Day In the Life: College Admissions

Hi everyone! It has been a crazy week ... let me tell you! With work being busier than ever and lots of personal things going on, I am so happy it is Sunday! I hope you all had a great week of strategic goal setting and getting more in-tuned with your resolutions. Remember, they only become a habit if you let them, but let's move on to today's blog post!

Ever since I started my job as an Assistant Director of Admissions, I have wanted to do a day in the life post about what my day looks like as an Admissions Counselor. Every day is different and this past week wasn't typical by any means. We had a switch up in how we were working on students' applications and it was really an all-hands-on-deck type of week before I visited some high schools on Thursday and Friday. Nonetheless, I wanted to share with you all what a typical day in my college admissions office looks like! If you're interested ... keep reading!

Me in my office at the start of a great morning!

8:30am - Arrive and E-mails: My day technically isn't supposed to start until 9:00am, but I like to get into my office 30 to 45 minutes early so that I can get a jump start with planning my day and reading e-mails. In a day I probably send out 100 e-mails and usually when I get in in the morning I have some responses from colleagues, my student workers, and the students with whom I'm working. It can be kind of daunting (especially Monday mornings), so I like to start a little bit earlier to set myself up for a successful day. I'll also use this time to look over my schedule and make a to-do list based on all of the meetings and things I want to accomplish so that I know what's important and what I need to get done!

9:30am - Review Applications: We review applications every day so that there is a shorter wait time for our students to learn their decisions. Because of this, I like to review right away in the morning so that if I need to contact a school counselor about a student or request current grades, there is plenty of time to do that. This usually takes up the majority of my morning because I read through EVERYTHING that is in a student's file. I like to read each letter of recommendation, essay, and any other supplemental pieces a student provides, so it takes quite a bit of time to read each file. It's great though because I'm really able to learn a lot about my students!

11:30 - Interview: Lately a lot of my students have been visiting for the 10:00 tour, so after their tour I will interview them and answer any questions that they or their family have. I really enjoy meeting with students when they visit because it helps me learn even more about that, but also it helps them get to know me and understand my work style.

12:00pm - Lunch: Typically I will stay in the office during my lunch or I will go visit my grandma for a little bit. This is just my time to catch up with my colleagues, but also de-stress and check out social media. I am on twitter and then I also have a personal Instagram that you can follow me on. All the info is above in my Contact Me page. If I'm really busy or wasn't able to read all of my applications then I will work while I eat too.

12:30pm - More E-mails: I will use the time after lunch to follow up on my e-mails and voicemails from the morning so that I can call back any schools or plan on following up with the appropriate people while they are still working.

1:00pm - Office Tasks: So, I will use about an hour and a half working on other tasks and responsibilities within the office. So, not only do I work with students and review their applications, but I am also in charge of our Ambassador program (the tour guides) and I am also on the Events Committee. So, I may have to work on scheduling, on hiring or just troubleshooting any issues or concerns that come up throughout the week and day that need to be dealt with. Besides working with the students and their families, helping to plan out events is something that I really enjoy about my job!

2:30pm - Phone Calls: From about 2:30pm until I leave at about 5:30pm, I am doing phone calls and e-mailing students directly about their applications, events coming up, or exciting news. I like to call students when I have an update about the status of their application because I think it helps reduce anxiety about the college search process. I know when I went through the process, the waiting and not-knowing where I was in the stage was the hardest part, so I don't want any of my students to feel that way!

5:30pm - Check-In/Review: At the end of my day, I really like to check and see what all I got accomplished and what all I need to focus on for the next day. Knowing the night before what I will be walking into tomorrow helps me better prepare. For example, if I know it's not going to be too busy then I might go in at 9:00am, instead of 8:30am. This is my personal plan and it has really worked well for me and staying on track throughout the day.

So there you have it folks ... a day in my life as a college admissions counselor! All days are different and I never know what is truly waiting for me until the day unfolds, but ultimately I love what I do and I really enjoy working with the students, families, and schools that I do, which makes it all worth it!!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

BLOG-IVERSARY: Letter to Myself

Hi everyone and Happy July 26th! Today, Chasing College is celebrating it's first birthday!! While my plans for this blog developed over months, my first post was published on this day last year! Thank you all for following along and for being my inspiration for this blog.

To celebrate, I thought I'd get personal with you all and write a letter to myself; specifically a letter to the 17-year-old me about to embark on her college journey! While I hope this is entertaining and insightful into why I post the things I do, for those of you struggling with your transition from high school to college or even from college to adult life, just remember you aren't alone!

Dear Me:

First things first, choosing to attend Elmira was the best decision (and will be up to this point) you ever made. While I know that you are terrified of many different things, please know that you will survive and thrive through it all! You will laugh and cry more than you ever have, but you will spend weeks smiling because of the life you have created there for yourself. Take advantage of this opportunity to grow and become the independent self that you know you want to be.

When the opportunities come to get involved on campus, take them! It is perfectly acceptable for you to spend your first semester getting used to your classes and navigating campus. But by Winter, start attending those club meetings that you've always wanted to and for heaven's sake go to the dance studio once in a while. Just because one of your friends doesn't want to go, that doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue something you know you'd enjoy! This will not only help you take a break from studying and reading for that horrid Freshmen Writing Class, but it will help establish friendships that will span your four years and beyond!

Unfortunately Skylar, you will see who your true friends are while you're away at college. College is about learning who you are and what you want out of life, so don't let anyone make you feel like you can't do that. While it will be difficult when friendships end, don't be bitter towards them ... they have their own issues to work on for themselves, as do you. Use this freedom to become introspective on what you want out of your college experience and on what you want out of life in general. The newly found independence in your sophomore year will work wonders for your future career!

