Admissions Counselors Don’t Counsel
Not like you might think, at least.
About five years ago, I wrote an article about the toxicity of working in higher education.
To this day, I still get emails from current and past admissions counselors who are burnt out and plum out of passion.
Now, I’m not necessarily referencing Ivy League Admissions Counselors when I write about our experiences (I’ve not had the “pleasure” of working in one of those roles).
Instead, I’m talking about the small-town schools, the tech schools, vocational colleges, the private colleges, and those big hairy non-accreditated schools.
If they’re still around, that is.
One thing I’ve heard over and over is that being an admissions counselor is not the job the admissions counselor had in mind.
And mostly, that’s because we thought we had our prospective students’ best interests in mind. (And initially, that’s what drew us to the roll).
In fact, the title (in most cases) is extremely misleading.
Think about it…
What do you think of when you hear the title “counselor?”
You probably envision a few different things, right?
- A therapist helping someone through a crisis.
- A career coach helping someone pinpoint a job they won’t hate (you know, just barely hate it because, well, bills).
- Maybe a guidance counselor helping children.
But when you hear the title “admissions counselor,” you probably think about someone who’s also a helper. Someone helping others navigate the admissions process for their school.
But you’d only be partially right.
Because admissions counselors are biased and they are salespeople driven by numbers (and probably a few threats from upper management). These poor souls were probably fresh out of college, most likely underpaid, and thought they were going to help make a difference in the lives of college-bound kiddos.
At least, that’s who I was.
I’m not kidding; it’s brutal.
So brutal that I’ve seen admissions counselors poach each other’s prospects just to boost their numbers.
They’re refreshing the screen of their CRM, waiting for a prospect to sign on the dotted line, so they don’t get canned during the next “restructure” (or blamed for the collapse of the entire school).
To be clear, admissions counselors are actually recruiters in most cases. They recruit college students and help them complete the admissions process (which consists of a handful of things).
In other words, they sell the college that employs them to prospects.
Most college admissions counselors would agree that their title truly should be “Recruiter.”
It’s been a while since I’ve worked in higher education, but something tells me not much has changed.
One thing that has changed?
The crummy college I worked for 6 years ago has changed its name (more than once), closed its doors, and was demolished last year.
Needless to say, I parked my car to watch the wrecking ball take a swing at what were the worst years of my entire career.
But then I moved forward.
Are you ready to move forward?
If you’re an admissions counselor desperately clinging to the last shreds of your initial passion for helping others, come over and visit me at Banish Sunday Blues. Learn to rediscover your potential and move forward (whether you’re a 3-year or 30-year counselor).
