College recruiters in their 20s look for potential applicants, their own futures

The question that Allwine has heard too many times: What is the average SAT score, and do SAT scores matter?

“I like to think of it as a pie,” Allwine explained at Oakton High. “What’s your favorite pie?”

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One of the students skeptically responded: “Um, apple, I think.”

“Okay, so you go into Shoppers and you see an apple pie, and it has a slice missing. Do you buy it?” Allwine asked. There was silence. “I’ll answer that one. No. You don’t buy it.”

The analogy sort of flopped, but the girls seemed to get the message that the liberal arts school takes a holistic approach to evaluating students, looking not only at standardized test scores but also grades, course selection, extracurricular activities and the strength of their essays.

“All that I want,” Allwine continued, “is a nice, full, round apple pie from Oakton High School.”

College admissions has dramatically changed in the past decade, as the process becomes more digital and gut-feeling decisions are replaced with data-driven ones. With each passing year, most schools receive record numbers of applications that they process with the same size staff.

It’s a major numbers game: Schools typically want to solicit enough applications to allow them to turn down or wait-list a substantial number, lowering their acceptance rate. They then hope to accept a strong pool of diverse students who are likely to enroll, graduate and become proud, donating alumni. The goal is to have a freshman class that’s racially, socially, economically and geographically diverse while still bringing in as many tuition dollars as possible.

Recruiters such as Allwine provide a personal touch to that system — which is especially important for a small liberal arts school that sells itself as providing a more personal college experience.

A few days after visiting Oakton, Allwine was at an evening college fair at Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn. He arrived early to claim his side of a folding table, setting out piles of brochures, information cards and pens in the school colors.

Many of these fairs have strict rules for recruiters: Stand behind the tables, not in front of them. No beckoning students over like a carnival barker. And no handing out trinkets like posters, koozies or keychains, although it’s okay if a student takes a pen by mistake.

In Virginia, Allwine hardly ever has to tell people that UMW is in Fredericksburg and that it has been co-ed for decades. In Maryland, more education is needed, especially when it comes to the mission of a public, liberal arts university.

“Do you have nursing?” one mom asked. Allwine shook his head: “No. Sorry.”

“And you have engineering?” a dad asked. Allwine shook his head as the dad dropped a brochure and walked away.

“Do you have special education?” asked a high school junior who plays baseball and football. Allwine told him no. The student then asked if UMW is Division I. Allwine shook his head. “We’re DIII, but we’ve had some players go pro.”

Forensics? No. Nutrition? No.

One hour into the fair, Allwine had collected just three information cards. By the end of the night, he would have just eight. The recruiter next to him, from the University of Delaware, had a stack so thick he didn’t have time to count. The guy actually had sweat pouring down his face as he unwrapped another massive stack of brochures to satisfy the swarm of students and parents around his table.

Every now and then, Allwine found someone excited to hear about the liberal arts experience. One student nodded her head as Allwine swooned about the small classes, the intense discussions, the professors who get to know you.

“When you get out, you feel like you can conquer the world,” Allwine said. “Trust me. I still have the feeling.”