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Posted August 7th, 2008 by Mary MartinGreetings to current and past CSSA’ers
One of the magnificent elements of Corvallis is the summer. This is possibly the best time to stay home. Nicely warmed days, ocean cooled evenings and plants that are showing their appreciation for the April showers make up a very special place. For those of you who have come and gone, Corvallis is as pleasant as it ever was, if not more.
For those of you moving to this little valley hideaway, you have some great times ahead of you. Aside from Corvallis and its beauty, you have a graduate school experience waiting which will be special. Most of you have been out working for a number of years, so the thought of going back to school can be as terrifying as it is exciting. Your approach to life has changed a bit, how you live your daily life has changed a bit and what you find to be attractive traits of a new friends has changed a bit. Your greetings have moved beyond a “yo” or “what’s up.” Your annual income will most likely go down and your debt load may increase. You will be expected to be a student by some people at sometimes and a professional by other people at other times. Your routines for maintaining a healthy life style will be greatly challenged and some things you did not even know existed last month will be become a basic necessity. Even with all these things – or maybe because of them – you will have a graduate experience that will stay with you forever and just may be one of the greatest times in your life. I encourage you to arrive with no preconceived notions and just enjoy the experience.
You will be working with some of the greatest faculty and administrators you will ever meet. You will be challenged in various ways and grow immensely from these challenges. The only limitations you will find in your successful graduate experience are those you place on yourself. You are moving from a community that helped to define who you are and nurtured some special relationships, which in some cases will be left behind. You will be in this whirlwind graduate experience which is so different because of the memories you are leaving , and you wonder if others will understand. Just remember the situation is the same for them.
Welcome to Corvallis, OSU and a special place. It is possible you never imagined wearing orange and black – and liking it – but you will.
Don
