Many people in the teaching community want to see the SAT go away. Many people feel that it is not a real measure of intelligence in students. Obviously, probably all students would like to never see the SAT again, there is so much build up to prepare for the test, and so much pressure for you to do well on it. Many students feel that this test determines their whole life. There are many people out there that have come up with methods to cheat the SAT by figuring out the patterns of the questions and how to guess your way through the test. Laurence Bunin is in charge of College Board and he says the test is here to stay. He says that the SAT is a test that shows basic skills that one needs to succeed in college. Many colleges are saying the test does not show anything about what a student can do and 800 or so have made but the SAT optional on the application. 
It’s March 18th and decision deadlines are just around the corner. Right now, some of us know where we are going to college and are still in the process of getting a scholarship. Some have been accepted into colleges but still haven’t had the time to visit and thus still remain undecided. Finally, there are still some out there waiting for that first letter that determines they are not meant to work at McDonald’s for the rest of their lives. My heart goes out to those people, and I advise them to hang in there and know that what’s meant to be is meant to be. Still, how can we be so sure if we’ve made the right choice – there are so many factors. There’s the location, the athletics (whether or not we wish to play our sport in college, or for that matter the rest of our lives), the student body, and most importantly the general feel of the school and whether or not it is right for you. I think that’s how one should base their decision because it will probably bring you the most happiness and fulfillment in the next four years to come.
As deadlines for many colleges near, the craze over where everyone is going to school next year has reached full peak. Something I really don’t like is how people go around talking about how they don’t like a certain school because of the name recognition or the reputation it has. Some people, if they’ve never heard of a school before, automatically there’s no chance they’ll look into it or even consider it. Instead people only want to go to places like NYU, USC, UCLA, and all the Ivy Leagues. I think that’s bull, and think it’s even bigger bull that a lot of people look down on places like MCC or any schools of that nature. They act like the people at MCC are retarded because they go there. My dad is the realist person I know. He told me to quit being so superficial and to get my degree and education and get on with life. He told me that all this nonsense about going to schools far away was meaningless and that I’d be just as well off going to a school near home and getting my education there. I agree with him, a degree is a degree no matter where it comes from. A lot of times people don’t have their priorities straight when looking for a college and most people go to a certain college because of the location and the nightlife. People say college is as much about the experience as it is about the degree but last I checked, they weren’t handing out degrees on how much you “grew as a person”, they hand out degrees on what you know.
Living away from home can be very challenging at first, but after living away from home for over a year, the positives certainly outweigh the negatives. Besides gaining a valuable soccer experience, I have gained important life skills and I have matured over the past couple of years. For example, learning how to take care of myself when I get sick or what kind of food I buy are thing I never had to worry about at home. Living off campus this year, I have had even more responsibilities. I have to prepare my own meals, wash my laundry, clean the house and everything else that goes with living away from home. All these experiences are important and will help me later in life. By leaving home early I have had a jump start to college and the rest of my life. College will be an easy transition because I will already be used to living away from home and having plenty of responsibilities. I look forward to finishing out his year on a good note and proceeding to college.
Mr. Blaweiss is one of the new Guidance Counselors at Pendleton this year along with Mrs. Uhlinger. Mrs. Uhlinger won’t be back at Pendleton until the middle of September, but should you have any questions about colleges, direct them to Mr. Blaweiss whose office is right behind the front office. On Tuesday I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Blaweiss, here is the transcript:
The Panther: What was the last song you had stuck in your head?
Mr. Blaweiss: That’s easy — Gravity by John Mayer. I was just listening to it two minutes ago.
TP: What was the college you went to, and what were your degrees?
Mr.B: I got my B.A. at University of New England and my Master’s at University of Virginia. My Bachelor’s was in Psychology and my Master’s was in Counselor Education.
TP: What’s your hometown?
Mr.B: Poughkeepsie, New York.
TP: Why did you come to Pendleton?
Mr.B: I was asked by Mr. O’Dell to help get last year’s Senior Class squared away. Mr O’Dell wanted me here full-time and I liked it so much I decided to stay. Before that I was a private Admissions Counselor.
TP: What is your favorite thing about Pendleton and your job?
Mr.B: The students. The nicest thing about my job is I don’t have to worry about meetings or deadlines. I just have to worry about the students.
TP: What is your favorite band?
Mr.B: Nickel Creek. It’s a New Grass band, like New Age Blue Grass.
TP: And sports team?
Mr.B: Right now, the FSU Seminoles and the UF Gators. I have kids at both those schools.
TP: Okay, now the College Visit part. So tell me about the colleges coming to visit us this month.
Mr.B: We have a variety of colleges coming to visit us either because they contacted Pendleton or we contacted them. We wanted them to have a better understanding of Pendleton and our relationship with IMG. To do so, as you know, I’ve traveled around the state trying to increase awareness and will be travelling around the country soon.
TP: What will their visits be like? Will the people visiting be admissions counselors?
Mr.B: Yes, they will be admissions counselors. They will be providing general information about their colleges and admissions requirements. Hopefully they will know enough about the sports programs of their colleges to answer students’ questions but probably will be more on the admissions side.
TP: Anything else you want to add to the interview or put out there?
Mr.B: Yes. I really do enjoy watching students grow and helping them get into a college that for them is more than just a place to play a sport but helping them find a place where they can live, learn, grow, and be happy.
The schedule of colleges visiting our campus is:
· 9/3 University of Central Florida D1 8:30 a.m. (FL)
· 9/3 Oglethorpe University D3 10:00 a.m. (GA)
· 9/3 Lynn University D2 11:30 a.m. (FL)
· 9/3 Rider University D1 1:00 p.m. (NJ)
· 9/4 Flagler College D2 11:00 a.m. (FL)
· 9/4 Rollins College D2 1:30 p.m. (FL)
· 9/5 University of Alabama D1 12:00 p.m. (AL)
All college visits are held in the computer lab, if you’re interested in one of these colleges ask your teacher to excuse you from class.
The Pendleton Panther 
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