Reps on the Road

Life on the road with my GPS

I have been fortunate to be traveling in Florida and Georgia for the last few weeks, talking to great students, at graduate fairs, in classrooms and various college societies. I have also had the chance to visit great alums, stopping by their offices and getting a chance to see how well they are doing and getting a glimpse into their life whilst they were students here at Sherman College.

But there has been one item in my travel bag which has been invaluable in visiting all of these places. Yes, my GPS.

My first week back on the road I did not have it, but my birthday was around the corner and when my husband asked what I wanted, without taking a breath I said I wanted a GPS. I knew it would help not only with getting from A to B, but help with the environment, not having to print off all those maps from Google or Map Quest! Not to mention wasting all that ink!

Never has been going from point A to B been so easy, even if there are detours thrown in along the way.

This got me thinking, wouldn’t it be nice if the road to Sherman College was easy as using a GPS. Enter current location, destination address, acquire satellite, calculating route and press GO!!!!!!!!!!

But just like when you are driving, life throws in little detours, traffic ahead…..inclement weather…….road work…….accident ahead……and sometimes all you can see is the arrival time at your destination getting later and later.

And yes, there will be some whose road to Sherman will be as easy as going from A to B, but there will be many of you who will have detours –a bad grade on one of the prerequisite subjects, an overall GPA that is too low, a nagging worry about quitting a secure job to pursue a new dream.

But so what if it takes you a little longer to get where you need to go – what matters is that you get there. And just like me, you WILL get to where you need to go. The detour is just a small hiccup, and perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from the experience. It doesn’t matter much if you get there a little later than you expected. The end game for you and me both is to hear the words “You have arrived at your destination.” 

For you, this where a new exciting journey begins, but my destination is the next college visit, where I get to meet new and exciting students like yourself.

~Mattie

Road Warriors

No wonder admissions people are often called “road warriors.” It has been one SUPER busy recruiting semester! To represent Sherman College, I have been everywhere from Seattle, WA to Pittsburgh, PA and Jacksonville, FL to Kalamazoo, MI. I am currently sitting in Auburn, ME and will be driving to Boston tomorrow. Whew! Speaking of being a “road warrior” though, here’s a short story: within 20 minutes of landing in Portland, ME this past Sunday, I was the witness for a high-impact collision involving a mini-van and a SUV! Talk about welcoming me to Maine! Needless to say, it has been one intense travel semester, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. This semester has brought me to meet some of the best and brightest students all over the US. I’ve also gotten the pleasure to meet up with a lot more chiropractors (who weren’t even necessarily Sherman College alumni) who support everything Sherman stands for. Now THAT is awesome.

It will definitely be nice to be on campus next week though. The Pride of Sherman Tour is this upcoming Monday and Tuesday and it’s going to be wonderful. There are even students flying in from Washington state! Can’t wait to meet the future of our profession…   :)

Second Chances

My 4-year old son, Bryce, was sitting on the couch one day “reading” through some books when my husband brought him a doughnut as a special treat.  The evening before, we had stopped at the local doughnut shop and Bryce picked out two doughnuts, one with chocolate for himself and one with sprinkles for his dad.  Of course Bryce ate his, but his dad saved his to share the next day which is the doughnut he brought out as a treat.  At the sight of the sprinkles, Bryce began to cry, “Nooooo!  I don’t want that one!  That’s yours…I want the chocolate one!”  He had forgotten that he ate his the previous day, and I couldn’t help but chuckle silently at his little tantrum.

“Bryce, remember you ate the chocolate one yesterday.  Remember we had supper and then you ate your doughnut?  And it was so good that you ate the whole thing and got all sticky?  Hmm?”  I explained as I tried to jog his memory.

He stood quiet and pensive for a few seconds, and then climbed back on the couch.  When his dad walked through the living room again, Bryce called to him, “Dad?  Can I have the sprinkle doughnut?  I didn’t think I liked that one, but I like it now.”

