February 14, 2024 • 32 mins
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Andrea Konkol, director of enrollment management, about the FAFSA and other steps in the college admissions process.
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Dr. Ralph Ford (00:00):
I'm Dr. Ralph Ford, Chancellor of Penn State
(00:02):
Behrend and you're listening toBehrend Talks. My guest today is
Andrea Konkol, Director ofEnrollment Management here at
Penn State Behrend. And I jokeand say that because you've been
on the show before, and wealways have great things to talk
about. So welcome to the show,Andrea.
Andrea Konkol (00:16):
Thanks, Ralph.
Dr. Ralph Ford (00:17):
For those who don't know, Andrea oversees our
admissions and financial aidoffices here on campus. And you
are a member of our seniorleadership team. You have a very
unique vantage point here atPenn State Behrend. And I think
a really actually noble purposein what your group does. And I
say that and you get to giveadvice to a lot of students who
(00:39):
are trying to think about theirfuture. So you and the
admissions team get to work withstudents trying to figure out if
Penn State Behrend or otherplaces are the right fit for
them. And not only that, notonly do you welcome the new
classes when they come to campusevery fall the incoming class,
you also get to read their namesat graduation, which is a lot of
fun. So anyway, so you've beenon the show. Let's get into it.
(00:59):
I will talk a little bit though,about your background. We know
you're an MIS ManagementInformation Systems graduate
from Penn State Behrend. Sowhat's the path from MIS into
admissions?
Andrea Konkol (01:12):
Yeah, so during my time at Behrend, I was a
campus tour guide. I also workedin the registrar's office. So I
think that was kind of myconnection. Back to Behrend, I
always say worked in the realworld for a year, I worked at
Erie Insurance after Igraduated, I was a computer
programmer. And I just reallymissed people. It kind of was
(01:34):
cubicle job, a lot ofprogramming and saw this job in
the newspaper at that time, westill advertised for jobs in the
newspaper, applied, and I'vebeen here ever since. It's been
a really great career for me,I'm able to include a lot of
what my undergraduate degreekind of entailed as far as
(01:54):
technology and databases,understanding data helps me to
this day in my job, so it's fun,I get the data side, and I also
get the people side.
Dr. Ralph Ford (02:03):
And you were an admissions counselor, and then
assistant or associate directorfor a number of years. So you
met with many students, andyou've been director now help me
on my memory to three years? Howlong? Have you been director of
the admissions enrollment?
Andrea Konkol (02:20):
For almost a year and then Director for two years
now.
Dr. Ralph Ford (02:24):
What I recall about that is I believe we did
the search during the pandemic.
Andrea Konkol (02:27):
Yes, those were high pandemic times.
Dr. Ralph Ford (02:29):
All right. So when it was difficult times,
because a lot of students werenot choosing to come to
universities at that point. Sointo the fire. Anyways, why
don't we talk a bit about thisidea of fit? Because that's
something we, we know, isimportant as we talk to those
students. So what do you mean byfit? And how does that factor
(02:51):
into your discussions withprospective families?
Andrea Konkol (02:54):
So fit, I often equate to a feeling right, it's
the emotional part of a collegedecision in many aspects. So
when students come to visit uson campus, or when we're
speaking with them at their highschool or college fair, we'd
really try to suss out a lot ofwhat their interests are. So
(03:15):
whether they have particularacademic interests at that
point, or whether they haveactivities that they're looking
for, they might be a studentathlete or really into music and
want someplace that has a core.
So there are a lot of thingsthat we can ask them. And we can
talk about what we have here atBehrend that might align with
their interests, but I think fita lot of time comes down to is
(03:37):
it a place where they can seethemselves for the next four
years? Does it feel comfortableto them? Do they feel at home,
and then a lot of times it's afinancial fit as well. So that's
a big part of a student'sdecision. But I really think
coming to visit is the best wayto determine fit. Sometimes it's
that getting out of the carexperience. This is a place I
(03:59):
can see myself.
