Now that admissions staff and students are back from winter break, many admissions offices are conducting their winter all-staff training. Although there are many similarities in how we all train and refresh staff on important topics, there’s a lot we can learn from each other about the best way to learn more about our campuses and improve in the work that we do to support students. To learn more about how different offices handle all-staff training, I spoke with Marcus Phillips from the University of Iowa, Tom Heiar from the University of Northern Iowa, and Drew Shradel from Cornell College.

Having a baby, whether it’s your first or third, can be a very exciting, and stressful, time in your life. For me, I am anticipating my third, and final, pregnancy in mid-January 2019. While this pregnancy was planned, pregnancy in itself doesn’t always come with perfect timelines. I was fortunate that for my first two pregnancies, they both hit in what admissions professionals would call the golden time of year to have a kid…the month of May! Wahoo! However, kid number three didn’t get the memo, and while January isn’t the worst time to have a kid in our profession, I will say guilt was one of my first emotions.

We’re barely into 2019 and I’m already tired of the expression “New Year, New You.” According to U.S. News & World Report, 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February. Upon hearing this, my initial reaction was ”I wonder how realistic those resolutions were…”

The theme for the 2019 conference is “Change is Necessary for Growth” as the landscape for college admissions continues to evolve. 

I was fortunate enough to attend my first NACAC conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was easily one of the best professional development opportunities I have had. As a new attendee, I wanted to provide others, who may potentially have an opportunity to attend NACAC in the future, with some tips to make the most of your experience.

As an undergraduate I, like many students, had various interests, but was unsure of my career path. In a Personnel Psychology course one of my best college instructors, David Whitsett (now an Emeritus Faculty Professor at UNI), continually encouraged our class to find a career in which we had a passion. Financial security was important, but job satisfaction was critical to being happy and having a meaningful life.

Iowa ACAC is excited to announce the first ever Colleges to Counselors (C2C) Events coming for the 2018-2019 school year!

The 2018 R.I.D.E. is in the books, and what a successful experience it was! Thirty-one professional school counselors from every corner of Iowa, and even a special guest from Minnesota, took some time for some “college knowledge” by participating in Iowa ACAC’s 15th annual three-day learning trek.

A school counselor’s perspective...

Thank you to all the Iowa ACAC members who made it to Dubuque for the 2018 MIDWest Conference! Around 400 admissions professionals from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Dakotas attended, making it a great opportunity to learn, network, and have a little fun!

Although nothing beats human interaction and learning in-person, webinars can be a wonderful way to encourage and participate in continued learning and professional development without leaving campus!

1) Let them see you have fun undefined.
When was the last time your staff saw you in blue jeans? Telling corny jokes? Laughing at said jokes? Maybe while sipping a cocktail? Let them know you’re just like them in many regards and have fun with your team (however suits your style) at the MIDWest Spring Conference.

Be a part of history!

May 20-22, 2018--Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark#5  -  Attend a plethora of sessions from 5 states covering a wide variety of topics!

In the last several months, the Iowa ACAC blog has featured a three-part series titled "Things I Wish You Knew."  This series has focused on survey responses received from admissions counselors, school counselors, upper level admissions staff, recent college admits and their parents to offer a new perspective into their lives, which will hopefully impact the way you interact with these individuals. 

Any parent will tell you that balancing work and family can be quite the juggling act.  While I, in no way, profess to being an expert in keeping all the balls in the air, here are a few things I’ve learned over the past 16 years of working in admissions and raising two kids.

Staying fit, healthy, and active, while traveling for work, is always difficult. As we kick off spring travel season, here are some quick tips to help you stay healthy while on the road. 

Our Iowa ACAC blog series "Things I Wish You Knew" focuses on survey responses received from admissions counselors, school counselors, upper level admissions staff, recent college admits and their parents to offer a new perspective into their lives, which will hopefully impact the way you interact with these individuals. Watch for a survey in the future in your Inbox!