Fall travels coming into focus

While it’s hard to pin down an objectively “busiest” season of the admissions year, the fall months often feel the “buzziest,” if I may invent a term. More than any other season, fall is defined by juggling the most simultaneous tasks, and sometimes makes me feel like my head is spinning. Fletcher students are back on campus, prospective students are visiting and interviewing, and applications are starting to roll in. On top of all that, recruitment travel, a primary driver of the “buzz,” is at its high point. Occasionally, traveling for an event is a simple matter of booking transportation and lodging, but often it involves a great number of logistics and groundwork to plan the event itself, and it’s easy to lose sight of how quickly various travels arrive in the fall schedule. Case in point: in mid-late August, before most students have arrived, I’m still mentally pretty much in summer mode, but it turns out I’ll be hitting the road in just over three weeks for the first of several of my fall travels.

Don’t get me wrong, readers, this is by no means a complaint. To the contrary, heading out on the road is one of the most exhilarating parts of admissions work. I’m certain I’ve already met some readers previously during various travels, and will look forward to meeting more of you in the coming months. As usual, our office will collectively attend as many events in as many locations as possible in the next few months. This includes grad school fairs sponsored by APSIA and Idealist, information sessions in conjunction with a smaller number of peer institutions, and the odd Fletcher-only gathering or reception. Events will take place in Asia, Europe, Latin America, Canada, and throughout the US.  For me, it will include visits to Toronto, Utah, Colorado, and a few cities in East Asia. While I am currently very far from prepared for any of these travels, I assure you I will be before too long, and I’ll be hoping to meet some of you along the way!

You can find the full travel schedule for our office here; be sure to check back periodically as new events, and further details of existing ones, will be posted regularly throughout the season. See you on the road!