A Good Lesson for a Budding Student Affairs Professional

Ok, so I have an amazing advisor. (And, no, I am not just saying that because he may or may not see this because it is a part of my independent study.) FOUR HOURS after I emailed him with my help-dear-GOD-I-need-a-letter-of-recommendation-and-have-I-mentioned-you-rock? request he had penned a letter and sent it off to the Graduate School.

Four. Hours.

This is a professor who is deeply involved in lots of student affairs research and teaches a few classes a semester and he chairs the committee that admits students into the SAA program. He has a lot on his plate.

And yet? Four hours after my plea, he emailed me my saving grace.

When I emailed him to thank him and ask him if there was anything I can do to thank him (ie: thank him cookies, send him a balloon bouquet full of graphics with smiling teddy bears, etc...), he said something that will stick with me forever:

"Just do the same thing when a student needs your help."

Ah, the pay-it-forward concept. It is something that will stay with me as I navigate the rest of my time at MSU and when I enter the field. And I have my fabulous advisor to thank for helping this concept to truly stand out in my mind.

MmmGAAAH

Without wanting to jinx myself, there is a teeny, tiny possibility that I may be able to maybe get some help with my last payment for my UK Study Tour. I had a meeting a couple of weeks ago and the woman was very nice. VERY nice. Before our meeting I googled her and found out some information about her and I got afraid because she looked like the kind of person who was very kind, yet very firm--a combination of a Catholic school nun and Maya Angelou. So I was afraid because I didn't want to say the wrong thing to her and have her be all "no money for you!" (In my head she says it like the Soup Nazi does on Seinfeld.) But the meeting went well and she did not holler and instead gave me instructions for how to apply for this magical money.

Step one: signatures. Get your advisor's signature. Simple. I love my advisor, he was easy to get in touch with because he teaches one of my classes. Then get the Chair's signature. Kind of easy but not really because she was out of town for a few days. Through the magic of email, though, she agreed to sign the form if I left it with her secretary. Then get the DEAN OF THE DEPARTMENT'S autograph. WTF?!? I didn't even know who the Dean of my department was. Turns out there's three--who knew? Luckily my department is magical and I didn't even really need to bug anyone because the secretary for the chair of the department got the chair's autograph AND the dean's as well. Because Baby Jesus loves me.

Step two: budgets. Make up your monthly budget and submit a budget for the trip. My monthly budget was easy--I make no money. And what I do make goes to keeping the credit card people at bay. And the rest is spent on very important things like books and chai lattes and fun stuff at Target. The budget for the trip wasn't entirely hard to get. It was hard to get the BGSU professor to do it, but once I had it, it was used for both this application and my Study Abroad application. Not that it didn't take a reminder email or two. But if it means free money then I would have freakin' driven to her office, shined her shoes and cooked her a gourmet meal in order to get her to fill out the form.

Step three: please give me money essay. This is the part that took the longest because I am a big wussy who was afraid that nothing I would write would possibly be good enough to appease this committee. Alas! I cannot write under such pressure! I am not an award-winning essayist! It shall not be enough! I shalt crumble under the pressure! Alas! And so I put it off for a good two weeks. It finally took me bribing myself with a chai latte and succombing to the confines of the Union to actually write the damn thing.

Step four: turn it in. DONE. Oh wait! Just kidding! When I went to turn it in today I was informed that everything looked good but oh wait? Where's the letter from your advisor? You need a letter of approval to complete this you know?

SLKUOEIRUEGKMSDOYRE EEl!@)(&*@!!!

Why no, I did not know. I thought that getting three diferent signatures from three very different and very busy people as well as a fabulous essay and not one but two budgets would be enought. Um, no.

Hopefully my advisor doesn't kill me after I write him a "please write me a letter I love you!" email. Gaah.

And I Used to Work in Financial Aid--But I STILL Don't Get It

I decided to visit the lovely financial aid office today...

Me: Hi! I'm going to the UK in May! Yay!
Financial Aid Dude: ....
Me: Um, yeah. So here's the thing--I'm going in May for part of an independent study but the rest of the money for the trip is due in April. Is there any way I could get part of my summer financial aid early?
FA Dude: Is this for a Spring course?
Me: Um, no, it's for the summer. As in May--like I just said.
FA Dude: We disperse loans ten days before the class starts.
Me: But what if I needed the money before that? Like, say...April 11th?
FA Dude: That's not ten days before the class starts.
Me: I know. But that's the deadline.
FA Dude: That's against the rules. Sorry. You lose. Goodbye.

