Three years ago, I spent my last August preparing for the next group of students to walk through the school doors. From refreshing the
classroom, planning exciting first week activities, and attending empowering and inspiring professional developments, August was a month I had always enjoyed. Was it crazy? Yes. Stressful? Undoubtedly.
But there’s always something about a fresh start that just can’t be beat. So when I made the decision to change paths and get into admission, I had assumed that the “August Reset” was something I would be leaving behind. Safe to say, I was wrong. I didn’t realize it until I had completed my first recruitment cycle. In admission, we may spend a whole year (or in some cases longer) recruiting students to attend our institutions. We build relationships, have exciting and hard conversations, and put so much effort into what we do to help shape the next incoming class.
Move-in season seems like the end of a story, but it’s also a fresh start. The campus community has new students as members, some students experience a fresh start in a different city, state, or even country. And while in admission, it might feel like we are more or less closing a chapter… but we get a fresh start, too. A fresh start on a new incoming class, who, in one year, will provide our campuses with another fresh start.
So in the midst of the move in, embrace the chaos that comes with it. Celebrate the wins, take time to reflect. Then take a deep breath and appreciate the August Reset that is to come.
