Souder spent much
of her time as an undergraduate working in both admissions and student
activities as well as assisting with the first year experience for incoming
freshmen. She pursued a career in admissions largely because of her own college
search process.
“I remember
getting dozens of mailings over the fall of my senior year of high school and
staring for endless hours at websites and rankings, all the while thinking to
myself that none of it made sense,” Souder says. “I can still remember a
handful of admissions counselors that made order out of the chaos. I wanted to
be someone like them that could help direct others through all of the college
admissions excitement and anxiety.”
Souder, who
majored in English, stresses the importance of the college essay. “You don’t
have to be the best writer in the world to have a great admissions essay,” she
says. “We get to see your stats and activities resume, but the essay is our
chance to really get a feel for you as an individual. Don’t fall victim to
cliché and lose sight of your voice in an effort to give us what you think we
want to read.”
Outside of work, Souder, an
Oregon native, pursues her three passions: literature, coffee and college
football.