going to have support, that they're going to get all of these assignments and their professors are going to say, figure it out and they're going to get lost. 245 00:23:37,900 --> 00:23:43,900 I think that's not correct in a lot of our universities since we are Christian focused. 246 00:23:43,900 --> 00:23:47,900 Our professors do want to help you. They want to check in on you. 247 00:23:47,900 --> 00:23:55,400 I've heard stories where a student doesn't show up to class and they'll get an email from the teacher later on that day saying, hey, are you OK? 248 00:23:55,400 --> 00:24:00,900 We missed you today. Those are things that professors at our schools do. 249 00:24:00,900 --> 00:24:05,900 And that is different from what students come in expecting, I think. 250 00:24:05,900 --> 00:24:14,900 So something that can better inform them is if they do come to our universities and come sit in on the class and come and see what the experience would actually be like. 251 00:24:14,900 --> 00:24:22,900 Talk to some current students, get that firsthand answer from them to be able to know what to expect a little bit more. 252 00:24:22,900 --> 00:24:32,900 This is Alexa from Palm Beach Atlantic. One of the things that I have seen as a misconception, it kind of is in particular when it comes to Christian universities. 253 00:24:32,900 --> 00:24:46,900 I have a 16 year old little sister as well, so I hear from her and other young people that they just kind of write off the possibility of going to a Christian university because they think they're just going to study the Bible and it's going to be boring. 254 00:24:46,900 --> 00:24:56,900 And I felt like a failure when she said that to me because I was like, man, I haven't really explained to her all of the different majors that are offered at these schools, too. 255 00:24:56,900 --> 00:25:04,900 It's not just one thing. And also it's a lot of fun and there's a lot of things to get involved with. And that's true for college life. 256 00:25:04,900 --> 00:25:18,900 You know, there's clubs and organizations. I would encourage students to be open minded and try new things and be open to meeting people because it can be easy to kind of isolate a little bit. 257 00:25:18,900 --> 00:25:31,900 If you're in a new place, it can be intimidating. But college life, there's there's a lot of things to get involved with. And even at Christian universities, I see it because I work there and it's a very enjoyable experience for students. 258 00:25:31,900 --> 00:25:39,900 Yeah, for sure. Thank you all for your answers. I'll definitely keep some of those answers in mind as I'm doing my UC apps and my college apps this month. 259 00:25:39,900 --> 00:25:54,900 And, you know, as this world, it's it's changing, it's evolving and it's spitting out new technologies and new ideas. And so this requires students to kind of be proactive learners inside the classroom, but also outside the classroom. 260 00:25:54,900 --> 00:26:04,900 And so in your opinion, in what ways are colleges and universities equipping young people for a world that demands a continuous adaptation and learning? 261 00:26:04,900 --> 00:26:13,900 Gavin from Geneva. One thing that Geneva is doing really well, I think, is adding new majors a lot. We just added game development, UX design. 262 00:26:13,900 --> 00:26:21,900 We're adding AI, a major in AI. So we're trying to keep up to date with the new technology. And like you said, I mean, so many things are changing every year. 263 00:26:21,900 --> 00:26:34,900 And one thing I wanted to say as well, I think like we talked about university helps you to grow and benefiting society. We get to the why of why you do your job, because, OK, you're you know, you're studying law. 264 00:26:34,900 --> 00:26:41,900 I want to help people as a lawyer to defend people. OK, so why why do you want to help people and defend people gets even deeper than why you want to be a lawyer? 265 00:26:41,900 --> 00:26:52,900 That's why you want to benefit society even. And that's why I think Christian University specifically really gets down to not afraid to ask the deep questions of life. You know, why am I here in this world? 266 00:26:52,900 --> 00:26:59,900 How do I find belonging and how do I really impact society and why would I even impact society? So I don't know. That's just something I wanted to mention as well. 267 00:26:59,900 --> 00:27:16,900 And this is Mr. Ben from Grace College again. I think, too, that there's something to be said for the development of soft skills, things that aren't necessarily concrete physical advances in tech or or business, but really just how are you equipped to handle these changes? 