Counselor Q&A - A Veteran’s Guide to Counselor Fly-Ins
Counselor visit programs (including fly-ins and drive-ins) provide invaluable opportunities for counselors to experience college campuses firsthand, meet university officials, and collect information to share with their students and families. Often all or a portion of the cost for these programs is supplemented by the university. In her nearly 30-year career in college counseling, Jodi Hester, Associate Director of College Counseling at Woodward Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, has attended more than 70 visit programs (and counting) domestically and abroad. Read on to learn how she got selected for these programs and used the knowledge gained to better counsel her students, network with other counselors, and serve her school.
Yolanda Coleman: How long have you been a college counselor, and how did you get started in the field?
Jodi Hester: I cannot even believe this, but I have been a college counselor for 29 years! I was at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC for 13 years, and I’ve been at Woodward for the past 16 years. Like a lot of us in independent schools, I started in college admissions. I was an admissions officer at my alma mater Grinnell College and then at Johns Hopkins University. I was in my last year at Hopkins, and I just thought I wanted more. I wanted more student engagement and more hands-on time with students. One of the high schools I worked with throughout my time at Hopkins was Gonzaga. I always thought that as a college counselor, I needed to be in a place that aligned with who I am, and I liked Gonzaga. One day, they called and said, “We have an opportunity; come and interview.” Four days later, they offered me the job.
YC: Approximately how many counselor fly-ins have you been on, and do you remember the first?
JH: I’ve lost count! Once I got started, it just was like “Oh, my gosh! I want to go on as many as possible.” That a university would provide that level of professional development for me and pour into me was amazing. My first fly-in was at Vanderbilt University in 1995. I knew about counselor visits because I would host them at Grinnell and Hopkins, but being on the receiving end made me feel like I had arrived!
YC: How do you typically learn about fly-ins, and how do you get selected for them?
JH: Sometimes it’s just organic. When a college rep is visiting, and they’re talking about their school, they may mention that they have a counselor fly-in and ask if I would be interested. And, of course, I say, “yes.” Some colleges have a form or an application on their website that you can fill out to sign up. But I think for a lot of them, it started with a conversation with the college rep, where I simply asked if they had a fly-in and how I could get on the list or get more information.
The lone exception to that would be “Decemberfest,” which is a weeklong fly-in held the first week of December and sponsored by the Claremont colleges (Pomona College, Claremont McKenna College, Scripps College, Harvey Mudd College, and Pitzer College) plus Caltech, Occidental College, Whittier College, and University of Redlands. With Decemberfest, if you ask for an invitation, you won’t get one. They have a process where they nominate counselors and then vote on who gets to attend. It’s quite fancy. The year I attended, they picked us up at LAX in white stretch limousines and whisked us out to Pasadena, where we stayed for our first visit to Caltech. It’s a pretty long week because you’re visiting multiple schools, but it’s an amazing opportunity. So don’t ask about Decemberfest, but it’s fine to ask about the other programs.
YC: Why do you find fly-ins to be valuable for yourself, your students, and your families?
JH: The fact that I get to go to a university and they’re going to open their doors and show me who they are is priceless. It allows me to go to my students and families and talk about what I experienced and what I thought. It makes what I say about schools more real. I’m able to say “I went to this school, and when I was there, I saw this and thought about you. And here’s why I think you’d love it.” Because I’ve seen it with my own eyes, it’s not just the perception of the school. I can speak to the reality as someone who’s been boots on the ground. I’m able to bring that as a value to my students and my families, especially when they may not have the means or opportunity to visit themselves.
I’m also carrying the flag for my institution. I’ve attended fly-ins where the admissions officers haven’t known much about my school, so it gave me the opportunity to talk about the Woodward story or the Gonzaga story. I’ve also been able to see my former students while attending fly-ins. If you have alums at the school you’re visiting, ask the college rep for help finding time within the schedule to meet with your former students.
Fly-ins are also incredible for networking because you get to meet other counselors from across the country and sometimes around the world. The professional development, networking, and being able to talk with my students and families about what I see and learn on the fly-ins brings a level of depth to my craft.
YC: What has been your favorite fly-in and why?
JH: I’ve had really great experiences at almost all of them, but I have to say that the University of Miami fly-in is one of my favorites largely because of the timing. It’s held in January, so if you’re from anywhere other than Florida, the weather is likely kind of crummy. I’ve attended twice, once when I was at Gonzaga and again since I’ve been at Woodward. Going to South Florida, where palm trees are waving at you and the temperatures are moderate, is lovely. Miami also did a great job of opening up, particularly the first time I went. We were invited to the president’s home. It was Donna Shalala, and she had just come out of the Clinton administration. Having that time with the college president to hear about her vision for the institution and learn more about her was remarkable. And then the food was really good.
I just did the Five Colleges Consortium (Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Hampshire College, and University of Massachusetts – Amherst) in Massachusetts. I’ve been to Smith before but never Mount Holyoke or UMass, and I’ve been recommending those schools to students for years. Being in western Massachusetts in the fall with the leaves was really glorious.
YC: What advice would you offer to counselors who are looking to learn about fly-ins and get selected for more of them?
JH: Think about who is visiting your campus and utilize those college rep visits every year. I know as counselors we’re already busy and overloaded, and hosting college reps can feel like one more thing we have to do. Try viewing those visits as professional development that’s free and coming to you. Make sure you set aside 10 minutes to have a thoughtful conversation with each college rep. If you show a level of interest and engagement and that rep works for an institution that has counselor programming, they’re going to remember how kind you were and how you set aside time to meet with them. Offer them a restroom and a bottle of water; be gracious! You’re not doing it because you want to be on a fly-in list; you’re doing it because it’s courteous to be kind to them. Treat your college reps well, and then if it’s a school you’re curious about, ask about their counselor programming: “Do you have counselor visit programs? Do you have fly-ins or drive-ins?” Don’t be afraid to ask.
YC: How can counselors help their leadership see the value of fly-ins?
JH: When you attend a fly-in, you’re researching a school or schools in the best possible way. You’re collecting firsthand information that you can bring back to your students, parents, and fellow counselors. You’re also representing your school, especially if that institution isn’t familiar with your school or you haven’t sent them any applicants or had any students admitted. It’s a chance to educate that institution on your school and advocate for your students.
It’s important to help school leadership understand that fly-ins are work. You may not be in the office, but you’re working. Often, the hours are longer than a regular school day since many fly-ins have days that begin very early in the morning and continue late into the evening, particularly when you’re visiting multiple schools. They’re work, and it’s work that you’re doing for both your students and school.
It’s also helpful to highlight to your principal or director that many fly-ins cover some or all of the cost. Given limited budgets, fly-ins provide opportunities that many schools would not be able to afford otherwise. If you have an additional day or two, you can make fly-ins more valuable by visiting other schools in the area. We encourage our students to pursue pre-college programs because they allow them to experience campuses for themselves. We should be encouraged to do the same.
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