Having just graduated from Central College, Admission Counselor University (ACU) was a quick return to the classroom for me. I went into our time at Buena Vista not knowing what to expect and left with a variety of experiences and lessons. I learned more about my responsibilities as an admission counselor, found and created connections, and had a great time while doing it!

In my four years as a college student, I was an admissions ambassador, so I had a general understanding of how admissions functioned. However, I still had a lot to learn in my new position. ACU equipped me with skills in navigating professionalism, high school counselor relationships, territory management, and making a career in admissions. I found it useful to be able to hear from a couple of high school counselors and their experiences on the other side of our relationship with them. The mock college fair was one of the most impactful activities for me, and I believe most of my peers would agree with that as well. It was difficult to imagine a real life instance where I had to interact with a student at a college fair, so to be able to practice our pitches and work on our ability to converse with students who are on a spectrum of excitement to being shy was incredibly useful even if it was just an exercise.

Connections are crucial in every profession, and not only are they important, but networking turned into some of my favorite moments during ACU. From chatting between sessions, playing bags by the rec center, being on the lake, and telling each other about ourselves and our experiences. I loved to get to learn from those who were on their first day to those who have seen almost everything. Hearing about what our job will look like from those who have lived it was both beneficial and enjoyable and learning about their unique path to where they’re at now were some of the most enjoyable moments.

Even though I was stuck in a dorm again, building connections and finding ties between what seemed like two unrelated people and hearing from both new counselors and those who have been around the block a time or two will undoubtedly build bridges and remind me of the power of connections. ACU has provided me with confidence to thrive in my first cycle as an admissions counselor.