I just dropped by to see the culmination of work all the seniors in the Science and Engineering Department have been working on for the past year. There were many cool projects, but this one caught my fancy: RFID Technology Project for Ultrasound ...with RFID technology, a quickly growing trend, Philips Medical Systems has asked the design team to implement an RFID solution for patient data entry on their ultrasound machines. The team researched and designed an RFID system consisting of a reader/writer and a patient data application complete with compression and encryption algorithms. You could even make your own nifty tags at the display.
Last Saturday I was lucky enough to attend the Wing Luke Asian Museum grand opening. It's a beautiful space, and I gained a deeper understanding of the trials of South Asians (the Sikhs, in particular) and their immigration experience. The NY Times has a particularly neat commentary and slide show here. Thanks to Wendy for inviting me!
So, quickly on the heels of my post regarding the value of a college education comes this rather scathing article from Marty Menko from the Chronicle of Higher Education titled, "America's Most Overrated product: The Bachelor's Degree." Menko's main arguments? Colleges are businesses that accept unprepared students, with little to no regard for quality of education that the institution produces, or preparedness of the college graduate to enter the world. ...year after year, colleges and universities turn out millions of defective products: students who drop out or graduate with far too little benefit for the time and money spent. Not only do colleges escape punishment, but they are rewarded with taxpayer-financed student grants and loans, which allow them to raise their tuitions even more. I would argue that, institutions like Seattle University place a high priority on teaching, real-world experience, and only admitting students (through a careful and holistic process) who are prepared for college coursework. You can read the full article for free here. Seattle University students, I'm always curious to hear your thoughts.
While grabbing my cup of coffee from the business school, a headline from the NY Times business section caught my eye: "A Diploma's Worth? Ask Her." (registration required). The collumnist, David Leonhardt, examines the economic advantages of a college diploma by comparing the average increases in salaries for men with vs. increases in salaries for women . Since women have been earning their college diplomas at a much higher clip than men the past few years, the results are not surprising. Armed with college degrees, large numbers of women have entered fields once dominated by men. Nearly half of new doctors today are women, up from just 1 of every 10 in the early 1970s. In all, the average inflation-adjusted weekly pay of women has jumped 26 percent since 1980. And men? Their pay has increased about as much as their college graduation rate — it’s up just 1 percent since 1980. Leonhardt also accounts for gender discrimination in salaries and such, as well. It's a great read, especially in light of the Feminist Week events going on at campus.
Well, it's May 5th, which means for those freshmen that have paid their deposit, you can start filling out your online forms for such wonderful things as housing, class schedules, and orientation dates. Exciting times all around. For those having trouble with your online account, you can call the help desk at 206-296-5571. As my colleagues and I waited with bated breath last week, you all responded with a flood of confirmations. This made us literally jump for joy. The other impact of this action is that, effective immediately, we are no longer accepting freshman applications for fall 2008.
Home sweet home. I felw back to Seattle this Sunday, and was promptly greeted with 60 degree weather and a healthy amount of rain. Good ol' Seattle weather! This last week and a half in the Bay Area has simply been delightful; it's been a pleasure getting to know the region better and to say hello to all the prospective students out there. Still, I couldn't stay in California forever (who would feed my fish?), so I soaked up as much sun as I could, and here I am. Fortunately, it's also gorgeous and sunny right now, so I can't complain too much.
Well, I fly out today to go to all those Bay Area fairs. Feel free to swing by and chat at my booth, that's why they pay me the big bucks. In more philosophic terms, I'm excited to spend some time down in the Bay area, as there's obviously a lot of similarities between San Francisco and Seattle. So for you SF kids who love the city but need a fresh geographic location for college, Seattle might be right up your alley.
Yesterday marked our last regional accepted student receptions. You have two more opportunities to pick our brains this week: Accepted Student Chat this Thursday, from 6 - 8 pm PT. I'll be there, as will some current students, and recent alumni. These always promise to be fun and somewhat wacky. Accepted Student Open House @ SU this Saturday from 8:30am - 2:00pmish. Call us to save a spot - this is a great opportunity to tour the facilities, quiz faculty members from your department, and meet with financial aid. This is the time of the year where we switch gears; I leave for the California Bay area next week to start recruiting those intrepid juniors.
