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The First Year of College, First-Year parents!
Month by Month: November
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Excelsior Steps
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Students Grow in Self-Awareness: "I'm more outgoing than I thought. . . . I've got to study more than I did in high school. . . . I'm not the best athlete at school anymore - and that's okay. . . . It's fun to express myself in class. . . . My roommate and I can disagree and still be friends. . . . My college friends are very different from my high school friends. . . . I like making my own decisions."
High School Students on Campus: We have almost 300 high schoolers on campus for Focus on Ministry October 24-26 and October 31-November 2.
It's a great time for your students to reconnect with younger friends and do some recruiting as well.
Clouds and Snow: Meteorologists say November is usually the grayest month of the year in our neck of the woods. We've had just a few random snowflakes so far, but students should have their boots handy and their antifreeze topped off in preparation for cold and snowy days, which are fairly common in November.
Campus Busyness: Wrap-up of fall sports . . . start of basketball . . . Into the Woods musical production . . . Readers' Theater rehearsals . . . Wind Symphony and College Choir concerts. . . Presentations and convocations - lots of learning opportunities!
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Spread the News!
MLC #3 in Nation Best Bang-for-the-Buck Colleges
MLC earned the #3 slot in Washington Monthly's 2013 "Best Bang-for-the-Buck" Baccalaureate Colleges. Yes, that would be #3 in the whole country!
This poll is based on colleges' sticker prices, graduation rates, financial assistance for lower-income students, and loan default rates. In laymen's terms, this means that MLC students pay a low price, graduate in huge numbers, and are employed after college, which allows them to pay back any college loans they have accrued.
"This poll is important to us," said VP for Administration Steven Thiesfeldt, "because we never want financial obstacles to stand in the way of a student preparing for gospel ministry. In a country where college debt now outpaces credit card debt and some wonder whether a college degree is worth the cost, we can emphatically say, 'Yes, MLC is worth it. As suggested by the poll, you get the best bang for your buck at MLC.'"
We are thankful to all WELS congregations whose offerings help fund MLC. We are especially grateful to those donors who go further, giving special gifts to student grants and scholarships. These gifts allows us to provide a high-quality college education at a reasonable price.
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Should I Even Be Getting This Newsletter?
We've had a couple emails from parents of sophomores asking this very question. It's true that this newsletter is geared mostly to parents of first-year students, but enough parents of older students requested it over the years that we decided to send it to everyone.
You may have noticed that we mark certain articles "First-Year Parents" up in the right-hand corner. If you're a parent of a sophomore, junior, or senior, you can feel free to skip those.
If you'd rather not get the newsletter at all anymore, just let our data management specialist, Tami, know, and we'll take you off this list. You can also "unsubscribe" if you wish, but we want you to know that then you will be unsubscribed from every e-newsletter MLC sends, including the MLC Update.
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Is the Honeymoon Over? First-Year Parents!
Part 2 
Has your student crashed? Was he unbelievably excited at first and now he's not sure he wants to be here? Relax. It's all part of the natural progression most students experience when they go to college. It's called the W-Curve, and it's made up of five stages: Honeymoon, Culture Shock, Initial Adjustments, Mental Isolation, and Acceptance & Integration Last issue we discussed the first stages: Honeymoon, Culture Shock, and Initial Adjustments. This issue we tackle the last two. Read more.
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Has the Helicopter Landed?
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Cartoon by Rev. Jeff Bovee
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Are you a helicopter parent?
Do you love, or do you hover?
Are you simply interested and concerned, or are you interfering and hindering your child's growth?
Take a look at our checklist.
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Why Doesn't the KnightWatch
Come Anymore?
MLC KnightWatch is our recruitment magazine, sent to high school students who are interested in MLC. Now that your high school student is a college student, KnightWatch won't be delivered to your house anymore. However, MLC InFocus, our magazine for alumni, parents, and friends of MLC, will be coming to your house! The November issue will hit mailboxes before Thanksgiving.
If you know a high school student who would like to receive the recruitment magazine, MLC KnightWatch, please email Megan Kassuelke with the address of the student, and she'll get them on the mailing list.
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What's Convocation?
You might call it the voice of experience. We call it convocation.
Every quarter, called workers give MLC students the skinny on what it's really like "out there." Convocations not only inform our students, they also inspire them for the public ministry that awaits them.
The tradition, which began 33 years ago at Northwestern College, commenced this year on October 2 with two speakers: Pastor Mark Gabb and Teacher Kyle Bender from St. Paul-Beverly Hills FL (pictured). They presented "Pastors and Teachers Working Together: Mutual Benefits and Encouragements."
The next speakers are scheduled for November 13: Teacher Ryan Rathje (Manitowoc LHS) will present "Technology in the WELS K-12 Classroom," and Pastor Ben Kratz (Our Savior-Birmingham AL) will present "My Service in the South."
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MLC Picture Gallery 
Pictures from Wind Symphony, volleyball, soccer, football, cross country, golf, and the Early Childhood Learning Center. Check them out!
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Coming Home: First-Year Parents!
8 Realistic Expectations
Thanksgiving break is around the corner! It'll be great to have everyone home again, right? Yes, it will - if you have realistic expectations.
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Mark the Date
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Michael Koester and Carl Boeder sing "Agony" in the musical
Into the Woods.
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Nov 1-2 Focus on Ministry
Nov 1-3 Musical: Into the Woods
For ticket information, call the
Box Office at (507) 233-9114
Nov 8 Lyceum: The Singers
Nov 10 College Choir Concert, 3 pm
Nov 11 Christian psychologist Anita
Smith: Warning Signs in
Relationships
Nov 17 Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
150th Anniversary Service, Mequon WI, 3 & 7 pm
Nov 20 Resource Development
Counselor Jim Hahn:
Financial Seminar
Nov 24 Wind Symphony Concert, 3:00 pm
Nov 26 Thanksgiving Break begins after classes
Dec 2 Classes resume
Dec 7 Christmas concert, 7:30
Dec 8 Christmas concert, 4:00 pm
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Parents UKnighted!

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