This past week, I caught up with the newest member of the college counseling department, Mrs. Lutz. Here is what she had to say:  

Tell us a bit about your professional background.

“I graduated college with a sports management degree and worked for the Chicago Blackhawks for a little while right after I graduated, then worked for my alma mater in college admissions, and have spent the last fifteen years in college admissions at several different colleges, most recently at Saint Louis University for the past five years.”

What attracted you to Priory?

“Definitely the community aspect of the school. Community is something that is very important to me and, as a mom, I really like that family/community feel and I wanted to be in a place that really embraced that.”

What are your first impressions of Priory?

“It is incredibly welcoming. The guys here are so respectful, kind, thoughtful, intellectual, and faith-focused which I appreciate.”

How will your experience in SLU admissions help you in this new role?

“In the 15 years in admissions, I’ve done panels with all kinds of different schools ranging from community colleges to highly selective schools, so I have been able to hear different information about how colleges review applications. I’ve read thousands of essays and letters of recommendation, understand holistic review and how demonstrative interest plays a role so I feel that I have a lot of college background knowledge that I can offer to the guys.”

What is one of the biggest misconceptions about the college application process?

“I think what is applicable for one student is not applicable for another. Sometimes we talk to our friends and their situation is very different, so there is a misconception in how we should go about applying which should be more individualized for students rather than a “one fits all” criteria.”

How has the pandemic changed the college process?

“The testing has 100 percent changed it with most colleges going test optional. Also the inability to visit campuses has changed the process. Almost all campuses have opened up but things are still changing as campuses are doing some in-person events as well as virtual.”

What does test-optional truly mean?

“The definition is different at every college. One of the pieces that is beneficial for Priory is we (the college counselors) are able to meet with all the reps who visit, so we are able to see if they are really test preferred as only a certain percentage of applicants were admitted without testing, usually a small percentage.”