This time of year, when admissions counselors are spending more time in rental cars than in their own homes , that is the question I most often get from my friends, family or even prospective students. So here you go: the deep, dark secrets of what we do on the road will be revealed. Every day is an adventure and certainly different from the next, but here’s a snapshot of my life on the road – just a typical Wednesday during travel season!
6:00am – Alarm goes off. I take a minute to orient myself to where I am, oh right – Omaha. Time to get moving!
7:45am – Arrive at my first high school visit a few minutes early and am greeted by the marching band practicing in the parking lot – I’m awake now!
8:00am – 1st High School visit of the day; here I speak with a great senior who has clearly done research on Holy Cross and has some terriffic questions. She’s looking for a small, liberal arts college in the north east – which is great, because we fit that bill!
8:45am – Leave that school and hurry over to the next, thank God for GPS!
9:00am – Arrive at my second school of the day to discover that no students have signed up to meet with me; spent time chatting with the guidance counselors about Holy Cross and what we can do to attract more kids from Nebraska.
9:45am – Have arrived a bit early for my next visit so I take a few minutes to catch up on a few things. A quick call to check in with the office, respond to an e-mail from our Public Affairs office giving the okay for a message to be send out, and finally call back my dentist’s office about rescheduling that cleaning (got to take care of the teeth!) – and now I’m ready to head into school #3!
10:15am – Met with a great group of girls (all girls, Catholic school) – mix of juniors and seniors who asked important questions about campus culture, social life, academic opportunities, etc.
11:30am – Arrive at their all boys counterpart school and am lead to a conference room. We got a great student from here so I’m expecting to see some interest, and I do! Speak with a few different students and confirm an interview or two for later this evening.
12:30pm – Time to head to my last visit of the day! (Stomach is starting to growl)
1:00pm – Visit #5 of the day is a bit different from the rest, more of a fair format. There are a few schools here and students are free to walk around and speak to different college reps – it’s a great chance to meet with multiple kids and get the Holy Cross name out there!
2:00pm – Done with visits for the day so I head off to a lunch spot that a guidance counselor recommended. I’ll catch my breath, and make some notes on my days visits to help with next year’s planning.
3:15pm – Finally back at my hotel – time to check e-mail, hit the gym and relax for a bit.
6:00pm – Time to head down to the lobby where I’ll meet the first of two students who are interviewing tonight. These students signed up online for one of our off campus interviews – knowing I’d be in the area, they’re taking advantage of the chance to meet with me and tell me more about themselves.
7:30pm – Done with interviews, heading back up to my room where I’ll order room service and type up some notes on the candidates I’ve interviewed waiting for my dinner to arrive.
8:15pm – Dinner arrives!
9:00pm – Spend a few minutes organizing my notes for tomorrow, making sure that I know where I need to be and that I have my materials all packed and ready to go.
10:00pm – Lights out! Time to rest up so I can do it all again tomorrow!
Diane Soboski
Senior Assistant Director of Admissions
I’m thankful, above most else, for my parents. Recently—perhaps due to my newfound work as a college admissions counselor— I’ve been realizing how a portion of this gratitude is for my parents’ belief in higher education and their unwavering encouragement as I’ve pursued my own. My mom was the first person in her family to go to college; she took herself to visit schools and paid her own way at a state university. My dad, on the other hand, grew up with the expectation that he would attend a private college without worrying about the cost. Despite the differing paths they took to get their college degrees, they both came away understanding the value of a college education and even went on to pursue master’s degrees. They worked hard and saved carefully, knowing that one of their most important goals was to be able to provide their own children with the same opportunities. My dad once said that as a parent, he did not want to be the barrier standing in the way of his children’s futures—he dreamed big for us all. Did my sisters and I still need to apply for financial aid? Yes, college can be expensive! Yet what we appreciated even more than the significant financial contribution our parents made was their limitless belief in our potential and their unmistakable pride in our accomplishments.
