I just returned from the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) conference in Baltimore.  It's a wonderful opportunity for college admissions professional to network with high school counselors, outreach organizations, vendors, etc.  In addition to the information sessions, there's a college fair where all of the high school counselors get an opportunity to meet college admissions folks from around the world, literally.  36 countries were represented this year.

During this college fair, I always see familiar faces.  High school counselors from schools I regularly visit, and those who send students to Wabash stop by to get an update on their former students.  What stood out this year was the large number of people approaching the table with an introduction similar to this one "I've heard great things about your school.  The doctor who repaired my ACL is a grad."  I had three such conversations in about a 20 minute span and started keeping track.  By the end of the fair, I had met 8 counselors who had learned of Wabash through a family or professional connection and that now (I hope) are fans of Wabash College.  

Two such people really stood out in my mind.  A counselor from Warwick HS in Pennsylvania stopped by to say "I love Wabash.  My brother and my cousin both went there."  I asked for their names and she replied "John Russell and Dan Schubert".  I worked with both of them and after introducing myself she simply said "you're the guy who called our house all the time."  Affirmation.

The second was a counselor from Tulsa who just said "Mike Dill would be upset if i didn't stop and say Hi."  Mike's the guy who gets stuff done for us in Tulsa and he's really going above and beyond to help this year.  A regular college fair attendee, Mike volunteered to visit a few schools this year as well.  He worked a few years in Admissions after he graduated from the College, so I guess it's in his blood.  Here's a scanned image from the Tulsa World that Mike sent last week. 

It's almost October, but there's plenty of time to refer a high school senior to Wabash.  With our Fall Class Visit Days and Top Ten Scholarship Visit Day a few weeks away, students you refer will still have enough time to take advantage of these programs and the scholarships tied to them.  Learn more about both events at the Future Students homepage.