I know you don't want to teach and you want to do something more than stand in a classroom all day and talk to kids, but your student teachings and all of those sample lesson plans you write will be worth it. Each experience will connect you home in its own weird way and give you the background you need to be successful at the next level, so take advantage of that! These and the leadership opportunities you gain as an upperclassmen set the stage for something that you will love doing every day. (I won't tell you what it is because I don't want to spoil your "ah-ha" moment.)

Now, for the part I know you want to know ... the boy. While you two just started dating - you two are the only ones you will ever have to explain your relationship to. Hands down, the hardest part about your college experience will be nurturing and supporting this relationship, but Skylar, it will be worth it. Your feelings are your feelings and they will never change, but remember you have to stick up for yourself too! There will be heartbreak at times as you both attempt to grow and experience college, but follow your heart because it will lead you right where you want to be ... and yes, you will get the ring!

Finally, if there is one thing I, your 23-year-old self, wants you to know, it is this: Stay true to who you are and what you believe. Your faith and your personal convictions will be both tested and strengthened during college and even grad school (yes, you will get in to grad school so don't worry about that B in History of Recent America). Take the time to make decisions, friendships, interviews, jobs, memories, and everything else in life exactly how you want them to be. These next six years will be a crazy ride, but your parents, sister, and the boy, as well as, all of the amazing friends you have yet to meet will help make it every ounce of the perfection you always strive for! Much love!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

High Impact College Experiences

Hello all!

Today I wanted to talk to you all about the Conference I attended this past weekend. It was entitled "Student Affairs Matters: High Impact Learning Outside the Traditional Classroom," and it was hosted by Binghamton University. This was the first conference I've ever attended and the presentations and conversations I had were very insightful and I wanted to share those with you here!

Student Affairs is a Calling
So, our Keynote Speaker, Dr. George Kuh, opened his presentation with this thought: People who work in college student affairs do it because they are called to it. It is not a job they seek out from middle school or high school, but it is something that they are called to do in this world. As a future college student or as a parent of a college student, you should be incredibly happy about this. The people that are going to help you succeed in college and who are going to be there through your trials and triumphs are there because they want to be. Student affairs professionals, myself included, are in this position because we want to help students succeed and provide them with the resources they need to graduate from college and safely enjoy their time!

Experiential Learning is Important
"The institution a student attends or the major they study is not nearly as important as the experiential learning experiences they have." -  Dr. George Kuh (If you're interested in College Student Affairs or college in general, definitely look him up!) What is experiential learning? These include internships, service-learning projects, studying abroad, research, and seminars/capstone courses. Without a doubt, when you graduate from college, employers are going to look at your experiences and how they can add to their business. If you leave with just an Accounting or Music degree and no outstanding experiences to support the knowledge you gained in the classroom, it is going to be a tough sell for finding a job. **Because of this, when looking for your undergraduate institution, you will want to find those universities which have experiential learning opportunities that you can take advantage of!

Planning Partnerships
This may be more useful once you are in college or in your Sophomore or Junior years, but if you have a plan or idea for an event, a class, a workshop, or whatever try and find partnerships with the different offices and clubs on campus. Generally speaking, students know what students want, so use that to your advantage. Pitch your idea to administrators and organization officers to see what resources you have to make your plans bigger and better. Also, more partnerships equates a bigger budget for your event, which helps you achieve what you need for your event! This goes this same for high school students! If there is something you want to do or want to see done at your high school, then go to a teacher you trust, plan it out and then you bring it to your administration! Great Ideas + Great Partnerships = Great Projects

All in all, the conference was a great learning experience for me and I hope what I learned can help you with your ideas about college and your concerns! As always, if you have questions, concerns, or something you want covered on the blog, feel free to comment, tweet me, or e-mail me!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

Wish I Knew Wednesday

"I wish I'd known if the money I spent would be worth it."
Lindsay H., 25, New Berlin, New York

This is a tricky thing to give advice on because everyone values education differently and everyone values money differently. When you're planning your college search and ultimately decide the college/university and the academic program you will pursue, this question will pop in your head probably once a month. Even as a graduate student, I still question if I have made the right choices in all of my college decisions. 

Unfortunately, we cannot see into the future. (As it is "Back to the Future" Day, I find this conversation quite appropriate.) Until we are in that moment, we will never know which career will make us happy, which city we live in will provide the most opportunities, or even whether the money we spend pursuing a major will yield any job offers. 

Because of this uncertainty, it is important to make your time worthwhile in your college search and then eventually when you enroll at a college. My #1 piece of advice is to weigh your options; weigh your options between majors, schools, cities, dorms ... everything. Have conversations with your parents, siblings, friends, teachers, coaches, mentors, people on the subway, the only lady down the street, everyone! Talk to them about what you want to pursue and your reasoning behind it. Actively discussing your options and opinions will only make them more real for you and help you choose the path that you want for your college education. In addition, these conversations and the thought process that leads to your ultimate choice will help you immensely when you feel discouraged. You chose this path for a reason; because you believe it and you believe it will lead to the life that you want. Then don't let any bad grade, awkward experience, or peak at your student loan amount discourage you and make you doubt yourself or your dream. 

Make use of your time and make every second count in your college search process. Be an inquisitive consumer, question things, seek knowledge, and ultimately follow the career that is going to make you happy and that you are going to enjoy doing for the next fifty years. This is your journey ... no one else's! 

enjoy the chase,

skylar