268 00:27:16,900 --> 00:27:30,900 And I think if you hopefully if you look at your time at ICS and your different teachers, there's always been this emphasis on developing your critical thinking on developing your ability to understand, synthesize and then comment on different information and colleges and universities. 269 00:27:30,900 --> 00:27:38,900 They're going to take that to the next level. So as you're learning, as you're growing, you're developing and your ability to react to the world around you. 270 00:27:38,900 --> 00:27:49,900 So it's not necessarily is it the latest, most cutting edge tech or work or whatever, but how are you developing and changing as a person and universities are there to help you get to that next level? 271 00:27:49,900 --> 00:28:00,900 That's definitely interesting. You know, as we live in a world where revolutionary things are being innovated or improved practically every day, like GPT, AI, stuff like that. 272 00:28:00,900 --> 00:28:06,900 So how can students make the most of their college experience both inside and outside the classroom? 273 00:28:06,900 --> 00:28:17,900 Yeah, sure. This is Alex from Trinity Western University. I think inside of the classroom, one of the best ways is just not be afraid to talk to people on different perspectives. 274 00:28:17,900 --> 00:28:25,900 I think university is a really great opportunity to learn beyond maybe like some of the certain narratives that you were taught growing up. 275 00:28:25,900 --> 00:28:38,900 Like I'm not saying abandon those narratives at all, but it can be really healthy for you and your growth that you continue to learn why you believe what you believe and why other people learn what they believe. 276 00:28:38,900 --> 00:28:45,900 Maybe outside of the classroom, I would say get involved in, you know, people will ask you to get involved in everything. 277 00:28:45,900 --> 00:28:58,900 Okay, you can get involved in everything, but do try to get involved in some things, whether that's sports, whether it's the arts, like music or drama, whether it's other clubs, like maybe student government, you know, and then go to some of those events. 278 00:28:58,900 --> 00:29:06,900 Like if it's a sports game, you know, if it's a concert or a play, yeah, just go and get involved. 279 00:29:06,900 --> 00:29:21,900 And as well too, I always, you know, I think some people have mentioned already that professors are really, really nice. I tend to find at Christian universities that was one of my best takeaways and take some time to talk to your professors one on one. 280 00:29:21,900 --> 00:29:30,900 Oftentimes, the class sizes are small enough that you can do that and they really love talking to students who are especially interested in their topic of study as well. 281 00:29:30,900 --> 00:29:40,900 I have a question from Taylor from Dort here. So I have a couple things that I would say, you all seem like very driven students here. And this is this is coming from a type A student here. 282 00:29:40,900 --> 00:29:49,900 Focus on your academics, you are there to be a student, but don't get so focused on your academics that you lose the rest of the experience of college. 283 00:29:49,900 --> 00:30:05,900 Be involved in things, do fun things with friends, be willing to go get ice cream with friends, even if you maybe have a test the next day. Like those are the experiences and the things that you remember from college and that impact you and that help you build a lifelong friendships that you really can experience in college. 284 00:30:05,900 --> 00:30:14,900 The friendships you build in college are unlike anything else. And my other thing that I would say is put yourself out there. Don't be afraid to try new things. 285 00:30:14,900 --> 00:30:23,900 I signed up for the track team at Dort on a whim, wasn't planning to do that and it wound up being one of the most formational things that I've ever done in my life. 286 00:30:23,900 --> 00:30:31,900 So yeah, even in college, it's not too late to try new things. Yeah, for sure. I think for me personally, I'm really excited about university athletics. 287 00:30:31,900 --> 00:30:39,900 And I also really like acting and dancing as well. So maybe some of those plays and musicals that you guys mentioned. 288 00:30:39,900 --> 00:30:46,900 All right. Thank you for your answers. And at the end of each episode, we asked our guest speakers to give a word of advice to our listeners. 