Now, I’m not sharing this story to talk about discipline or even doughnuts, but I do have two perspectives to share:

My son knew that a certain “gift” was for him and he used it.  When he was offered another “gift” that was exactly the same but with sprinkles added, he did not really want it because it was not his first choice.  He did not even consider it for himself.

His dad knew his son would enjoy a second “gift” and saved one for him to use another day.  He even brought it out and offered it without even asking if it was wanted.  And although it was rejected at first, it was still there, waiting to be given when it was asked for.

Where are you in your career path?  Did you make your choice without knowing there was another option for you?  Do you remember wanting to do something, but lost sight of it?  Or have you exhausted your first choice and now desire something more…something with “sprinkles?”  Are you considering making a change in your life and in the lives of others?   

Consider a career as a doctor of chiropractic.  Chiropractic focuses on the body’s inborn ability to maintain and restore its own health.  Chiropractic offers an independent career and a unique lifestyle of service to humanity.  Chiropractic is rated the 10th best overall job in the U.S.  And chiropractic has been here, waiting for you to see what it’s all about.  Come and join us November 2-3, 2009, for the Pride of Sherman Tour.  Click here to register for your second chance.

Pedal to the Metal

The fall recuiting season is back in full force, and it's been a marathon so far! I started in New Jersey two weeks, and made it to West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and back to New Jersey in 12 days. Only one flat tire has slowed my pace :) 

Mid-trip Sherman hosted New Jersey's inaugural Shermanpalooza in Eatontown. Dr. Schwartzbauer and I met six great prospective students and reconnected with local alum's. A special congratulations to prospective student, Lauren Ferraro who won an all expense paid trip to Lyceum 2010. We're already excited for her visit to campus!

Right after Palooza I made the 10 hour trek down to Tennessee for the Chiropractic Convention, to meet even more of our awesome alum's.

I'm currently in Charleston, SC for the MOJA Health & Wellness Fair, and it's been a hot one! I didn't really expect the heat, especially after driving through WV and VA seeing the leaves alrerady changing colors. Despite the heat and my new farmers tan, it's already been a great event, and tons of exposure for Sherman and chiropractic!

Check out our upcoming events on the Admissions Calendar. After a quick suitcase change I'll be headed up to VA Sunday for another week of graduate fairs and college visits....in the fall weather! I'm going to need to search out a good corn maze, or two again this year! For anyone in PA near Lancaster I highly suggest the Amazing Maize Maze. There's a huge corn maze, pumpkin chuckers, corn shooters, pony rides, hay bail tunnel and kettle corn!

What's your dream?

My four-year old son recently asked me, "Mommy, what's your dream?" 

I wasn't entirely prepared for the question as it came with no context while we were driving back from the gym.  There was no telling what had been brewing in his mind--good dreams, bad dreams, dreams of being a superhero, or dreams of being "big" or growing up. 

"Hmmm...I'm not sure what my dream is.  What's YOUR dream?" I asked instead. I wanted to better understand what he meant without leading him.

He proudly stated, "My dream is FOOTBALL!"

Football?  He's never played football.  It wasn't even football season at the time, so it hadn't even been on TV.  I asked if he wanted a football.

"Yeah...no!  I can play football when I get REALLY BIG!" he clarified with excitement.

I smiled at his excitement for something he knew so little about.  I smiled as I remembered how fun it always was to talk about what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I smiled as I realized how little I knew about my choices then. 

Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?  Will you be able to realize your full potential in your chosen profession?  What impact will you have on the lives of others?  Talk to people in that profession and others and find out their stories.  We have an excellent opportunity coming up for you to learn about chiropractic and perhaps discover a new passion.  Visit us during the Pride of Sherman Tour, November 2-3, 2009.  Take advantage of the resources that will be at your fingertips during this two-day event and find out what you CAN BE when you grow up!

Is this parking space reserved for you?