Dr. Ralph Ford (04:03):
Right. So many students say when they drive
onto a college campus. Theydescribe that experience of they
knew this was the place forthem. And I think that's that
holds pretty well, whether it'shere or some other place that
often feels like it's the rightplace where they met people. So
if someone is interested inBehrend they apply. Walk us
(04:24):
through the process of like,what does it take to apply to
Penn State University and PennState Behrend? I want to get
into some of these discussionsabout the complexity of the
FAFSA form that's in the currentnews and everything but just you
know, if somebody's interested,what should they do?
Andrea Konkol (04:40):
So I think the process can start early on in
their high school careers. Sostudents should be thinking
about things early on. So evenlate in their middle school
years, if they're headed towardscollege, making sure that
they're scheduling all of theright courses is a really
important thing. And that'ssomething that I ended up having
(05:01):
to work with a lot of students,when they apply, they might not
have taken all of the right mathcourses that are required. World
Language, foreign languagecourses, a lot of times catch a
lot of students up. So startingto think very early on in their
high school career, that collegemight be a possibility for me,
and then working with theirschool counselors to make sure
(05:22):
that they're scheduling theright classes. And then I think,
moving through high school, oncea student gets into 11th grade
starting to visit the schoolsthat they're interested in is
really important so that theycan determine things like fit.
And then really, the applicationprocess starts for a student of
the beginning of their 12thgrade year. So students can
(05:44):
apply to Penn State throughmultiple platforms, there's
something called the CommonApplication, which many schools
are part of where students canchoose to apply to multiple
schools on the same application.
Usually, schools have their ownapplication platform as well,
which Penn State does. Soapplying early on in the senior
year. And then we like to getdecisions to students during
(06:05):
that fall of their senior year.
So usually, we ask students toapply by November 1 of their
senior year, we like to get themthat decision before the
December holidays, so that theyhave plenty of time to make an
admissions decision, if theyhaven't visited yet come visit.
If they need to explore academicprograms more, we can set them
(06:28):
up with a faculty member, orsome of our current students in
those programs to learn more. Sothat gives them plenty of time
so that by the time they are atthe end of their senior year,
they're able to make an informeddecision.
Dr. Ralph Ford (06:40):
And that idea that we give them an answer, if
they apply by November 1 andgenerally hear from us in
December. That's fairly new. Ithink we've really pushed that
forward.
Andrea Konkol (06:51):
We have Yes, so it previously was November 30,
was our date that we used touse, we are rolling admissions.
So not every student knows thatthey're going to apply by
November 1, not every student isready to apply. Not every
student has found us by November1 of their senior year. So
(07:11):
that's an important thing toknow is that we do have rolling
admissions, we like to getdecisions to students early. But
there are students that becauseof home situations, or schools
that might have less resourcesthat are applying late and we
can absolutely accommodate thosestudents too.
Dr. Ralph Ford (07:29):
You know, one of the things I think about is for
us, you and I deal with thisevery day we've been at this for
many years, it's very natural,right. But it's pretty
intimidating, actually, for afamily, or for a student often
to walk onto a college campus.
So walk us through so somebody'sapplied, they've been accepted.
They want to visit campus.
(07:51):
What's that experience like forthem? What should they be
thinking about as they meet withyou and your team?
Andrea Konkol (07:57):
There are lots of different types of visit
opportunities. So some studentswant to feel a little bit more
anonymous when they come oncampus. So attending an event,
like a large scale, open housemight feel more comfortable for
them. We also have individualappointments as well. So a
student that might be ready toask some more in depth
(08:18):
questions, or have some personalcircumstances that they want to
discuss with us. We also haveindividual appointments. I think
when visiting schools, one ofthe most important things that a
student and family can do isassess how they're treated
during that visit, that givesyou a good idea of how you'll be
(08:40):
treated as a student. So whenyou walk into the admissions
office or to an event, how areyou greeted, as you are working
with staff and faculty andstudents? Are they excited about
their programs? And do you feelcomfortable talking to them? Do
you feel like they have care andconcern for your situation? So
(09:01):
as families are visiting, that'ssomething that I think caring a
little bit more than everybodyelse is a great strategy for us.
Making sure that students feellike they're number one, when
they walk in our office is soimportant. We don't want them to
feel uncomfortable.
