1. 8 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE COLLEGE GUIDE 2016-17
Advice from a teacher, a recent
graduate, an RA, an admissions
offcer, a fnancial advisor and more.
Picking
their
Brains
Interviews by Mariah Douglas,
Jessica Good and Jenny Kiefer

2. 9
Mary Gulley, Centre College
How much is too much? What’s an
unmanageable course load?
“Our full-time load is 12 credit hours,
which is roughly four classes. Our
crediting is a little diferent than other
colleges. We have some three-credit-hour
courses; then we have some four-credit-
hour courses, which are our labs. Twelve
to 13 credit hours a term is full-time. We
do have some students who have fve
classes, but it’s not the norm, and it’s a
lot for them to handle.”
What should I expect from the frst
year of courses? Is there anything I
can do before to prepare for them?
“At Centre, we assign a pretty heavy
reading load, so students can prepare
by increasing how much they’re reading
and maybe their efciency in reading,
but they will become profcient readers
here. It’s a hard thing to prepare for
— it’s more of an expectation of what
they’ll learn here. Students also need to
become familiar with interacting in class
and in discussion. Most of our courses
have discussion, and open questioning is
expected.
“Another thing high school students
can do is adopt a time-management/
organization system that works for them.
Our students are very busy all the time —
classroom, on campus, they have a lot of
various activities going on, and they have
to learn pretty quickly how to keep track
of everything.”
What are some common mistakes
students make?
“One is — and we have to tell our new
students this during their frst term —
don’t join every club on campus right
at the very beginning; don’t become so
overly involved that it becomes too much
to handle. A lot of our students are very
high-achieving, and they’re used to being
the leaders of the groups in their high
school, and we caution them not to have
that mentality when they start college.
That’s a common mistake of trying to do
too much too soon, and not getting to
know the college, friends, professors, and
not actually transitioning into the college
in a more peaceful way. The transition
is difcult enough without taking on
too much. Another mistake is thinking
someone else will tell them what to do all
the time, because they won’t.”
Any tips about picking a major?
“At Centre, all of our students are
undecided. They don’t declare a major
until spring of sophomore year. Now a lot
of students have direction and they might
know 100 percent what they’ll major
in, and that’s great. But we encourage
students to come to college in the frst
two years and explore the curriculum
through our general education courses.
Through those classes and conversations
with professors, they discover what
they’re passionate about. My suggestion
is to explore classes and not be too quick
to get on a narrow path.”
Should I double-major?
“I tell students they only need one major
to graduate; unless there’s a good
intrinsic reason to double-major, take
things like glass-blowing that you can
only explore in college.”
Are there any courses that will help all
students, regardless of what career
they’re pursuing?
“Any course that will improve written and
oral communication and critical thinking
skills. And honestly, that’s pretty much all
of our classes.”
Assistant Dean
for Advising

3. 10 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE COLLEGE GUIDE 2016-17
Freshmen
InstructorRachel Gramer, University of Louisville
What’s the best way to stay organized?
“I think organizing strategies are diferent
for every individual. My best advice is
always to fnd what works for you, pay
attention to when your strategies don’t
work, know when your really busy times
of the semester are — although they’re all
going to be busy — and be willing to be
fexible in developing new strategies too.
With that said, I am a big fan of keeping
lists, updating my calendar with all
deadlines, and taking notes in my
phone, because I know I’ll always
have it with me.”
How can a student be sure to
do well in your class?
“My top two strategies for
success are asking questions
and meeting deadlines. These
are based on the assumptions of
being present and on time. I think
keeping track of the class syllabus/
schedule is important. But I think it’s
even more important to ask questions —
in class, by email — of the instructor, of
other students, about assignments, about
deadlines, and learn not to be afraid to
ask when you don’t know something.
And the way we learn is through
practice.”
What are some bad habits students
should be aware of?
“I’ll say what seems to be an issue for
many of my colleagues: email etiquette.
Know what your professor prefers to be
called and learn the level of formality
she expects. For me, the only big
no-no is being disrespectful of other
students — in speech, in writing, by not
fulflling obligations or coming to class—
being impatient and infexible with the
instructor or classmates, and expecting
more from others than you are willing to
give yourself.”
What’s the major diference between
high school and college classes, from
your perspective?
“It’s still school — remember that. As
in high school, schools can provide
opportunities for learning, and more
education might get you something that
you want in life. In college, the cost is
usually higher, so the stakes are too.”
As an instructor, do you have any
advice as to determining a major/area
of study?
“My current mentor gave one of my
classes some wise advice: Chase
your passions, not just your interests.
The diference is sometimes hard to
distinguish early on. My best advice is
not to be afraid to explore other interests
at frst, and to take at least one class that
you have no idea where it will take/lead
you. And before you get too far in your
undergraduate career, ask yourself: What
am I best at? What can I not live without
doing, or talking about, or learning
about? And who can I talk to about
making this happen?”

4. 12 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE COLLEGE GUIDE 2016-17
Admissions
Offcer
How do I avoid common application
mistakes?
“Be aware of admission-application and
scholarship-application deadlines, and
be sure to take the ACT or SAT more
than once and submit all test scores.
Also, we suggest applying to multiple
schools and planning a campus tour to
the schools you’re considering.”
How much do high school grades
really matter in applying to college?
“Grades are still extremely important,
not only for admission purposes but
for scholarship purposes and course
placement as well.”
Besides grades, what are other
important components of the college
application?
“We look at many factors and all have
equal importance: GPA, strength of
schedule, letters of recommendation,
ACT or SAT test scores, extracurricular
activities, written essay.”
In your experience, what would you
say makes a successful transition
from high school to college?
“Preparing yourself academically while
still in high school. The more academic
preparation you can complete while in
high school, the easier the academic
transition will be — and this includes
enrolling in challenging courses during
your senior year.”
Will a college take back its ofer
if my grades slump in the last
semester of high school?
“I can only speak for UK, and I
would say that would depend on
how that last semester slump afects
your cumulative GPA. But again,
we encourage applicants to take
their senior year very seriously, as it
is your last opportunity to prepare
yourself academically for your
freshman year of college.”
What makes an essay stand out?
“One of the options for the UK
written essay is to describe a
challenge or obstacle you have
overcome on your educational
journey. It is defnitely inspiring for
an applicant to provide information
about their own academic
challenges and how they managed
to move past those and become
successful.”
What if my freshman-year grades
were awful but then got better?
“There are sometimes life
circumstances that can cause
a bad semester or year, and we
are understanding of that. In this
situation, it might be something
good to provide information about in
the written essay.”
Michelle Garth, University of Kentucky
SAT
A+C-
ACT