289 00:30:46,900 --> 00:30:54,900 So for my final question, what advice would you give to students who are unsure about their path or feel pressured to follow a specific route? 290 00:30:54,900 --> 00:31:01,900 Good question, Mia. I'll start with that. Mr. Man from Grace again. My key advice would be to relax. 291 00:31:01,900 --> 00:31:09,900 It is going to be OK, even if you aren't sure what it is you're going to study and what your life is going to look like afterwards. 292 00:31:09,900 --> 00:31:16,900 The truth is, even if you have the most detailed plan and know exactly what you want to do, a lot of life is outside of your control. 293 00:31:16,900 --> 00:31:22,900 So things are going to happen. You're going to adapt. You're going to change. Your interests might change. And that's totally fine. 294 00:31:22,900 --> 00:31:31,900 It's a journey. You're going to keep growing and discovering what your identity is and what you are capable of and what it is that you're passionate about. 295 00:31:31,900 --> 00:31:38,900 So it'll be OK. Don't be so stressed about it. Yeah, I think something to build off of that is really good. 296 00:31:38,900 --> 00:31:45,900 You know, sometimes people will study and like the humanities and the arts and they think, well, especially like, well, what if I can't find a job in my field? 297 00:31:45,900 --> 00:31:54,900 You know, that's that's going to be really stressful. But it's important to remember that there's a lot of like niche jobs out there, such as being an admissions counselor. 298 00:31:54,900 --> 00:32:01,900 Like none of us went to university to study to be an admissions counselor. And now that's all we're doing for work right now. 299 00:32:01,900 --> 00:32:13,900 And that's really cool. And I think probably maybe all of us would say that we've learned some things in our degree that can apply to this job and then other niche roles out there. 300 00:32:13,900 --> 00:32:23,900 Don't be afraid to to take what you've learned in your degree and apply it in in whatever kind of strange or different kind of job you can find. 301 00:32:23,900 --> 00:32:29,900 I would say that you're not alone. There are many people who went into college. 302 00:32:29,900 --> 00:32:45,900 I am one of them not knowing what I wanted to even study. And you may not know, but you may end up taking a class that helps you see, wow, like this is what I was. This is definitely what I want to pursue now. 303 00:32:45,900 --> 00:32:52,900 But I would say you're not alone. There are many successful people who have been in the same shoes. 304 00:32:52,900 --> 00:33:03,900 And I think it's crazy to think that you should have your whole life figured out as a teenager. And like Ben was saying, you can have a plan, but most likely it's not going to be exactly what you expect. 305 00:33:03,900 --> 00:33:11,900 So, yeah, Gavin from Geneva. And that's such a great question, because I think uncertainty is something that that can really kill us slowly. 306 00:33:11,900 --> 00:33:17,900 Doubt and uncertainty kind of just cripples us, cripples us from taking action because you feel like you just don't know what's going to happen. 307 00:33:17,900 --> 00:33:23,900 Obviously, you know, we know the Bible speaks a lot about anxiety and how that just is really damaging to your life. 308 00:33:23,900 --> 00:33:33,900 And I would say that I don't want to sound too much like a broken record, but mentioning liberal arts again, I think is important because, you know, if you're really pressured, I need to get my major right. 309 00:33:33,900 --> 00:33:41,900 I need to make sure that I get what I study right. However, understanding that you're more than just the major you choose your whole being. 310 00:33:41,900 --> 00:33:50,900 And you can grow and all these other different disciplines in that university, just like high school, just like in high school, you make friends, you learn so many different things. 311 00:33:50,900 --> 00:33:55,900 And it's more than just what you study. It's the same thing university. It's more than what you should do more than just what you study. 312 00:33:55,900 --> 00:34:00,900 You're growing as a person as well. And that's just invaluable, more than what a degree can show. 313 00:34:00,900 --> 00:34:08,900 So that's just my encouragement to you to you guys, because in high school, like I went into college really not being 100 percent sure what I wanted to study. 