Meet
Stephanie Metruk, Assistant Director of College Counseling, Garrison Forest
School (MD)
What
led you into admissions/college counseling? Share your journey story!
Mine is not an
unfamiliar story, I applied to be a tour guide at the end of my first year at
Gettysburg College and was lucky enough to have incredible mentors within the
Admissions Office who pushed me to apply for leadership roles and dive deeper
into opportunities in the field. Having an absolutely nightmarish college
search myself, Admissions work seemed like a natural fit, the goal to make it
less miserable for the kids sitting in my interviews and information sessions
than it had been for me. I worked at Albright College for my first two years
after graduation and am still grateful for the amount of responsibility and
trust the office gave its staff, even to first year counselors. I traveled
extensively, got to run programs and coordinate a full tuition scholarship. The
schools smaller population allowed me to really work closely with both
prospective students and tour guides and gave me valuable experience I will
never forget. In the summer of 2010 I was fortunate enough to be offered the
chance to return to Gettysburg to join my mentors and serve as the Coordinator
for International Student Admission. For five wonderful years I had the chance
to watch Gettysburg’s International Student population more than triple in size
and work with some of the most amazing students I ever had the fortune to meet.
I always kept a domestic territory as well and in my last two years formed a
strong relationship with the College Counseling staff at the Garrison Forest
School in Owings Mills, Maryland. I was ready for a new challenge and came
onboard first as the Assistant Director for Admission working predominantly
with Middle School students and when we were unfortunate enough to lose Marty
O’Connell to sunny California I knew I had to jump at the opportunity to be a
part of such a wonderful office and learn the ropes of counseling from the
fabulous Ann Marie Strauss! Now, on the other side of the desk, and absolutely
loving it, I can say that my mission and motivation has stayed the same since
those first days as a Gettysburg College tour guide; to work hard to make this
process less intimidating and maybe even fun for students. While each day has
its highs and lows I wake up looking forward to making a difference for these
fabulous young women in any way I can!
What's
your favorite admissions/counseling memory or travel story?
My best memories are of traveling with an
incredible group of admissions reps to the United World Colleges in Europe. We
would spend two unforgettable weeks trekking endlessly on planes, buses and
even ferries from Norway to Bosnia to meet with students who would leave me
speechless and in awe. Some highlights include witnessing an incredible
international talent show in Norway, interviewing a record 42 students in one
day (each one as incredible as the last), the school locations themselves,
nestled in a small Italian town right on the Adriatic sea or in a beautiful
Castle on a hill, and hearing the call to prayer come over the mountains while
having dinner within view of the bridge in Mostar. The Admissions reps I
traveled with were always wonderful about lending advice and I learned just as
much from a conversation in the Schipol airport as I did from any workshop I
had ever attended. This experience instilled in me the importance of forming
strong relationships and friendships through this profession and appreciating
those who take time to share and be transparent with you.
How
do you balance work/life?
This one is so important and so hard to learn! I
will start by saying that I was not always very good at this and still
sometimes don’t do as well as I should. First, I do not allow my e-mail to
automatically populate on my phone. I have set times at night that I check my
email from home in case of any emergencies and save the rest for the morning.
My girls know that if they need help with something that night it has to come
in before 8:30pm or I won’t see it (even though I’ll probably secretly check just
one more time before bed) and my colleagues knows to text me if it’s a “full on
panic get this done immediately” type situation. I set personal and
professional goals and stick to them, if that means I have to get up and leave
the office right at closing time so I can make sure I get that workout I’m
determined (and desperately need) to get in, then that’s what it means. I can
always come back to any important work that needs to be completed after I’ve
taken care of myself first. This also means staying late when I need to so that
I can come home and just be with my family or friends without worrying about
outstanding items looming over these important and much needed moments. Don’t
forget about your support systems as you get into your busy seasons, the connection
to the world outside of applications and non-stop demands on your energy will
be crucial to survival in this field. While people on the inside can provide
support and empathy for your stresses, it is so important to have people you
can talk with about something, anything, else for a few hours and forget about
the natural stresses that come with work worth doing.
What
advice would you give to someone considering entering the admissions/college
counseling profession?
Talk to everyone you can and be thoughtful about
the office in which you want to work. There are so many different styles and
methodologies out there. You want to be sure you are in an office that aligns
with your values and allows you to live a well-balanced life. This might not
always be an opportunity at first, I mean, we all have to start somewhere, but
talk to reps at college fairs or counselors at school visits and learn about
what their styles and philosophies are. Join organizations like PCACAC and
NACAC and connect with others in the field. The same job can look so incredibly
different place to place and surrounding yourself with strong mentors and
leadership will make all the difference in your development as a professional.
The connections you form can lead you to learn more about yourself and new
opportunities you may never have considered otherwise.
It is also so important to make friends with those
on the other side of the desk. For admissions counselors it keeps you grounded,
remembering that these endless pages of grades and resumes are real people who
feel feelings just like the rest of us. They can also give you insight as to
which kids are truly right for your institution in ways that you might not read
in that 500 word essay they spent way too long obsessing over. If you’re on the
admission side you can repay this lesson in humanity by offering transparency
and treating counselors like the colleagues they are instead of prospective
families. Don’t feed them the same jargon you spout in info sessions or avoid
questions whose answers might make your university appear the way that it is
instead of the way someone wants you to make it seem. Most importantly, try hard
not to encourage the applications of students who you know will never have a
spark of hope in your admission committees. Honesty and integrity in this field
will earn not only respect for your school but for you as a professional and
make you someone everyone will truly enjoy working with!
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