Ok, so he didn't say that I lose, goodbye. But essentially because of frustratingly complicated stupid red tape with loan guidelines and blah blah I can't get any money to help finance the trip until ten days before I depart for England. Which would be fine...except I need the money a month before the trip if I think I'll be leaving on a jet plane to Edinburgh. The only light that glimmers softly out of the whole conversation I had with him was that I could take out an emergency loan and then just pay it back with my summer financial aid when it was dispersed.

It's not quite the miracle I was hoping for, but at this point it's better than nothing. Because Lord know I ain't got no $950 to hand over to BGSU. Maybe I should start playing the lottery...or praying a lot...

Adventures in the Study Abroad Office

Here's how my trip to the Study Abroad Office went the other day...

Me: (in the main office) Hi! I need help. I'm going on a study tour to England! But it's not through MSU. Can I still apply for scholarships?
Receptionist: Yes. Are you going through MSU?
Me: No...I just said that. I'm going through Bowling Green.
Receptionist: (getting an attitude and acting snooty) Well. You need to go across the hall. We can't guarantee you anyyyyyyything if you're NOT going through MSUUUUU. (Then she threw the scholarship application at me.)

I went across the hall....

Me: Hi. I was just in the main office and they sent me here. I'm studying in the UK this summer through Bowling Green.
Receptionist #2: You need to talk to (head lady).
Me: Ok. Can I talk to her?
Receptionist #2: (glancing behind her at a closed door) CLEARLY she's left for the day. You need to email her. Here's her card. (Throws card at me.)
Me: Who can I talk to about scholarships? I thought I needed to talk to her?
Receptionist #2: Go down the hall. They can help you for now. But you'll need to talk to (head lady). And we do NOT guarantee you anything if you don't study through MSU.

I go down the hall and enter another room, totally disoriented...

Me: Help. I was sent here.
My friend and classmate: Hiiii!
Me: Yaaay! A friendly face. (I recount my adventures in the offices thus far.) Help.
My friend: I'm not sure I can help, but this student might be able to.
Student: Umm....all I can tell you for sure is to talk to (head lady) and fill out the scholarship application. That is your best bet for right now.
Me: I knew that already. But thanks.

So to recap my adventure: I was bounced between three offices only to be told to fill out a form I already knew to fill out and have it reiterated that I may not even get any help financially because it's not through my school. Gaaah!

I should get a scholarship because of the headache I endured from that visit. And I knew people in the offices and still had a lot of red tape! If I'm getting the runaround when I know people in there, how are undergraduate students feeling when they go in there for the first time and all they want is to have an overseas adventure?

The lesson from this? I am so working at an institution where there are less than 40,000 students.

The Yang to the Yin (Or My Concerns)

Wheee! England! In two and a half months! I'm so excited! But with that comes some apprehensions. For one, I still owe Bowling Green close to a thousand dollars. While I can scrape that together if I need to, I'm praying that:

a.) my tax return comes back soon (I'm not banking on this happening, though)
b.) I get some kind of grant or early loan to pay all or part of the money by mid-April or
c.) some kind, rich benefactor falls for my charming ways and throws money my way so I can run around the U.K. spreading my lovable charm to the British.

Money is my biggest reservation at the moment. I can and will make this work, I'm just slightly nervous about how. I'm looking into Study Abroad scholarships and whatever grants I'm referred to to help me. And I'm praying to the Baby Jesus as well.

There's a couple of smaller concerns, too, namely leaving John, my boyfriend, for two weeks. I know. I know. (I know I'm sounding like a lovesick teenager and it may sound pathetic. But still!) It's only two weeks apart, but this will be the longest that we'll have been apart since coupling up nearly a year and a half ago. Just thinking about it makes me nervous and gets my stomach in knots a little. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I'm addicted to cuddling with him, so being away will be a little hard for both of us. I know it will help us grow, though and we'll come through it stronger than ever, but still. Saying goodbye to him for two weeks is going to be really hard. For now let's just say I'll be investing in a couple of major minute-heavy phone cards to help ease the pain.

My other concern is with the amount of work that is already expected of us. Honestly it's like having a fourth class on top of my MSU credits and my assistantship. It's a little overwhelming and completely unexpected. I've printed out every article we need to read--it's well over 200 pages. Plus there are reflection assignments/essays we need to do as well as online postings. It makes me nervous for what kind of work we'll do while on the tour if we're doing this much now. My concern is really with the time I have to invest before even leaving. Gaah! Time! I don't have enough of it!

All of these concerns will pass or ease as time goes on I'm sure. I'm just overwhelmed with all I need to do for this on top of my classload. But I shall persevere and push ahead. Because it's England and I know it will be completely worth it once I'm peering up at the castles and running around London.