1. 1 Pamela Allen Ambler Jessica Jaret Jeff Wong Talking Heads Leveraging your relevancy when switching from admission to college counseling

2. 2 Talking heads: Pam Ambler, Woodward academy (GA) JESSICA JARET, THE LOVETT school (GA) Jeff Wong, the benjamin School (FL) Brief introductions

3. 3 What will we cover? Suggestions and tips RelevancyHS Culture

4. 4 Transition Before, during and after switching to the high school side  Before  Declare your intentions - let your network work for you  Seek leadership under which you'd like to work  Register with Carney, Sandoe & Associates  Visit the SACAC listserv (for postings)  Include speaking engagements on your resume  During  Alert your HS contacts of new college rep (your replacement)  Save your contacts  After  Seek mentorship (in HS, with ACCIS, at SACAC)  Manage your time  Adjusting to the culture of your high school

5. 5 Culture Shock College Side  Fall travel  Info Sessions  Programming / serving on panels  Suits  Large professional staff  “Counseling” the masses High School Side  Counselor Tours  Family conferences  Assemblies / evening programming  Comfort counts  Smaller staff  Many hats  Strengths finder  Nurturer  Smaller office  Family therapist

6. 6 The Balancing Act What we know What we don’t know  Athletics  Performing / Visual Arts

7. 7 Learn your high school’s culture To effectively communicate with college reps, you must:  Know your high school’s mission statement  Know the college counseling mission statement  Understand your academic profile  Meet teachers, coaches, individuals in the alumni office, advancement office, cafeteria, etc.  Attend school-sponsored events

8. 8 College Counseling: Job Description “Other duties as assigned”

9. 9 Communicating with families An explanation of your background can counter the assumption that you’re no longer the expert Add up the number of years of admission experience in your office Invite guest speakers who will reinforce your message to families Send a mass email to your families prior to conferences, counselor tours, etc (not just an out-of- office)

10. 10 Relevancy: Junior Conferences Academics (rigor, grades, scores) Extras / Involvement Essays Rec letters Interest

11. 11 Relevancy Use personal anecdotes to remind families you know what you're talking about!  “When I used to read essays"  " When I reviewed recommendation letters"  "I've seen students get denied for...“  Refer to admission reps by name

12. 12 Relevancy Continue to Grow  Network  Participate in professional development and continuing education opportunities as they arise  “How Woodward Works”  “Leadership Woodward”  Advisory Boards  Task Forces

13. 13 Additional Challenges Learning about colleges Organizing notes from counselor lunches and high school visits Collecting accurate data for Naviance

14. 14 Our favorites resources Naviance Rugg’s Recommendations on the Colleges CTCL (Loren Pope) The College Finder (Steven Antonoff) College Admissions Index of Majors and Sports ACCIS, SACAC, NACAC

15. 15 Parting words from the talking heads “Watch out, you might get what you're after” Pros, cons, etc.

16. 16 Thank you!