College Admissions Staff - Massive turnover

[Anonymous]

Well, when we get to the “demographic cliff” they won’t need all of these people,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question: how can you expect the “best and brightest” to be reading your kids’ applications when none of you would apparently encourage (or allow?) your own best and brightest kids to pursue a job like this?

At my child's prestigious private college the starting salary for an admissions counselor is 38K. Who exactly do they think is going to take a job like that? People wearing clothes from the sales bin at Target interviewing high school students carrying 400 dollar purses. Great look.

Hope you all have done a good job teaching your privileged children to treat everyone with kindness and respect!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question: how can you expect the “best and brightest” to be reading your kids’ applications when none of you would apparently encourage (or allow?) your own best and brightest kids to pursue a job like this?

Do they pay what a "best and brightest" college graduate would expect to get?

[Anonymous]

Teachers, adjunct profs, grad student TAs who teach classes etc aren’t exactly making big bucks either

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OH, and the extras hired to do a first read of applications at William and Mary were getting nine dollars an hour, last i heard.

I think it’s now $12. So I’m not sure why I’m having my credentials questioned with prestigious degrees and on point experience. I didn’t apply for this one but W&M was basically looking for high school grads who could do basic administrative work to review the applications. Many other schools hire young grad students without any specific qualifications and may pay up to $25/hour (much more in California for UCs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question: how can you expect the “best and brightest” to be reading your kids’ applications when none of you would apparently encourage (or allow?) your own best and brightest kids to pursue a job like this?

Do they pay what a "best and brightest" college graduate would expect to get?

Of course not. I was using the OP’s own words. “You really wonder whether the best and brightest are reading our kids applications…” Um, no. I don’t wonder at all. Nor do I think they need to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question: how can you expect the “best and brightest” to be reading your kids’ applications when none of you would apparently encourage (or allow?) your own best and brightest kids to pursue a job like this?

At my child's prestigious private college the starting salary for an admissions counselor is 38K. Who exactly do they think is going to take a job like that? People wearing clothes from the sales bin at Target interviewing high school students carrying 400 dollar purses. Great look.

Maybe the kids will learn not to bring 400 dollar purses to an admissions interview.

+100

[Anonymous]

I know four people who worked in college admissions for a bit recently - they majored in African American Studies, Sociology, English, and German. All from top 25 LACs. If you look at College Scorecard, your kid isn't going to get a high paying job with certain majors at top schools, unless they're connected. It's pretty normal to make 40k as a humanities major at 23.

[Anonymous]

My kid double majored in finance & accounting, and worked in an office on-campus related to that as a student employee during the school years from sophomore year through the end of senior year. The job was super easy & flexible, had her own office and could work 10-25 hours/week but pay was only $10/hour. When she was a senior, they offered her a full-time job there after graduation—for $40k! She declined.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes and seasonal reader jobs pay $12-$18 and you are on the clock to read 4 - 6 applications per hour and score them. (ps. you can find the job descriptions - even at Ivies that show those expectations)

The entire process is broken

It should be like residency match in medicine - you rank your matches 1 to 20 and they rank applicants and those are matched.

How do I get this type of job as a side gig? I have multiple degrees from T25 schools and would find it very interesting. I feel like more DCUM folks should try to do this to understand the process well before their kids go through it.

I applied with very strong credentials and didn’t get picked up or even interviewed. I don’t think they want a well qualified person in that position.

I think they want young & expendable folks.

But it was a set hourly rate and a temp position. Though I’m guessing they did hire younger people. I don’t think they want parents of future applicants to see how the sausage is made.

Some of the schools explicitly exclude parents of high schoolers, or those already working advising high schoolers through the application process. That said, others don't have such exclusions in their job ads.

For what it's worth, I have a Ph.D. from a top public university and was hired to work as an application reader for an out-of-state public university. Though the other readers and I didn't make much money (and we worked 20 hours or more per week from Thanksgiving through mid-January), I was favorably impressed by the other readers. We received extensive required training, and many of the other readers impressed me with their thoughtfulness.

[Anonymous]

W&M readers make about $20an hour.

$18-22 is pretty normal. Preference is given to people who have worked in education, especially admissions, secondary, or higher Ed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know four people who worked in college admissions for a bit recently - they majored in African American Studies, Sociology, English, and German. All from top 25 LACs. If you look at College Scorecard, your kid isn't going to get a high paying job with certain majors at top schools, unless they're connected. It's pretty normal to make 40k as a humanities major at 23.

Yes, for these students it can be a good first job. You learn sales and marketing (at the heart of it, that's what admissions is on the college side) and then go get an MBA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New study confirms what we all know....there has been massive turnover in lower level college admissions staff

Some of this is not new and the study does not show a time series to show if the turnover is increasing....but many in admissions think so

https://www.cupahr.org/surveys/research-briefs/the-higher-ed-admissions-workforce-april-2023/

"71 percent of coordinators and counselors have been in their jobs for just three years or less."

Median age of admissions counselors/coordinators at universities is 30

Study also concludes: "Black employees are currently well represented within the admissions workforce overall in comparison to U.S. bachelor’s degree holders"

"The representation of people of color notably declines from coordinators and counselors (31% people of color) to heads of admissions (23% people of color)."

Median pay is $44k per year for admissions counselors.

With that much turnover (rivals waitstaff at restaurants), and what some here have posted as minimum wage seasonal jobs reading applications, you really wonder whether the best and the brightest are reading our kids's applications.

I thought everyone knew this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes and seasonal reader jobs pay $12-$18 and you are on the clock to read 4 - 6 applications per hour and score them. (ps. you can find the job descriptions - even at Ivies that show those expectations)

The entire process is broken

It should be like residency match in medicine - you rank your matches 1 to 20 and they rank applicants and those are matched.

How do I get this type of job as a side gig? I have multiple degrees from T25 schools and would find it very interesting. I feel like more DCUM folks should try to do this to understand the process well before their kids go through it.

I applied with very strong credentials and didn’t get picked up or even interviewed. I don’t think they want a well qualified person in that position.

I think they want young & expendable folks.

But it was a set hourly rate and a temp position. Though I’m guessing they did hire younger people. I don’t think they want parents of future applicants to see how the sausage is made.

Some of the schools explicitly exclude parents of high schoolers, or those already working advising high schoolers through the application process. That said, others don't have such exclusions in their job ads.

For what it's worth, I have a Ph.D. from a top public university and was hired to work as an application reader for an out-of-state public university. Though the other readers and I didn't make much money (and we worked 20 hours or more per week from Thanksgiving through mid-January), I was favorably impressed by the other readers. We received extensive required training, and many of the other readers impressed me with their thoughtfulness.

+1

Very much on purpose, which is understandable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers, adjunct profs, grad student TAs who teach classes etc aren’t exactly making big bucks either

+1

Universities are not known for their pay.