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Name: Raj Chaphalkar
Hometown: Lansing, Michigan
Major/Minor: Pre-Medicine, Music
Experiencing Campus
I sat in on a First-Year Symposium class, as well as a Chamber Choir rehearsal. I also saw a Johnnie basketball game and went snowshoeing by the lake with my host. I actually already knew my host from a summer camp that we had both been in at Saint John's. It was really neat to see the way he lived in the residence hall and get a picture of what my own college experience would be like. I also liked meeting his friends on his floor and feeling included in the strong sense of community that was so clearly important to the students on campus. It was also interesting meeting prospective students from across the country. We talked about each others' interests and what other schools we were looking at, but the coolest part was sharing the CSB/SJU experience with them. Together we learned new things about the campuses and about student life that really intrigued us. Some of these students from Fly-In Weekend are my good friends today.
Arranging My Visit
My admission representative worked very closely with my parents to schedule the visit, and he even met with a travel agent to set my individual flight itinerary. CSB/SJU paid for half of my plane ticket which was really awesome too!
Impact on College Choice
CSB/SJU were in my top choices even before I flew to campus for the Fly-in Weekend Program. The welcome I received was incredible, and getting to see the schools during the heart of the semester was a really great opportunity for me. The nice scholarship package I was awarded after my visit sealed the deal!
Fly-in Weekend Program Testimonials
Name: Meghan Fitzgerald
Hometown: Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Major/Minor: Psychology/Spanish
Fun Activities
We spent some time at the Mall of America waiting for all of the flights to get in. When we arrived on campus we were matched up with our hosts and spent the remainder of the weekend with them and other prospective students. My host had two students and their friends were hosting some students too so we all spent time as a big group throughout the weekend. We went to St. Cloud for a dinner and then headed over to SJU and visited some of the residence halls and just chatted with the guys. Later the hosts divided up activities and gave us visitors a choice of either seeing the movie at SJU or going to St. Cloud to a coffee house for a concert they had a friend performing in. I ended up going to the concert which was a lot of fun and some of the other girls went to the movie. Sunday we all went to brunch together at CSB, toured the campuses, ate dinner together at SJU with some of the guys, and went to the student mass that night. Monday I was able to go to a class called Mass Media and Society which I loved. I participated in the small group discussions and the professor kept the class fast paced and interesting. We made a last minute stop at the bookstore to pick up a sweatshirt and then headed back home.
Friendly Hosts
My hosts were so outgoing and friendly and made it a great experience. We still run into each other on campus and catch up once in a while. I enjoyed meeting other students from Colorado and across the country on my trip and it made me excited to make new friends once the school year started.
Arranging My Visit
The admission office set up the flight for me and paid for half of the airfare. Everything was very organized when they met us at the airport and took us to campus and then took us back to the airport to go home. The weekend on campus allowed me to experience the atmosphere of the campus, meet students, and attend a class. The warm and friendly atmosphere made me excited to be a part of the community. Everyone was so welcoming and the class was discussion based which made it more interesting than high school classes I had taken. I could not have seen this side of CSB/SJU from the website or the mailings so I'm really glad I visited.
Office of Admission E-mail admissions@csbsju.edu |