Are you interested in a chiropractic career?  If so, schedule a personal visit to Sherman College and you will find this parking space reserved for you!  When you come for a personal tour of campus your guide will be one of our current students.  You can also request to observe a class and meet with a faculty member! 

There's no better way to know if Sherman is the right chiropractic college for you then checking out the campus for yourself.  AND, if you are an out-of town guest we will be happy to pay for one night's accomodation at a local hotel.

But if you can't make it to Sherman College then we can also come to you!  Our admission representatives are scheduling visits to college campuses all along the Eastern US.  Check out their schedule here. 

As if that wasn't enough we are excited to announce SHERMANPALOOZA IS COMING!  President Jon Schwartzbauer, DC and our Board of Trustees are making a 4-city tour to bring chiropractic to you.  If you live in or around one of these cities - Eatontown, NJ, Philadelphia, PA, Seattle, WA or Detroit, MI - this is a must attend event!  You will have the chance to meet with Dr. Schwartzbauer to learn how a career in chiropractic can change your life. 

Whether you come to us or we come to you we hope that you will see what a great career chiropractic is and that Sherman College is the place to earn your chiropractic degree.

Travel season is approaching!

Our recruiting team will be out of the office soon and coming to a town near you! 

While we have many visits to colleges and universities scheduled already, there's still room to plan for more.  Contact anyone in the admission office with information about your current school or alma mater and we will be happy to schedule a future visit.

Remember that you can always visit us as well!  Shadow an Intern Day is an excellent way to get more information about the daily responsibilities of a chiropractic intern.  Our fall career day known as the Pride of Sherman Tour is a two-day event with many activities to help you learn more about the chiropractic health profession and Sherman College.  If you can't make it for one of these scheduled events, you can always schedule a personal visit.  And if that is not feasible at the moment, then check out our virtual tour!

We look forward to seeing you!

Upcoming Admission Events at Sherman College!

Mark your calendars TODAY so you won't miss out on the following:

• Thursday, July 23 ~ Tuition Talk On-line Chat ~ 12-1pm

• Thursday, July 30 ~ Shadow an Intern Day~ 11-4pm

• Monday, August 3 ~ Meet the President On-line Chat ~ 12-1pm

Please click on the links provided to register for an event.

Can't make it to one of these events but still have admission questions?  Contact me by instant message, email kshepherd@sherman.edu or phone 800-849-8771, ext. 221.

Want to visit campus?  Register for a personal tour which is offered M-F at 10 am or 2 pm.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

Black Boys of Distinction, summer technology camp

Here's another news article about Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic out in the Spartanburg community! I participated in a program called "Creating Curiosity about Careers" one week ago. This event was sponsored by the 21st Century Black Boys of Distinction summer technology camp and kids ranging from age 9 to age 11 attended.

The kids asked some really great questions and some even knew what the pelvic girdle was! I'm not sure if I even knew what that was at their age! Kids are amazing. Many of the kids have parents who are/were patients in our Health Center on campus. After dropping a pencil and lollipop in each of their hand-crafted bags, I asked every student to go home and talk to their parents about what they learned that day. Hopefully we'll be seeing some of their parents in our health center (AND the kids themselves) soon!

I LOVE my job, how about YOU?

Even though it was already posted, I wanted to share the article about why I love my job so much with you again! The article came out last week and I had a huge smile on my face when I finished reading it. Kathy Johnston (the reporter who “phone interviewed” me) did a really good job with writing the piece and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. It was all very exciting and it is/was great exposure for Sherman College and the profession. Just imagine if an article like this became NATIONAL… that would be amazing! After speaking with the reporter (we’re friends on Facebook and email buddies now!), I suggested they also spotlight a chiropractor who can adjust animals. Think about it, a feature piece on an animal adjuster, how cool! I would definitely read a story like that, especially because it’s definitely a “sweet” job and it’s definitely different. We’ll see if she takes me up on that idea…