Dr. Ralph Ford (09:17):
I love the fact that they're just different
opportunities and ways forpeople to come and engage. Now
you have two daughters that arecollege age. And if you don't
mind me saying they're here atBehrend, did they look at other
institutions as well.
Andrea Konkol (09:30):
They looked within Penn State. So we visited
University Park, they decidedthat was not for them, but not
outside of Penn State. They didnot look at other institutions.
But I will say that, so they'retwins, just like so everybody's
like this seems like a weirdconversation. So two daughters.
(09:50):
Yes, they're twins. So we wentthrough this process last year.
And what was interesting is Iwas able to see a lot of their
really close friends go throughthe application process and
admissions process here at PennState as well. And I will say it
fundamentally changed me in theway that I kind of interact now
with students and parents, Irealized that it takes a lot, we
(10:16):
throw a lot of information atstudents and ask them to digest
it and make decisions on it. Mydaughter's had me as a resource,
and they still had questions. SoI think now and as we've gone
through this new admissioncycle, I've really looked at the
way that we communicate withstudents, we're throwing a lot
(10:36):
at them, can we make it simplerfor them? Can we help them
through this process? Not thatwe want to completely hold their
hand? But can we make it alittle bit easier?
Dr. Ralph Ford (10:46):
Well, I just think about you come to an open
house at any institution. Andthere are all these tables with
all these different things. Andthen you go to an orientation
session, there is a lot to takein, well, what I'm confident in.
And I can say this, because wejust got a lot of data. You
know, I think it's one of thosethings that we do really well
here at Behrend, and it doesn'tmean we can't get better. But I
(11:07):
will talk a little bit about mytwo kids. And they both looked
at other institutions, and theyended up here and they
graduated, then I'll make thepoint out is is don't take for
granted that every school is thesame. I think you made that
point. And what I and I won'tname the institutions, I thought
one did a phenomenal job thatone of my both of my sons looked
at. And I thought it was justoutstanding, and we had a lot to
(11:29):
learn. The other one I foundvery interesting, because it was
more about how we were going toselect you out and how kind of
open they were about if you'regood enough to get in the door
here. And you know, maybe theyhave that luxury to do that. But
I think it's a little bit morein the culture of the type of
institution they're in. So toyour point, try to figure out
the culture, is it one that isgoing to be welcoming and
(11:49):
helpful and give you the supportnetwork that you need? So maybe
enough set around that? Let'sswitch the cost. Okay. So, as a
family is thinking about it,this is also another part that
is tremendously confusing,right? So they're trying to
figure out what the cost is togo to a university, trying to
get the true cost to understandwhat it's going to look like 2,
(12:10):
3, 4 years from now, whatfinancial aid is, help us
understand this process? Andwhat's your advice?
Andrea Konkol (12:18):
Yeah, so actually, I was able to speak
with one of our classes here atBehrend yesterday was the
resident assistant class. That'sthe class that prepares students
to go on to be ResidentAssistants. And we're in good
discussion about students comingfrom different backgrounds and
understanding that, and one ofthe things that they said was
(12:41):
most confusing to them was thefinancial aid process. And so
some of that is out of PennState's control. So some of the
financial aid process is throughsomething that we call the Free
Application for Federal StudentAid. So that is the federal form
that students fill out. So theprocess of applying for
(13:03):
financial aid, in mostcircumstances starts with a
student or family filing theirFAFSA form. And then, based on
information from the FAFSA, eachschool that they're applying to
receives that information, andthen puts together a financial
aid package for the student. Andso, at the end of the day, there
(13:23):
are many different types of aidthat a student can both apply
for receive, and then they haveto look at their bottom line
costs as well. And so it can bereally confusing when you're
applying to different types ofschools. So you know, Penn
State, as a land grantinstitution, we're committed to
keeping our tuition as low aspossible and being accessible
(13:44):
for students. privateinstitutions are very different.
They might have a highertuition, but offer students more
scholarships. And so as we workwith students through the
admissions process, we try togive them a few examples of what
that might look like for them sothat they can say, for each
school that they're applying to,what is the base cost, tuition
(14:06):
and fees? And what does it costto live on campus? What am I
qualifying for? Whatscholarships Am I getting? And
then looking at that bottom linenumber when they're trying to
determine whether the school isthe right fit for them as far as
cost goes.
