Daily into the Life of an Admission Counselor: Recruiting Students in NYC



Question: Have you seen that movie, Admission with Tina Fey? Is your job really like that?

Yes, I’ve seen that movie. In reality, We viewed it on a Virgin America flight a several years ago on my method to NYC for certainly one of my recruitment trips (How meta is the fact that?) Tina Fey plays an admission counselor from an extremely selective university, and there’s a scene of her doing senior high school visits that made me personally giggle a little too difficult in my own aisle seat (ok, fine…it was a middle seat). Tina does several vocal warm-ups and psychs herself up before reciting the same precise presentation about her college several times a day. This week begins my very first recruitment trip of the period in New York City, and I’ll be visiting four to five high schools each and every day to chat about the USC experience. Our pool that is applicant is and diverse and my applicants’ understanding of USC and the college admission process will vary considerably. After are some of this places where you’ll find me meeting students this autumn in the Big Apple!

1) Visiting High Schools

As you’re completing your Calculus test or operating from Drama or MUN, i am probably within the town on the subway traveling to one of my numerous high college visits in NYC. Typically, this is the very way that is best to maneuver around the town, but we had been once stuck underground for over three hours. If I do not show up for my appointment at your school I’m probably friends that are shmoop best buy customer service hours making the subway rats while awaiting help. Today I went along to five schools that are high the Upper East Side of Manhattan, which sounds like a lot, nevertheless when the schools are all a couple of obstructs from each other it’s actually maybe not that bad. Unlike my colleagues who recruit in almost any other city, I would not have a car that is rental nyc. September can be beautiful in New York, but today it was 90 degrees, humid, and eventually ended in thunderstorms. If only I could have been around in a fresh air conditioned Toyota Yaris rather than lugging my USC brochures in my own suit down Park Avenue in the pouring rain. Sounds glamorous, does it not?? All the schools I went to today have really little senior classes, so if 10 students show up, that is a great turnout. Everyone really came prepared having done some research about USC, that I appreciate significantly more than any such thing. We would say the top question that We ended up being asked at every school today was whether USC students can double major. Having the ability to mention the Renaissance Scholars system, which encourages students to pick up a second major or a minor in a department that is completely different their primary major actually shows our dedication to interdisciplinary studies. I completed my 5th school that is high around 2pm, grabbed a bagel with tofu cream cheese, and stumbled on the downtown 4 train right back to the Courtyard Marriott. Time to sleep up and get it done all again tomorrow!

2) Discover USC Off-Campus Reception

I make it to about 60 schools that are high the five boroughs of NYC to fulfill students (yes, even Staten Island!), but We positively can’t visit every school. Because of this, our office hosts off-campus receptions making sure that we are able to bring the same information that is on-campus to your house turf. These events are free and though we’d like you to register in advance, you can merely too show up. Everyone else is welcome! In NYC, our event was last weekend in circumstances Square and it was huge! I arrived to the hotel a couple of hours before the event to aid set up, but once families started arriving I became chatting non-stop. For the presentation, I spoke about the admission process in front of roughly 500 guests, but strangely I did not really get stressed. Remember, I’m talking about USC four times a time for the whole autumn so it’s like 2nd nature to me at this time. Afterwards, students and families had the chance to get more detailed information about the major of their choice in a smaller use session therefore it really is a team effort at the reception. In NY, there are often lots of students interested inside our arts that are conservatory-style so I’m constantly pointing them toward my admission peers who work into the schools of Dramatic Arts, Cinematic Arts, and Dance. I’m also always ready to engage in a Hamilton putting that is sing-a-long…just away there to any or all my fellow Theater kids.

3) Community Based Organizations (CBOs)

I additionally get to collaborate with some college that is incredible organizations that help many underrepresented and first-generation students find out more about applying to college. The idea of flying across the country to attend a large private university can sound daunting for students who are from NYC and the first in their family to attend college. We have not met with any CBOs yet this fall, but this past spring, a CBO invited me to sit on a panel alongside other admission counselors, and it ended up being really interesting to be controlled by other universities speak about their school. The pupils trickled in after a day that is full their different high schools, some commuting over an hour simply to hear the advice from me and my admission colleagues. We discussed our enjoyable campus traditions, general education programs, and application advice before getting the possiblity to meet individually with the students during a mini-college fair. I love obtaining the chance to generally meet with students who might possibly not have thought in the future to my school that is high visit the Discover USC reception, but who’re worked up about the concept of going to college across the country. I told all the students that now they have to start convincing their parents that this is a good idea too before I left. This is usually among the hardest areas of the admission procedure.

I have a few weeks of recruitment kept and I look forward to meeting everyone in NYC this fall! I just hope that I make Tina Fey proud.