Furthermore, consulting jobs such as a consultant admission director is a bit demanding and diverse. Anybody who is in this position is responsible for a wide range of important tasks not only for students but also for many employees who work in the admission office. He reviews cases of general and special admissions and coordinates recruitment activities. He confers with the staff of other schools to explain admission requirements and policies of student credit transfer. He also evaluates and gives consultative advice on course offerings from other schools to explain admission requirements and policies of student credit transfer and to determine their equivalency to courses offered on their own campus.
Another consultant job is that of a consultant admission director who is responsible for consultative planning on producing application and admissions materials to be disseminated to prospective students and to other schools. He gives certain standard of requirements to develop the school’s recruiting program as well. Indeed, there is usually a high volume of paperwork to be done in this job. Admissions directors are in charge of maintaining important student files and so will often oversee computerized record keeping. He may make recommendations on improving the admissions procedures and may serve on a policy-making admissions committee. In many cases, the consultant admission director has been involved in administering the school’s financial aid programs as well as in those professional colleges such as schools of business, law, and medicine.
Those who wish to have consultant careers as a consultant admission director must usually obtain at least a master’s degree in a field such as student counseling and personnel services or in higher education administration. Likewise, it may also be an asset to have training in computer science and data processing. This consultant employment requires that a person shows an aptitude for organizing and coordinating work in an efficient manner. Furthermore, to work as a consultant admission director for various admission departments of different schools must require the knowledge, confidence, motivation, and determination. At best, he must have the ability to work well with and motivate people to achieve their goals. He must be decisive and have a sound understanding of managerial principles and practices, which may be achieved both on the job and by taking college courses/studies. High-school and college students interested in this field would do well to have courses in written and spoken English, foreign languages, social sciences, and mathematics. A bachelor’s degree in any field is usually acceptable but most students major in student personnel or in subjects such as economics, psychology, or sociology usually suit to the profession. Other important studies may include education, counseling, information processing, business, and finance to widen his competence.
To learn something more about the consultants jobs of the consultant admission director, high-school and college students may first have to confer with the admission personnel in their own school or in the admissions offices of any nearby colleges, universities, or private schools to inquire or ask anything about the profession. Another possibility would be to talk to college recruiters on high-school campuses, as they are usually employed by the admissions offices of the schools they represent. The career counselor in a school would also the best person to give the aspirant the best possible information, as well as advice and recommendations as to whether the student fits to acquire the type of consultant job in his future career. It can be noted that college admissions offices frequently hire college students for part-time jobs or internships in their department - and this is an excellent opportunity to gain firsthand experience. While admissions counselors and directors must be skilled in working with students, it may also be helpful for college students interested in this field to work as dorm counselors or to participate in extracurricular activities that involve interacting closely with people such as their fellow students.
As to a consultant career, the number of consultant admissions directors employed at any time is determined by college and university enrollment and by state and local expenditures for education. Employment in the field of education administration is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations, and declining college enrollments and leaner budgets will most likely make the job market very competitive through the decade. Admission offices, however, are expected to remain relatively unaffected by this trend. Although the competition for consultant jobs in this field will continue to be strong, it is predicted that the next ten years will see a large number of openings as older consultant directors retire and others leave the profession or find work elsewhere.
