It took me 12 years to find the courage to go back to school.
That was 12 years of wondering if I was good enough, smart enough, if I had enough money, and wondering, “Am I ready to change my career?” When you grow up hearing, “You’re too much, you’re not enough, you’re not smart enough, you’re not focused enough” from teachers, coaches, family, it can be difficult to find the inner motivation and belief in yourself to achieve something on your own.
Because wanting to achieve something is very different than believing you can achieve it.
Looking back, that experience taught me something that I didn’t fully grasp when I first started working in Admissions: many students sitting across for us are carrying the same doubts and fears.
And that’s what I wish I had known my first year working in Admissions.
When you’re new to Admissions, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that YOU have to be the expert in every detail of the program, compliance, placement, and industry facts. You have to ask all the questions in your script, make sure you’re collecting documents on time, and gathering the application fees. And while all that knowledge and those processes are incredibly important, it’s not the most important thing you bring to the table with your potential students.
It is your ability to SEE the student.
It’s seeing the 18-year-old who is terrified of making the wrong decision for their future. It’s the 25-year-old who’s ready for a career change but scared to take out loans or go part-time. It’s the 37-year-old who has spent years convincing themselves that it’s too late to make a life change.
They’re not just asking about programs and schedules, but they’re wondering if a different future is possible for them. They’re wondering how going back to school fits into their life and trying to envision themselves at the campus.
Our job isn’t simply to explain the enrollment process and go from point A to B to C. It’s to listen, to ask questions, understand their dreams, and guide them through the path forward. Sometimes that means answering their questions while also addressing their fears. Sometimes that means going from point C back to point A. And sometimes, most importantly, it means being the first person to say, “I see you, and I see why this matters to you.”
If I could tell a first-year Admissions counselor one thing, it would be this:
Learn your programs. Know your processes. But above all, see your student. See who they are, what they want to be, who they want to become more of, and what they are missing in their life.
Because before someone can believe in their future, they may need someone else to believe in them first.
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