Losing my recruiter hat
"Life's too short to go to an ugly college." I don't know who coined this phrase but I believe the Rhodes Admission person said it was either the VP or Dean. Either way, it got a handful of laughs at the Rhodes Admitted Student Reception I attended Thursday night here in St. Louis. Aimed at converting admitted students to deposited students, the yearly event drew a mini crowd of recent alums, families of current Rhodents, and newly accepted students.
As always, the house where the party was held was gorgeous and left me in awe at the upbringings of most Rhodents. Per usual, the food was delicious and the host incredibly gracious. And more than ever, the love and passion for Rhodes was flowing. And the free, new t-shirt I was able to pick up to sport my Rhodes love, SCORE!
What I have noticed though about myself the more removed I become from my alma mater and the more institutions I work at is that while I still love and adore Rhodes, I also see great value at other institutions and believe more than ever that there is no "one and only one" college for each person. There's a plethora of amazing places out there and students can most often find their fit at any number of them.
At one point in the party, I found myself annoyed when an accepted student said she was having difficulty deciding between Rhodes and a state school. Without pause, three recent alums and a father of a Rhodent (who is a professor at a local institution) stated how much she'd regret going to a state school, how big and awful and number oriented they are, and how she'd never have research opportunities or faculty connections at the state school. How wrong they all were! I chimed in and told her I hoped she would take time to visit both schools and see what her gut tells her. That most likely she'd visit and get a feeling and she'd know which institution she fit better with and would most likely be happy there. BOOM! I just can't sit in good faith and tell anyone they can only be happy at one place. It just isn't true...
Perhaps it's a good thing I left the world of admissions. It's too tough to try and sell someone on just one place.
Cheers.
As always, the house where the party was held was gorgeous and left me in awe at the upbringings of most Rhodents. Per usual, the food was delicious and the host incredibly gracious. And more than ever, the love and passion for Rhodes was flowing. And the free, new t-shirt I was able to pick up to sport my Rhodes love, SCORE!
What I have noticed though about myself the more removed I become from my alma mater and the more institutions I work at is that while I still love and adore Rhodes, I also see great value at other institutions and believe more than ever that there is no "one and only one" college for each person. There's a plethora of amazing places out there and students can most often find their fit at any number of them.
At one point in the party, I found myself annoyed when an accepted student said she was having difficulty deciding between Rhodes and a state school. Without pause, three recent alums and a father of a Rhodent (who is a professor at a local institution) stated how much she'd regret going to a state school, how big and awful and number oriented they are, and how she'd never have research opportunities or faculty connections at the state school. How wrong they all were! I chimed in and told her I hoped she would take time to visit both schools and see what her gut tells her. That most likely she'd visit and get a feeling and she'd know which institution she fit better with and would most likely be happy there. BOOM! I just can't sit in good faith and tell anyone they can only be happy at one place. It just isn't true...
Perhaps it's a good thing I left the world of admissions. It's too tough to try and sell someone on just one place.
Cheers.
Comments