Thank you for having me to your campus this morning. As most of you know, I work just down the road at SUNY Potsdam and it's also my alma mater. Although I could have presented on Syracuse University where I earned my Master's degree, I decided that telling all of you about Potsdam would be a better angle for reasons that will become clear as I go through my presentation.

The college search process is daunting and confusing to many prospective students. Even growing up with a parent who worked as a college admissions professional, I found the entire process of searching for a college very overwhelming.

When SUNY Potsdam first landed on my radar as a potential college - strategically placed in front of me by my parents, I couldn't even imagine where the college was located. Frankly, when I thought Potsdam, I thought this:

Of course, this is how many people from the downstate area view Potsdam in their mind's eye but those of us who live up here know this is a gross exaggeration and not true. However, when you're 17 like I was - this was reality!

In fact, when my father and I arrived to SUNY Potsdam's campus, I refused to go on the tour and told him that we should head back to Albany - soon!

After some convincing though, I eventually go out of the car and went on the tour at SUNY Potsdam. Even after the college tour, I really was NOT SOLD on the College. I thought there was a fancier and nicer college out there for me - I just hadn't found it yet. I never got that awesome feeling that so many students and higher education professionals talked about, either!

Like I said, at first, I was NOT impressed with Potsdam and really did not think it was the place for me. I resisted going to Potsdam all the way up until move-in day my freshmen year. It wasn't until I realized that the only admissions office that had spent a serious amount of time recruiting me was Potsdam - they seemed to genuinely care ... so that fact along with the people I met the first few days on the campus changed my view drastically.

1. Persistence from the Admissions Office

2. Met likeminded people on the fine arts floor who got me out on campus, participating in new and different things.

So what makes Potsdam different? It's the people. There are students from all over NYS and in particular, a huge population from the downstate area (Albany to Long Island) which adds a lot of culturally diverse people to the campus. The eclectic student body on the campus allows for students to be individuals - allows people to be unique.

1. Met people from downstate and UPSTATE (Never really explored the great outdoors) Great collaboration of cultures)

2. EXPOSURE TO DIFFERENT CULTURES AND IDEAS

IF you don't embrace your location, you'll miss out on ...

We are SO close to 6 million acres of beautiful land - go for a short day hike or sign up for a challenge and do an overnight excursion in the woods.

Growing up in an urban area - I didn't have these opportunities but there is tons to do here, for free:

1. Find easy, day hikes.

2. 15 minutes away from the great outdoors

So maybe there isn't any football up here (SLU has it but SUNY students aren't going to those games, right?!) Yes, you're forced to learn about hockey but who knew it could be so exciting to go to a home game?

Being exposed to a wide range of disciplines opens the mind and possibly, opens new doors. At SUNY Potsdam, there are over 40 majors to choose from like Archaeological Studies or Exercise Science.

Even if you're not artistically inclined, SUNY Potsdam offers tons of free dance performances, art shows, and concerts to not only its students, but the community as well. Being exposed to these things, even if it's weird and uncomfortable at first will broaden your knowledge about the world.

While many students tell me that Potsdam is in the middle of NOWHERE - I always respond quickly with: There's a lot to do here but you have to be creative, you have to get outside and try new things. The college experience is a 50/50 deal - an admissions professional can show you the way but the rest is on the student to really have the total college experience.

1. Grab a cup of local coffee downtown
2. Pick up a bagel
3. Buy a book at the Clarkson bookstore.
4. Rent a kayak or canoe for the day and paddle around on the Raquette River!

Growing up in Chicago and Albany, I was used to being in a more urban environment so for I had to challenge myself and a lot of my professors helped me to do that.

Many of the professors that I met while @ Potsdam were not natives of the area either and they would challenge us inside the classroom to think of the bigger picture and to embrace our location. Sometimes being at a smaller college and have more personalized attention is a GOOD THING!!

Most professors @ Potsdam wanted to see us succeed. They would gladly give out their personal phone numbers and ask us to contact them if we had questions about an assignment or needed help with something.

While there are many differences between SUNY Potsdam and Canton, there are some undeniable similarities as well.

1. Location
2. Small campuses
3. Great personal connections with faculty and staff
4. Diverse student body

The challenge of PDAM and would love a new challenge and change - I think it would be exciting.