By Emily Danger, Admissions Counselor II, Palmer College of Chiropractic
As I reflect on my time in admissions, I often find myself wondering: How did we get here? Who woke up one day and decided that admissions counselors should be a thing?
So … let’s go back to the beginning.
In the 1950s, admissions offices at many institutions were remarkably small by today’s standards. In some cases, the office consisted of little more than a secretary and a single admissions counselor. I know. I know. I also started panicking a little while reading that.
One admissions counselor was responsible for recruiting students, processing applications, making admissions decisions, and helping students enroll. Essentially, they wore every hat imaginable before “wearing many hats” became a requirement.
On the bright side? They didn’t have to spend weeks traveling the country chasing prospective students. (Can you imagine? No delayed flights. No rental cars. No eating dinner from a gas station because it’s the only thing open after a college fair.)
For many institutions, admissions itself was relatively straightforward. Students applied to the colleges they wanted to attend, institutions admitted the students they could accommodate, and enrollment management as we know it today had yet to emerge.
Then came the Baby Boom generation.
As millions of students reached college age, higher education experienced unprecedented enrollment growth. Suddenly, those tiny admissions offices were expected to manage applications and enrollment at a scale they had never experienced before. The “one counselor and one secretary” model didn’t just stretch—it basically waved a white flag.
And honestly? I don’t think many of us today could imagine recruiting an entire country with a team of two … without also needing a week off afterward.
Fast forward to today, and the admissions counselor has evolved into one of the most dynamic roles on campus. You are relationship builders, marketers, public speakers, event planners, data analysts, storytellers, travelers, counselors, and sometimes unofficial therapists for nervous parents in the parking lot after a campus visit.
You represent your institutions at college fairs, high schools, community colleges, conferences, virtual events, and anywhere else students happen to gather. You answer emails at all hours, juggle recruitment territories that span multiple states, memorize scholarship policies, navigate CRMs, troubleshoot application issues, and somehow still remember that one student you met six months ago who wanted to study biology and had a pet gecko named Camo.
No two days are ever the same. (And if they are, something is probably wrong.)
While the role has changed dramatically over the past several decades, one thing has remained remarkably consistent: admissions counselors are often the very first human connection students have with an institution. Long before they know their advisor, professor, or registrar, they know you.
So, the next time you’re at your third college fair of the week, staring down a five-hour drive home, or you’ve been on the road for two weeks and have taken every mode of transportation short of a cruise ship just to make it to a rural high school presentation, remember this:
What YOU do MATTERS!
Because every incoming class starts with a conversation. Every future alum once stood nervously at a recruitment table asking, “So … tell me about your school?” Every enrollment statistic represents a student who chose a place where they believed they could belong.
And when you zoom out and look at how far this profession has come since the 1950s, you realize something important: admissions work has never just been about processes or numbers—it has always been about people. Which is why I keep coming back to this idea, especially in the harder weeks, the long drives, and the 95 unread text messages: never forget the power you hold and those that came before you.
Because you are not just moving students through a process, you are often the moment where their decision, their confidence, and their future begins.
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