New Faces of V-State Give Freshman a Voice

VALDOSTA - Valdosta State University hopefuls don't have to speculate about what their freshman year on campus might be like; these prospective students can read personal accounts of first-year fun and candid thoughts on classes from five new Faces of V-State.

For each of the past four years, potential students have learned about VSU through online student blogs written by five incoming freshman - the Faces of V-State. But as they chronicle their experiences as they adjust to college life at VSU, these new scholars give the university more than just a face - they give it a voice and heart as well.

"I wanted prospective students to be able to see what the first year as a Valdosta State student was like," Recruiter Ryan Hogan explained. "From the anxiety of residence halls to the excitement of football games, I wanted prospective students to be able to see all aspects that a first semester student at VSU goes through."

This year's freshmen experience is told through the words of Hannah, Jaime, Steven, Analicia and Abigail. Last names are kept confidential to assure privacy to the students. They were chosen from a pool of 40 applicants, who submitted essays detailing their expectations for the first year, community involvement, educational goals and reasons for choosing VSU.

"We are trying to reach all types of prospective students by providing a good representation of our institution; we've had students from athletics, fraternities/sororities and leadership organizations," said Hogan, who developed the idea several years ago not anticipating its future popularity.

By its second week of publication online, Faces of V-State 2010 had already received almost 500 hits. Last year's group received over 12,000 hits during the academic year. Hogan says that each year the popularity grows and the feedback from the prospective students and their families is incredible.

"It feels great to be involved," said Steven, this year's only male blogger. "It gives me an overall sense of well-being for doing something to help seniors in high school make decisions on whether they want to go here or not."

Knowing most applicants were female, he wanted to provide a different perspective for male high school seniors interested in VSU.

View this year's blog at http://www.valdosta.edu/admissions/FacesofVState2010.shtml or call Hogan at (229) 333-5791 for more information.