Dr. Ralph Ford (14:21):
And your team will sit down and help them
through that process?
Andrea Konkol (14:24):
We do? Yeah, and we do actually lay out examples
for students in a very visualway. And we say, whether your
family uses a notebook, whetherit's a post it note, whether you
create an Excel spreadsheet, dothis for each school that you're
considering so that you trulyknow what your cost will be.
Dr. Ralph Ford (14:43):
And I think we've gotten a lot better as an
institution and I everybody hasbecause laying it out in a way
families can understand and Ithink that that's to everyone's
benefit, I'm sure we havefurther to go. Since you've
mentioned the FASFA, you know,it's in the news. It was very
hot in the news. Tell us whyit's in the news, what's going
(15:03):
on? And frankly, it's impactingstudents this year who are
applying to college, but atleast it's impacting everybody
who's applying.
Andrea Konkol (15:12):
So this all started with the FAFSA
Simplification Act, which waspassed by Congress in 2021. And
so this has been right now we'rein 2024. So this has been a
three year project. And so thereason that FAFSA is being
redone is that it is incrediblycomplicated. The old FAFSA had
(15:33):
over 100 questions that a familyor student had to answer. The
new FAFSA will have 36questions, it will better be
able to interact with the IRSsystem and pull in tax
information. So because thereare fewer questions, we expect
(15:54):
that it will be more accessiblefor families, it won't seem like
such a barrier to apply, andthat more students will be
eligible for aid. So in the end,this is a very good thing. This
is kind of a crazy year, though.
So in a typical year, studentswho'd be able to start applying
for financial aid in October 1,so October 1 of their senior
(16:15):
year, because of the changes inthe fastest system, the FAFSA
hasn't opened until December 31,it's opened very late. And
there's also a lot of testing,that has to happen both on the
faster side. And also on all ofthe colleges and university
side. It's a completelydifferent data system. So the
(16:36):
way that we receive informationis different. And I guess maybe
this is an MIS thing that I canthink about is we have to take a
completely new data set from thefederal government and figure
out how that works with PennState Systems, and then what the
students financial aid packagewill look like in the end. So
(16:56):
there's a lot of testing thathas to take place. So in a
normal year, we would expectthat students would have their
financial aid packages in midFebruary, this year, and we keep
getting news about continueddelays. We're not even expecting
to get information from FAFSAuntil mid March, which means
that our financial aid packagesprobably will not be available
(17:17):
to students until late March orearly April. So we're trying to
be flexible with students aretrying to know that they're
getting this information that'sreally important to their
college decision very late. Thenormal kind of college national
decision date is May 1, it'spossible that that date could be
delayed by many institutionsacross the United States. So
(17:42):
just starting to see that now.
Yeah, so we're really workingand up there. And because of our
size, we can be more flexiblewith students. So as we get more
information and aid packagesstart being released. We'll work
very closely with students andfamilies to make sure they
understand and have theinformation they need before
they have to make a decision.
Dr. Ralph Ford (18:03):
So people will need some extra patience this
year, no matter whatinstitutions are looking at.
Just take your time. You don'thave to make your decision till
June 1, we need to watch thenews and see how this plays out.
Well, one of the awards that wecreated as a university a few
years ago, something known asthe Discover award. And it is
(18:25):
particularly good for studentswho want to go to Penn State
Behrend in particular, andprovides an aid package for
those who are out of state andwe're expanding it this year. So
why don't you tell us what thatis and what the opportunities
are there because it issignificant.
Andrea Konkol (18:42):
Yeah, we are so excited about the changes to the
Discover award this year atBehrend. So the Discover award
is $6,000. Award for each year.
So up to $24,000 total, inprevious iterations of this
award, it has only beenavailable to contiguous states,
so states that borderedPennsylvania this year, it's
(19:02):
actually opened up to all 49states and US territories
outside of Pennsylvania. Sobasically, if you're a US
citizen, and you don't reside inPennsylvania, you are now
eligible to be considered forthis scholarship. And we've
always had a lot of studentsthat come to us from out of
state. So last year in ourincoming class, we had students
(19:27):
from 29 states, I think it'sreally going to be a game
changer for us. Our athleticcoaches are so excited about
this opportunity. Many of themrecruit and further afield areas
likeTexas, Illinois, Michigan,California, a couple of them
called very excited becausePuerto Rico has been on their
(19:48):
radar. And this really is goingto allow them to recruit further
afield and support out of statestudents.
