THiS banana is BANANAS! b.a.n.a.n.a.s.

As I sit here eating my afternoon snack of banana and peanut butter, I'd like to reflect on my recent noticings around campus.

Though it is a mere 40 degrees outside, I feel as though the dark cloud of winter is slowly making its way beyond. The 40 degree weather feels balmy, as though I am enjoying a hot Miami summer's heat shining on my face.... maybe I won't go that far, but it is GREAT to see the sun shine its rays outside!! Melt that snow, baby! I feel as though I have successfully survived my first Maine winter. (Now that I have put that into print, however, I'm sure Father Environment/Mother Nature is going to rear his/her ugly head and give one more good snowfall). I pledge to remain optimistic and pray that it will only be a matter of time before the crocuses are blooming and birds are chirping once again in central Maine.

Last week, I was searching through our electronic admissions folders, trying to find pictures of dorm rooms to send to an international student. He won't be able to make a visit to Thomas, so he requested some pictures to give him a better idea of the school. While perusing these pics, I came across some BEAUTIFULLLLL pictures of campus in the summer. Dewy green grass, crystal-blue skies, and the overall glow of buildings on campus were shown in every single picture. Having been hired in October, I haven't been able to see the Thomas College campus in all of its glory, and these pictures made me quite excited for winter to end and spring to begin.

If you're wondering how YOU can get in on the action in experiencing Thomas firsthand, call our Campus Visit Coordinator, Jessica Rodrigue, at 207-859-1111. She'd be happy to set up a visit for you- tour, interview, financial aid session, meeting with a coach, chat with a professor, lunch in the cafeteria, etc!

We are currently wrapping up February break week and the students will return to campus on Sunday- can't wait to see our work-study kids and hear all about their vacation!

Happy Tuesday!

Hi everyone! Back again for some more fun-filled Thomas talk!

It's February and that means there is a ton of things going on! In addition to Black History month, National Cancer Prevention month, and Sinus Pain Awareness month (not kidding- check it out), February is also the time that Thomas College starts to receive TONS of FAFSA forms. For those of you unaware or unsure of what FAFSA is, I'll fill you in!
Free
Application (for)
Federal
Student
Aid!
If you're interested in applying for federal financial aid to help you finance your Thomas College education, be sure to fill out this form! Way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and when I was a student in college, the FAFSA was upwards of seven pages long, very confusing, and highly tricky. It was known to Jedi-Mind-Trick my mother, and cause many people stress. HOWEVER!! New to 2010, the FAFSA is only THREE pages long! It's a lot more condensed and this is something we should all be thankful for :) The priority filing date at Thomas is February 15th, so get your paperwork in! Be sure to send the form to Thomas at the end of the paperwork: our FAFSA code is 002052.

In other Thomas-related news: there's a big cross-town rivalry today! Thomas men's basketball is playing Colby College. Should be a good game...

Tuesday's Top Ten

Today is Tuesday and therefore time to list:
TEN things that happened (to me) today in the admissions office!
1. Greeted the Xerox man who came to the office AGAIN to fix our copier. This is the fourth (fifth?) time in about eight weeks that he has been here, poor soul.
2. Mailed out some more acceptance packets for applicants! Class of 2014, here we come!!
3. Ate a bag of Cape Cod potato chips with Jen Higgins... it's a treat we like to occasionally (ahem... thrice weekly) enjoy.
4. Discussed with Wendy, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Admission, the play-by-play of our Thomas College women's Monday night pickup basketball league game (happened last night, you should SEE Jen and Molly Feeney tear it up!)
5. Covered the front desk phones for our campus visit coordinator, Jess Rodrigue, while she met with Wendy. In thirty minutes, three students came by to pick up packages they had waiting (cookies from mom? textbooks? netflix??) and I was able to successfully help: 1 of them... 33%
6. Spoke to multiple guidance offices about some missing pieces that a few of my applicants need to turn in- if you have SAT scores, personal statements, etc. that you need to submit to the office, get them in! The sooner we have your complete application, the sooner we can give you a decision :)
7. Drank 2 Nalgene's worth of water.
8. Emailed back and forth with students regarding our new Forensic Accounting degree! Want to stop white-collar crime? Help with a company's internal auditing? Email your counselor for more info!!
9. Double-checked all of the newly-entered applications from my territories and filed away many loose pieces into their appropriate files. Organization is so wonderful.
10. Asked Jillian Bouley 9,325,406 questions, as usual. There's a special place in heaven for Jill, who has the patience of a saint. She has really helped me adjust to life as an admissions counselor! (Her desk also happens to be the closest to mine, and therefore the closest person I can talk to...)

The admissions office is a very busy place! Tomorrow is a phone call night, and my goal is to speak with all of my applicants from the west coast! If you're reading this and you're an applicant from California, I hope you look forward to my call tomorrow!