Admission Counselor

Details•San Diego, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Undergraduate Admissions office celebrates innovative thinkers who are determined to create lasting change. Our students and faculty members embrace change and relish being part of a globally-minded community of scholars. The University of San Diego, an engaged and contemporary Catholic institution, was founded by the Diocese of San Diego and the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1949. Governed by an independent board of trustees since 1972, USD remains committed to a liberal arts education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. Inspired by this centuries old tradition of Catholic higher education, the University welcomes people of all faith traditions and any, or no, religious background. The future success of USD relies on the contributions of those who seek to foster the development of engaged global citizens and an earnest confrontation of humanity’s urgent challenges. This Admission Counselor position will assist with all aspects of the professional responsibilities of our office. General responsibilities will include: evaluating and making decisions on admission applications, assisting with the development of admission policies and procedures, managing and traveling in recruitment territories, counseling prospective students and families, planning and implementing special recruitment strategies, representing the University to high school counselors, alumni, and other external constituents; conducting appropriate follow-up via Zoom, phone, e-mail, and written correspondence to prospects, applicants, and school counselors; and assisting with the processing of applications for admission for freshman and transfer applications; and executing other admission responsibilities as assigned.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with 1 year in college admission or relevant work experience (i.e. education, student leadership, public relations, sales/marketing, etc.) required
Ability to work independently without direct supervision
Excellent public speaking and interpersonal communication skills
Strong work ethic
Must feel comfortable in a team-oriented, collaborative work environment
Knowledge of and willingness to learn and work with technology; specifically word processing environments, internet navigation, databases, and e-mail correspondence
Knowledge of the University of San Diego and its programs
Ability to stand and walk for extended periods of time

Responsibilities

Evaluating/Making Admission & Scholarship Decision on Applications: Will participate in all aspects of the application review process which includes: calculating cumulative grade point average (GPA), analyzing the level of difficulty of courses taken by applicants, determining the level of competitiveness of school attended by applicants, and objectively quantifying applicants’ essay, letters of recommendation and extra-curricular activities. Will also make decisions on whether to admit or deny applicants based on the applicants’ individual profile, the overall (and individual school’s) application pool and the applicants’ potential contribution to the campus, and the mission of the University. Finally, admission counselors will also decide which applicants will be awarded a merit scholarship and how much to award based on the above mentioned admission criteria. Admission counselors will also communicate with families and school counselors throughout the process.
Counseling Students and Conducting Info Sessions: Will counsel prospective students and families about admission, financial aid, academic, and community life programs, and student life at the University. Conduct workshops to outreach groups (AVID, Upward Bound, CalSoap, etc.) assisting prospective students and their parents with general college planning and the higher education system. Serve on panels to interpret and discuss admission practices/policies put forth by our governing organizations, the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC). Will have regular responsibilities for meeting individually with families or counselors, while providing coverage as the “counselor of the day,” and participating in all on campus recruitment events.
Territory Management/Recruitment Travel: Will conduct presentations at visits to high schools, community colleges, CBOs, attend college night and fair programs, conduct interviews, meet with alums, and carry out other recruitment activities in designated recruitment territories. Territory manager will decide on which schools and community colleges to visit, fairs to attend, and cities to hold receptions in based on data gathered from school reports, past travel evaluation records, school profiles and consultations with other counselors. Territory manager will also schedule and coordinate all visits, fairs and receptions. Travel will last approximately three 4 months in the Fall and one 2 months in the Spring.
Participate in regular professional development and networking opportunities: WACAC, NACAC and the Regional Groups of NARAC.
Manage/Provide Leadership for Collateral Responsibilities: Serve as Academic and/or Athletic Department Liaison or other duties as assigned. Assist with advising transfer students and evaluating transfer applications.