314 00:34:08,900 --> 00:34:12,900 And once I chose what I wanted to study, I felt like I was very prepared for that major. 315 00:34:12,900 --> 00:34:16,900 But I just felt like it was so much more than that in university. 316 00:34:16,900 --> 00:34:23,900 Brenda from Westmont here. And the whole concept of planning your life is so stressful. 317 00:34:23,900 --> 00:34:33,900 I remember being 15 years old thinking when I'm 24, I'm going to get married. When I'm 25, I'm going to have my first kid. 318 00:34:33,900 --> 00:34:41,900 By the time I'm 27, I'm going to have two. I'm going to have a house in California. And everything was perfect. 319 00:34:41,900 --> 00:34:54,900 I'm now 28, single, no kids. But I'm traveling the world, doing a job that's amazing, getting to meet people from all over the country. 320 00:34:54,900 --> 00:35:01,900 And that's something that I did not plan for. That is, I wouldn't have ever dreamt that. 321 00:35:01,900 --> 00:35:09,900 So all that to say, it's just trust God, because the plan that he has for you is so different than what you may be thinking. 322 00:35:09,900 --> 00:35:16,900 And no matter what school you end up going to, his provision on his life, on your life is going to be there. 323 00:35:16,900 --> 00:35:20,900 It's not, oh, I have to go to this school in order to be blessed by God. 324 00:35:20,900 --> 00:35:28,900 Like, no matter where you end up, you're going to be OK, as Mr. Ben said, as we've all said, it's not that big of a deal. 325 00:35:28,900 --> 00:35:34,900 Relax a little bit, enjoy life and enjoy every step. You're going to be fine. 326 00:35:34,900 --> 00:35:39,900 Taylor from Dort here, my colleagues had great advice here, and lots of prayer. 327 00:35:39,900 --> 00:35:44,900 Again, spending time in the Word. It's hard in the moment to trust. 328 00:35:44,900 --> 00:35:50,900 Sometimes I definitely can attest to that, even now, like I'm sure a lot of us still feel unsure about our path. 329 00:35:50,900 --> 00:35:55,900 But prayer, surrounding yourself with other believers, spending time with your family, 330 00:35:55,900 --> 00:36:01,900 asking people who maybe are your mentors or who know you well, what do you see in me? 331 00:36:01,900 --> 00:36:07,900 What do you think are my strengths can be another place if you're maybe not sure what field to go into, 332 00:36:07,900 --> 00:36:12,900 because other people have a different perspective maybe on you and can say, I really see this in you. 333 00:36:12,900 --> 00:36:16,900 I think you would be a really excellent lawyer, a really excellent scientist. 334 00:36:16,900 --> 00:36:21,900 So just really talking to a lot of people and a lot of the people that you feel support from. 335 00:36:21,900 --> 00:36:27,900 And there you have it, some great advice when it comes to the value of higher education coming from the sources. 336 00:36:27,900 --> 00:36:30,900 So thank you. Take time to talk to those who have gone before you, 337 00:36:30,900 --> 00:36:34,900 especially admissions counselors from the schools you're interested in. 338 00:36:34,900 --> 00:36:38,900 Thanks again for joining us today. It's been a pleasure to hear about each of your schools, 339 00:36:38,900 --> 00:36:54,900 but also the encouragement you have offered to our students and our parents. So thank you guys. 340 00:36:54,900 --> 00:36:59,900 As we end this episode, it's my hope that if you're in high school or a parent of a high school student, 341 00:36:59,900 --> 00:37:05,900 you found this episode to be super helpful. It's not often we get to sit down with a panel of college reps 342 00:37:05,900 --> 00:37:08,900 and hear directly from them. Let us know what you think. 343 00:37:08,900 --> 00:37:16,900 You can contact me at the Students Incorporated team by email at studentsincpodcast.gmail.com. 344 00:37:16,900 --> 00:37:20,900 All right. Stay tuned for our next episode as we talk with the director of the upcoming show, 345 00:37:20,900 --> 00:37:25,900 Aladdin the musical, along with several cast and crew members. 346 00:37:25,900 --> 00:37:29,900 And as always, this podcast would not be possible without the hard work 347 00:37:29,900 --> 00:37:32,900 and support of our international student production team. 348 00:37:32,900 --> 00:37:37,900 All music and sound effects are courtesy of Pixabay.com, a vibrant community of creatives, 349 00:37:37,900 --> 00:37:40,900 sharing copyright free images, videos and music. 350 00:37:40,900 --> 00:38:03,900 And we are signing off until next time. We are Students Incorporated, because your voice matters.