David Adams, Assistant Director of Admissions, Widener University
What led you into admissions/college counseling?
Share your journey story!
It is a long and sordid story. Not really, I was graduating from Old
Dominion University and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I had worked in the admissions office as a
student teleteam caller and a tour guide.
My boss came to me and said he thought I would be a great addition to
the admissions team and suggested I apply for a vacancy on the staff, so I
applied. I interviewed for the position
and quite frankly bombed the interview and didn’t get the job. The person who did was amazing and totally
deserved it. But in their great wisdom,
ODU hired me as a road runner. After two
seasons as a road runner the rest is 20 years of history.
What's your favorite admissions/counseling memory
or travel story?
I have two or three vivid memories.
1. When I
was hired at Old Dominion it was a Friday afternoon and I was coaching
rowing. I was leaving practice and
received a phone call to report to the admissions office immediately. So I went to the office in my coaching gear
which consisted of shorts and a t-shirt, both of which were soaking wet. The VP looked at me, shook her head and told
me to come to open house on Saturday (the next day) and I was hitting the road
on Sunday for my first college fair.
Nothing like on the job training J
2. I was
visiting a school on the Eastern Shore of MD and my visit was canceled because
a deer was running the hallways of the school.
3. We work
in an often thankless job. Even when we
are meeting our goals, someone is usually not pleased, whether faculty, the
President, or the CFO. I received a
letter a couple of years ago from a student I met and admitted to Hood College,
when I was the Director of Admission. He
thanked me for making a difference in his life and helping him be the success
that he had become. It was the most
rewarding moment of my career.
What do you love most about your job?
The travel, you can send me on the road and I love
it. Every day is a new adventure. The students I meet. It is a joy to open their eyes to their
opportunities and abilities. The other
admission and college counseling professionals I meet. We all have the same
goal and the good ones love what they do regardless of the pay, the hours, and
the frustrations.
What advice would you give to someone looking to
pursue leadership (or membership) in PCACAC and/or NACAC?
Join one committee, you are most interested in, and
give it your all. Being passionate and
successful will lead to other leadership opportunities. And if you want to do something, just speak
up and let someone know. They will help
you find a way to your goals
If not working in admissions/college counseling,
what else could you see yourself pursuing? I have already held the best
jobs EVER, lifeguarding and bar tending/waiting tables. Since I can’t make a living as a lifeguard, I
would like to own my own restaurant someday.
What's one thing that most people don't know about
you?
In a previous life (when I was younger) I was a
nationally ranked swimmer and in an Olympic training program.
What advice would you give to someone considering
entering the admissions/college counseling profession?
This is the most rewarding job you can have. You are making differences in people’s lives
every single day.
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