Dr. Ralph Ford (19:59):
Great opportunity. And I tell people,
you know, they're often askingthe question, where do your
students come from? And I alwayssurprise them. When I say, you
know, we get students fromCalifornia, and there are
reasons why we get them, we getstudents from a whole lot of
different places. Just want tostay on this topic of cost and
aid. And the other thing that weall know is really important is
(20:20):
student loan debt. And what'sthe discussion that you have
with students? And how do youhelp them minimize the amount of
debt they have to take on tocome to a four year university
Andrea Konkol (20:30):
Yeah, so I think as far as student debt goes, I
like us?
mean, one of the biggest thingsthat a family can do is consider
what a student is paying overtheir four years, and how that
can most be minimized. And soone of the things that we talk
with families about early on inthe process is, look, we're
(20:53):
telling you what your cost islikely to be across each year
that you attend, the best waythat you can save is to actually
graduate in a four yeartimeframe. And so that's
something that we talk withfamilies early on in the
process, and what does it mean?
And how do you graduate in a
Dr. Ralph Ford (21:11):
Now, really great advice, and leads into my
four year timeframe? Look, allof our degree programs at Penn
State are designed to befinished in a four year
timeframe. So working with youracademic advisor to make sure
that you're on track and gettingto graduation, don't miss a
course don't get to that lastsemester and say, Oh, no, I
(21:31):
needed a foreign language classin order to graduate. So the
best way that students canminimize student debt is to
think about time to graduation.
I also think speaking withfamilies early on in the
process, about other scholarshipopportunities outside of what
you might qualify for in federalor state aid. So looking into
(21:52):
opportunities through their highschools are great sources. So
their school counselors willhave lists of local kinds of
scholarships that might beavailable. Your Community
Foundation has a great listingof scholarships on their
website, and most communitieshave something similar. Thinking
(22:12):
about other sources, likefamilies that might have a
parent that served in themilitary, using military
benefits students, doingNational Guard or ROTC is a
great opportunity. So there aresome things that families can do
early on, and be thinking aboutapplying for other scholarship
opportunities outside of theinstitution that they're
applying for.
(22:37):
next line of questions whichpeople think about the
admissions process, and theythink about you just getting
students here, but it doesn'tend there. You work with
students, and then they gothrough this new student
orientation in the summer. Andthen we actually have a lot of
support systems here on campus,like the first six weeks
program, we'll talk about that.
But explain, you know, so once astudent is accepted, and they
(22:59):
make that decision, then theyenter into the next phase even
before they get here.
Andrea Konkol (23:05):
Yeah, and our admissions work doesn't stop
until the student arrives hereon campus. And so we continue to
communicate with students. Sothey've made the decision that
they're going to attend PennState bear, and they commit,
they pay their deposit, but thecommunication and the counseling
through all of that doesn't stopthere. And so we're in
(23:28):
continuous contact with thestudent, they need to take a lot
of steps that landed them in theclassroom on that first day. So
New Student Orientation is a bigpart of that. So we're
communicating with students, andparents making sure they
understand all of the next stepsthat are required for New
Student Orientation. Parents area huge factor in supporting
(23:49):
their student and actuallygetting here on that first day.
And we've seen over the years,parents wanting to be more
involved in students want theirparents to be more involved as
well. And so we've added a lotof communications coming out
from my office, parents want toknow, give me a checklist, what
are the things that I can helpsupport my students over these
(24:09):
next couple months? And thenwhen they get here, you've
mentioned the first six weeksinitiative. I think making sure
students know about all of theresources that are available to
them. I mentioned a good storythat illustrates this. I
mentioned that I was talking tothe RA class yesterday. And a
student said, you know, Igraduated from a really small
high school. And at my highschool, there was one guidance
(24:32):
counselor, and I knew that shewas my person. And what was
really hard for me when I got toBehrend is I didn't have one
person. There's a lot of peopletrying to help me and I couldn't
figure out exactly where Ineeded to be or who I needed to
talk to you for each individualthing. And the way I responded
(24:53):
to that was, I'm your admissionscounselor, you can always step
into the Mesker building. Don'tbe afraid Need to ask who you
should be talking to are where Ican get those resources,
admissions doesn't stop once astudent enrolls, someone can
always step into the Metzgarbuilding and we can help direct
them.
