Profiles

Sheila Schechinger, Office of Admissions

	Sheila Schechinger, assistant director of high school relations in the UI Office of Admissions. Photo by Tom Jorgensen.

As a high school student growing up in the Chicago suburbs, Sheila Schechinger wanted to attend a big university that offered a variety of majors, an idyllic college-town setting, and opportunities to get involved in a lot of different activities.

“The University of Iowa honestly wasn’t even on my radar, and then on the way from another school, my mom said, ‘let’s just do a walking tour and see what the campus is like.’ This was the only school that everyone in my family was like, ‘wow,’” she says.

Now Schechinger, assistant director of high school relations in the Office of Admissions, spends a lot of time telling Chicago-area high school students how she came to find the right “fit” in a college. She also shares her experiences as an Iowa undergrad (she played piccolo in the Hawkeye Marching Band, worked in IMU Catering, and was involved with the Indian Student Association), and she can’t help but infuse her Hawkeye pride into conversations with students and parents.

Schechinger graduated with a BA in sociology in 1998, and spent four years working in human resources at an Iowa City bank. While working full-time, she returned to the University to earn a BBA in management and organizations, which she completed in 2003.

She recently sat down with fyi to talk about how technology is changing the admission process, her life as a new parent, and how she became such a big sports fan.

How did you get your job? Did you work for admissions as an undergrad?

No, the Hawkeye Marching Band took up a lot of my time. After college, I was involved with the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, and that’s how I met [Assistant Provost for Enrollment Services and Director of Admissions Michael] Barron. He knew I was a big Hawkeye and that I pushed that feeling of Hawkeye pride whenever I talked to people through chamber events. One day, he said to me, ‘Have you ever thought about working for admissions?’

What does your job involve?

We’re here to help prospective students get their questions answered, so I do a lot of individual visits with students and parents who come to campus. I also do presentations for anywhere from 20 to 800 people at Hawkeye Visit Days. I’m co-coordinator of 40+ student tour guides, and I train new admission counselors. My main territory is Chicagoland, and I spend about 5-6 weeks traveling in the fall, and then in the spring, it’s about one week a month on average.

Tell us about the sales pitch you use.

It’s not really a pitch. I just describe the truthful nature of our campus. It’s more, ‘Find the right fit and here’s why ours might be the right one for you.’ I tell them, ‘Tell me your top five things you want in a college, and I’ll tell you if Iowa has them. If we do, then it’s definitely worth taking a look.’

How has the college search process changed since you were in high school?

The biggest thing is technology and that families are able to research a school before they visit. It’s always interesting that when I talk to families, they already know about the enrollment numbers, the student organizations. It’s also kind of cool the way students are connecting with each other on Facebook before they even get here. The other thing is that students apply to a lot more universities now because it’s so easy to do it online.

How much does your own experience as an Iowa student come up in your discussions with prospective students?

Students want to know what kind of connection they’ll have with their professors, and being able to vouch that I called some of my professors by their first names is really important. And they see that I’m proud of Iowa, that I came from the Chicago area and I stayed in Iowa. I think that shows the pride I have for the University too.

What do you like least about your job?

I probably see 5,000 to 6,000 students a year, and I just wish I could remember all of their names! I’m really good at faces, though. Families are shocked when I see them at an event and recognize them from a previous visit.

What do you do when you’re not at work?

I spend a lot of time with my family. I have a little boy who just turned 1. When it comes to things in our free time, we’re huge Hawkeye fans. Football, basketball, women’s sports, wrestling, we definitely take advantage of the athletic connection here. We also love live music, spending time with friends, and being active.

What would your colleagues be surprised to learn about you?

I’m always talking about my love for athletics, but I think one thing they might not know is that it all started with my dad. I’m a first-generation American, and when he and my mom moved from India to the United States and settled in Chicago, Dad wanted to find a way to connect with American society. Sports provided that connection. We grew up on Grace Street, right by Wrigley Field. So from the time I was born, I watched Cubs, Bulls, and Bears games with my father, and that’s what my brothers and I grew up on.

What brought your parents to this country?

They actually ran away to get married. They grew up in traditional families, with different languages and different religions, and then they fell in love. In those days, the whole arranged marriage thing was there and they thought they really belonged together, so they got married and came to the United States. My mom’s cousins lived in Chicago and they felt Chicago was the best place to start.

You’re a new parent. How has life changed since your son was born?

I can work on less sleep, for one thing. Also, come 3:30 in the afternoon, I’m antsy to get home and see him because I know bedtime is around the corner. Probably the biggest thing is balancing my career and home life. I travel a lot for work, so planning ahead has become even more important. My career is important to me, and I’m lucky that my husband has been a wonderful support. And my office is very supportive of family responsibilities.

Will you recruit your son to attend The University of Iowa someday?

We’ll see if I can brainwash him (laughs). He’ll grow up to be a Hawkeye fan, but it’s just up to him what he wants to do for the rest of his life, and if Iowa has it or not.

by Madelaine Jerousek-Smith

Past Profiles

Jane Schildroth, Pomerantz Career Center

John Geweke, Tippie College of Business/College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Bill Casey, Daily Iowan

Pat Winokur, Carver College of Medicine