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Visiting Simpson College: An Admissions Interview

Jared Hobson — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 19:43:26 +0000

I recently had the chance to visit Simpson College and talk with a friend and former colleague, Brittany Preston, who works at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa as Assistant Director of Admissions.

Simpson College is a small college with about 1,500 students located just twelve miles from Des Moines. They offer a great nurturing academic environment with 80 different majors to choose from, greek life, intercollegiate athletics, study abroad, research and much more. They also have exciting career, internship, and entertainment options available down the road in the state’s capital. With wonderful May term course options, guaranteed internships, small class size, personal attention, a beautiful campus and numerous research opportunities this may the right fit for you. They also have some fun traditions to learn about. If you go visit, don’t miss their brand new beautiful student center that just opened!

In the video above, Brittany talks about Simpson College, its admissions process, scholarships, and why out of state students should consider this hidden treasure in Iowa.

Enjoy some of the pictures I took during my visit!

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Opportunities at Drake University

Jared Hobson — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:00:12 +0000

When considering colleges, it is always important to think about getting that practical experience. Internships during college are a great way to test out the fields you are interested. One of the best ways to get an internship during college is to connect with someone who graduated from the university you are attending and works in the field you are pursuing. During a recent visit to Drake University, in Des Moines Iowa, I had a chance to learn a little bit about how their proximity to Des Moines, and their large local alumni base, helps students get internships.
I also talked to two current students about why they chose to attend Drake University. One student mentioned their great business program and the other student mentioned the excitement around Drake Relays.
p.s. Apologies for the sound of traffic in the background of the video!
p.p.s Three guesses of the Drake mascot? I tried to find as many bulldogs as possible during my visit.

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Drake University: Language Teaching

Jared Hobson — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:14:39 +0000

Many students are seeking a medium-sized university in an urban area. Drake University really fills that bill. But one of the most interesting aspects of Drake University is its innovative foreign language program that focuses on proficiency in the language–rather upon the number of hours you sit in a classroom.

So if learning a language in college is one of your primary goals, then you might want to take a good, long look at Drake. (Besides, my grandfather graduated from Drake!).

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I am here right now on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and one of the things that a lot of the students are looking for is a medium-sized university in an urban area. Drake really fits that bill. It’s a beautiful campus right in the center of Des Moines – of course, Des Moines is not a huge urban area, but it’s a very attractive city, and medium sized, especially for students who want to get a taste of the mid-west, Drake would be an excellent option. One of the things that is interesting about Drake, I think as a former foreign language teacher, is that the method of teaching foreign language at Drake is much different from any other university. They have basically abolished the foreign language department as their usually constructed, at most universities, tend to focus on literature, and they have really focused on skills building. The idea is that anyone can learn a language as long as they do the work and go through different stages. So, they’ve done things with computer-based learning, and different milestones that every student must meet, and then they also have tutorials that are taught by native speakers in small groups, and this has allowed Drake to offer myriad languages that other universities are unable to offer, because it’s not about the faculty teaching about specific kinds of literature or history to a very narrow sub-specialty, but rather it’s about learning the language and being able to use it in everyday life, is what separates the Drake methodology from any other university.

Anyway, this is a great medium-sized university in a very solid mid-western city, and surprising in many regards. We just left the Des Moines Art Center; a really great center for contemporary art. So, don’t pass this one up if you’re looking for that medium-sized university in a city, you might want to take a look at Drake.

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