The Third Year: IPCW 2014 Edition

On Friday afternoon as the tour groups headed to the cafeteria for ice cream, I smiled knowing I had completed my thirtieth Iowa Private College Week (IPCW) session. Well, thirty one, if you count the Friday afternoon session five years ago when I first visited Coe. For me, the week begun on Sunday, as we prepped our student workers and set up places like Kesler Auditorium, where the panel was going to be held.

This week, in comparison to the other two years where I've helped with the program, was the busiest. The funny part was, I didn't even give too many tours; I spent a lot of time checking in with others and making sure things were running smoothly. Yet, day after day, I left my apartment around a quarter to 8 AM and didn't return until well after 5 PM. Lots of coffee was needed. And doughnuts.

The busiest week was also extremely successful. Having done the program two times before, I knew the drill. I was confident in our #StudentTakeover theme and was proud of all the hard work myself, my co-worker Alex, my peers, and the rest of the Admission staff had put into the planning and preparation of this week.

What's great about this week is two-fold -- first, I have the chance to meet some amazing potential Kohawks. It's fun to see high schoolers excited about college, especially when they begin to see themselves as Kohawks. Second, it's great to share my experiences at Coe with others. My favorite part of IPCW is being on the panel. You get to hear what prospective students and their parents are wondering about Coe and you get to help them create a clearer path on their college search. Coe has given me so much and the chance to give back by bragging about how great Coe is, is an opportunity I take with great gusto.

Overall, the week was a blast. I got to drive a golf cart (who doesn't love that) and even got a shout out from President McInally at my 30th panel.

I think I've recovered from the week and am ready for the FINAL (yes final) week at Coe. Have three days left in Admissions, then a day of packing and then a day of moving to graduate school. It's so crazy to think summer has just flown by so quickly. In addition, I only have a few posts left on this blog, another indication of how fast time moves.