I'm getting old....I'm 29!

Well, I know I'm still wet behind the ears, but man it feels weird to be 363 days away from being 30 years old!

April 26th was my birthday and I turned 29, yep, halfway to 58 and no too far from 30. Ugh... It's just a number right?? I don't feel older, I don't think I look older, but now my wife gets to make fun of me because for this small amount of time I'm 4 years older than she is. She's just a pup! :)

Everyone always asked me what I want for my birthday...so I never tell them. Usually because what I want has 4 wheels, a BMW logo on it, and cost like $60K. So, this time I told everyone that they could just give to the IPOD fund. I'm behind the times...I know...but if you know me, I'm never not listening to music! I'm a music junky...so when I work out, work in the yard, go on a cruise, or just sit around, the IPOD just makes sense.

Of course, I can't want the $99.00 version of the IPOD, I have to have the 30 GB one that's like $5,000. But hey, I don't ask for what I want very often. So I think I'm like $70 away. I just want to get it before I leave on our cruise.

Ginger and I are going to the Western Caribbean on a Carnival Cruise! 23 days till we ship off! Can't wait!

I'm done talking about me...

Here's My Soapbox

OK,

I guess when I was a high school student, I can't say I thought much about this either...but I think high school seniors should be a little more proactive regarding their financial aid and external scholarship searching. Too many students say to me at the last minute, "Are there any other scholarships I can get?" Usually, I'll ask them, "Are there any scholarships you've applied for?" And typically they answer me with a "No." So, for all you guys and gals out there, juniors or seniors, or even freshman and sophomores, here are some ideas to get you started on the External/Outside Scholarship Search:

1. Set up a 15 - 20 minute conversation with your guidance counselor to chat about scholarships, grants, and loans available from your school or community.

2. Get on the Internet! Google "scholarships and teaching" or "scholarships and grants for college" or "private college scholarships." Also, look into some of these sites:

www.cfnc.org
www.finaid.org
www.scholarship.com
www.fastweb.com
www.nextstepmagazine.com
www.sallie-mae.org
www.educaid.com
www.hispanicfund.org

3. Call your local Chamber of Commerce and find out if they know of any town, city, county, or community scholarships for college students.

4. Ask your parents if their workplaces have scholarships or if your church might have a college scholarship.

5. Call the college financial aid office and see if they know of any resources available to you.

The funds are out there and you'll be amazed at how much scholarship money is left at the end of the search that hasn't been given to someone.

Be a part of the financial aid process, help out your family, because every scholarship you receive is one book closer or one fee closer to making your college dreams a reality.

Start in your Junior year, start in the summer before your senior year, in fact, start NOW! :)

Peace,

Jeremy

Two decisions....

What's the deal with always having two major life changing decisions in your life and not knowing which one to choose? I mean, can't you just get a clear direction for one of those decisions and it be an easy thing... no!

There has to be two decisions, equally choosable, where the line is fuzzy and you have no idea if you should choose one over the other. That's how it always is. But I've found that when I make a decision, the Lord blesses whichever path I choose the way He sees fit. That knowledge doesn't exactly make this decision an easy one, but it makes me feel better knowing that God will take care of me either way.

Sometimes I wonder if God doesn't put two decisions out there that are equally viable and both could be the right path. Maybe God wants you to have the faith to walk through either one and simply rely on Him. In that case, God would be in either choice and would teach us in either case. Maybe that's hard to swallow because we think there has to be one decision that's right out of the two. I don't know...

Post your comments... anybody going through two big decisions and can't figure out which one to go with?

Hope of the day: God is with us either path we choose.

It's beautiful outside...you should go out and play!

Presidential Inauguration

Hey Everyone!

Well, yesterday was our new president's Inauguration Day. Dr. A. Frank Bonner comes to us from a background of Furman U. and UNC Chapel Hill and had served as Provost and Vice President of Gardner-Webb University for around 13 years before being named GWU's 12th President.

It was an exciting day yesterday. I actually got to play guitar for the Instrumental Background music for the Delegates Luncheon! Ooooh.. Aaaahhhh.. It was fun...I just had to pull everything out of my head to play for it...45 minutes long! Ugh! But what a day...we had a campus worship service, the delegates luncheon, the Inauguration service, and the Gala last night. Now how many of you have attended a Inauguration Gala or just a Gala for that matter??? That's what I thought....so awesome! Here's what was there:

1. Ice Sculptures of the GWU logo!
2. A chocolate fountain with marshmallows, angel food cake and fruit to dip in
3. Shrimp, Sushi, Wings, fruit, veggies, Pork Loin, and a whole lot of other fattening foods!
4. The Frank Love Orchestra and a sweet dance floor (yes our President and his wife boogied!)
5. My beautiful wife in a very gorgeous dress
6. Dancin' at a Baptist University...yes!

So it was so much fun...here's the link to the day... http://aux.gardner-webb.edu/Publications/inauguration.html

Check it out!

Question of the Day: Do high school students care that much about emailing?

See ya,

Jeremy

What's so hard about choosing a college?

Afternoon!!!

What is it that makes choosing the right college so hard? Is it the money factor, the fit factor, the major factor, the girl to guy ratio,....what is it? Well, it's a lot of all of that as far as I understand. Being in admissions for going on 4 years now has taught me a lot and I've come to a few conclusions.

Cost never outweighs Fit.
Girl : Guy ratio weighs heavily.
Majors weigh often and change often.
But Fit...that's what's important!

To be fair though to the $ issue, cost does matter. But it's not the only thing that matters. I can't tell you how many kids I've worked with that choose to go to the cheapest college or the "college that gives me the most," and sometimes it works out, but more than often they are transferring after one semester or have dropped out.

I always say, "Do you want to be cheap and miserable or invested and content?" It's at least something to think about.

How's your college search coming? Have you narrowed it down to 1, 2, or 3 schools that you really have your heart set on? Well, do this, go back and visit one more time. Talk to your admissions counselor one more time. Weigh the fit, the cost, the atmosphere, the students, the academics and student life to see which one comes ahead.

If you have questions about college, majors, financial aid, admissions, or student life, just AIM me at - jferngwu - . I'd love to hear from you! Let me know your thoughts on college.

Question of the Day: Is fit more important than cost when it comes to college?

Have a great day!