My Experience (So Far) as an Admissions Representative

It has been two years since my college graduation in June — as well as two years since I started working as an admissions counselor — and the time has truly flown by. I believe the admissions office occupies a unique space on the college campus: Our work is integral to bringing in the next class of Drexel graduates, but we rarely interact with students after they begin classes. Instead, we focus our sights on the huge and diverse pool of high school students across the entire country, guiding them through the exciting yet terrifying process of applying to college.

That travel season was invigorating and enlightening, introducing me to the exciting cohort of hopeful Drexel prospective students before I started reading applications.

Admissions counselors’ jobs follow the academic calendar. We travel to high schools in the fall to meet with seniors and answer their questions. Then, November and the winter is spent reading thousands of applications, and we travel again in the spring, this time attending college fairs to prepare juniors for applying to college. Before Drexel, I worked for the admissions college of my alma mater, Oberlin College in Ohio. It is a small liberal arts college that is not as well known in my home state of New Jersey, so I became used to talking to small groups of students during my travels in New Jersey, Pennsylvania (including Philly!), Delaware, and upstate New York.

Imagine my shock when on my first day of fall travel for Drexel, my very first school visit had 37 students waiting for me and filled up an entire classroom (shout out to Hillsborough High School!)! Later in October, I showed up to the Monroe Township High School fair with 200 viewbooks and ran out, talking to students and parents in a line that stretched across the entire gym.

That travel season was invigorating and enlightening, introducing me to the exciting cohort of hopeful Drexel prospective students before I started reading applications. Back in 1891, Philadelphia financier and philanthropist Anthony J. Drexel founded Drexel (an urban, co-ed school) with the goal of adapting to a rapidly industrializing society. I saw the types of students who are still drawn to that mission today, and I loved hearing and reading about their varied career aspirations and goals. I admire Drexel's students' focus, drive, and desire to better the world around them.

Finally, working for Drexel fully introduced me to Philadelphia, and I’ve loved living here for the past year. It’s a real food city from the food trucks right outside Drexel’s admissions office to the hundreds of water ice and cheesesteak places across the city to the heart of Chinatown and delicious African cuisine across West Philly. I've gotten to try dishes from Ethiopia to Georgia all in the same city. I love the drawn-out spring weather and seeing all the trees go from buds to blossoms and full green leaves. Complementing the season, we also hosted admitted students events on beautiful weekend days. After all our work over the school year, it was very rewarding to see all our efforts come together for the weekend, and most of all, see the excited faces of the students we admitted!