I wish that I could say that I'm spending my spring break in some warm, sunny beach, but alack, there's no rest for the wicked. We've actually been quite busy these past few days, as many of you have decided to come visit over your vacation time. Wisconson, in particular, has been a particularly popular point of origin for many of you that I've met with. The small reprieve for me comes in the fact that I'm done with statistics, but it's balanced out with the sad story that I have some marketing homework due on the first day of class. Onwards and upwards! I've been taking advantage of the sunny but cold weather to hit the bike trails hard last week and this week. The Lake Washington bike trails have been particularly stunning, and a pretty decent workout. Accepted Student Receptions are getting underway this week and next; I'll be down in Portland during my birthday to welcome all you hip Oregonians to the university.
As per usual, February has found me hunkered down, reading stacks of your lovely applications over a hot cup of tea. This is my third time around doing application review, and yet I always find myself engrossed and engaged by your essays, your activities, and achievements. This marks the first year that I've read international applications, so I've been pleased to read applications from students I met abroad, and I'm glad to have visited many of the institutions where you all have studied. It makes me hungry thinking about all that delicious food I ate abroad... I digress. Last week the weather was unseasonably sunny and warm, giving us a sneak peek at what spring has in store. Alas, I've been battling a cold these last couple of weeks, so I've been pretty much shuttered in my apartment, diligently reading applications. Soon, however, I'll be on the road again, particulalry the Portland Accepted Student Reception and the WACAC north California college fairs.
For those Early Action Students who have been accepted to Seattle University, you can get your questions answered online by visiting our online chat tomorrow from 6-8pm PT. The link is here. In other news, I did some snowshoeing in Snoqualmie Pass this Monday. It was a cloudless and beautifully sunny day, and it was delightful to escape the city for a brief moment. Now, back to reading all those lovely files you've submitted.
Last Thursday I whipped out my scientific calculator, sharpened my pencils, and did something I haven't attempted in eight years: take a math class. Sure, I've done plenty of math in my accounting and economics class, but this is a beast of a different color. I think I'll do fine. Sullivan Day went swimmingly, thanks to everyone involved (especially Pauline Benson). There was some interesting discourse from various staff and faculty members who were highly critical of this year's book, The Accidental Asian. I'll have to re-examine his memoirs, but it was a deeply moving and personal book for me. [amazon:type=Blended:search=0375704868X:results=1] Finalists for the Sullivan should be announced in early February.
Congratulations to the Early Action students who received their decision letters over winter break. For you regular-decision kids, most of the admissions staff devoted a goodly amount of time opening and processing your applications. Please note that you should give us another good week or so to continue processing your application, so please don't call this week asking if your application is complete. Sullivan Scholars day is this Saturday, and good luck to all of those who have been invited to attend. I'll be there on Saturday with a bright, smiling face on display. For the rest of you, cheer on the Seahawks this Saturday.
Well, I finally sold off my old tv through Craigslist, so I can finally reclaim a good chunk of my living room. I did recently buy an HDTV through some Thanksgiving Madness Sale, which is perhaps one of my few concessions to consumer culture (I have a soft spot in my heart for cinema and film, something that was heavily featured in my college senior thesis). In short, HDTV and my combined HD DVD player is a dramatic upgrade; it's kind of hard to describe, definitely a bigger jump than switching from VHS to DVD. As one commenter noted, I did indeed netflix the Planet Earth specials, which really show off high definition. Football, as well, is spectacular in high-def, and I'm excited to watch the Seahawks playoff game in glorious detail (particularly since Seahawks tickets are impossible to obtain with my budget). Why am I writing about TV in an admissions blog, you ask? Well, we're putting the finishing touches on your Early Action decision letters, so I've actually had a bit of time to watch television in the evening, as opposed to studiously reviewing your files. Your letters will be mailed out, as has been stated, at the end of the week. In the meantime, why don't you get your questions answered at our online chat? Follow the link heree, it starts at 6pm PT.
I've been privileged enough to read files for about three years now. Still, here are some common essays that I've grown tired of reading: Webster's Dictionary Defines "x" as... If you look up "[flattering adjective]" in the dictionary, you'd see [person y]. Mahatma Ghandi was a great leader because... JFK once famously said... Hitler was a charismatic but bad leader because... That's not to say that these are horrible essay prompts, or that you cannot write a compelling essay or letter with these prompts. I'm just saying, you'll have to a dynamite job, because I see these topics...a lot. Still, for 95% of you, I've been nothing but profoundly humbled and pleased to be reading your essays. This crop this year has been especially insightful and well-written. Hats off, Early Action applicants. I'm kicking around the idea of writing my own college essay, so moved I've been by all of your excellent essays. I suppose I could make it my Christmas letter to friends and family. We'll see.
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