During the third week of September, I was in Columbus Ohio attending the 2016 NACAC Annual Conference (National Association for College Admission Counseling). This is perhaps the most important yearly event for high school, independent, and college admission counselors. Thousands of us gather each year to learn about what’s new in college admissions and network with new and old friends in the field. The conference is in a different location each year (last year it was in San Diego and next year it will be in Boston) so part of the experience includes taking advantage of visiting local colleges and universities. This year I made campus visits to Oberlin College and The Ohio State University.
While there are scheduled educational sessions, I find the informal contacts that I make with college admission staff (Sunil Samuel-Assistant Vice President of Enrollment at Hofstra University, Philip Weisgold -Associate Director of Admission and Financial Aid at Muhlenberg College, and from the University of Pittsburgh Mark Harding-Chief Enrollment Officer, Heather Abrams-Associate Director of Programs and Outreach, and Lauren Wallace-Associate Director of Recruitment) to be of equal importance. The week away proved to be extremely valuable.