Dr. Ralph Ford (25:11):
The Metzgar Building... now that you
mentioned, beautiful inside,yes, you are fortunate to be in
one of the gorgeous spaces oncampus is right when you drive
down to campus here so an alumnican come back as well. So it's
always open for somebody who hasquestions. Absolutely. It's a
great space. Let's talk aboutliving on campus. So Behrend is
a residential campus, large 850acre campus here, a lot to do,
(25:36):
why should or should not astudent live on campus in their
first year.
Andrea Konkol (25:40):
So I think it depends on a student and the
experience that they're lookingfor. So we have great on campus
spaces, we have students comingto us from across the United
States, we have internationalstudents, and students are able
Good advice. Let's talk abouttwo other things that are often
to live on campus and kind ofbuild that community. It makes
(26:01):
it easy for students to getinvolved, they have a lot of
built in support system, we havegreat Residence Life staff that
they are knocking on doors andchecking on students and making
sure that they're alright. Soit's a great supportive
environment, we have some livinglearning communities, which are
(26:24):
interesting. So we have anengineering house, we have our
Honors house, we have our globalborders, which is for students
that are internationally minded,we have our Honors house. So
there are some great ways thatstudents can find a community
within their residence lifeexperience as well. But we have
the opportunity for students tobe able to commute to campus and
(26:44):
for students that live in ourlocal area, commuting to campus
and saving that money that theywould be spending on housing
contracts, and a meal plan canbe a game changer for them in
affording a Penn Stateeducation. So the beautiful
thing is that, yes, if you wantthat residential experience, you
(27:07):
can live on campus. But ifcommuting from home is either
more comfortable for you, or away to save on your college
expenses, you have that option,you have an option to get a Penn
State degree at great cost inyour backyard too.
seen as part of the process. Asa college essay, do students
(27:29):
have to write a college essay tocome here.
So the essay for the Penn Stateapplication is completely
optional. And it does sayoptional. When you apply, I
always suggest to students thatdon't make it a barrier for
submitting the application. Sodon't feel like you need to
stress out about what you writethere. But if there's something
else about your background thatyou feel is important in the
(27:52):
admissions decision that youwant us to know about, write it
in there. We just had asituation yesterday, one of the
other counselors in the officetook a call. It was a mom, a
student was not admitted. Andshe had some questions. And we
started kind of talking throughoptions. And what we actually
found out when we went in andtook a closer look at the
application is that the studenthad some pretty traumatic
(28:16):
experiences during high schoolthat affected one or two years
of their high school experience.
And so we're able to kind oftake those things into
consideration. So the essay,yes, I recommended that students
do it. Don't stress out aboutit. Tell us something we don't
know.
Dr. Ralph Ford (28:31):
Okay. Good advice. And the other thing I
heard there is if you havequestions, ask, reach out. SATs
and ACTs? What about those?
Andrea Konkol (28:40):
So Penn State is test optional. We became a test
optional during the pandemic asa lot of schools did. But even
prior to the pandemic, there waskind of this movement towards
test optional. And Penn Statehas not made the official
decision. I'm not givingofficial decision here yet. But
I expect that we will probablyremain test optional. About 60%
(29:04):
of our students apply testoptional. It's taken a lot of
the stress off of studentsaround test taking not
everyone's a great standardizedtest taker. So yes, I imagine we
will probably stay test optionaland the majority of our students
apply test optional.
Dr. Ralph Ford (29:22):
All right, well, we're getting close to the end
of our time. And one morequestion and then you can close
with whatever you'd like. Butwhat's your pitch? Why Penn
State Behrend we didn't talkabout that we talked about the
process, but why should thestudent consider Penn State
Behrend?
Andrea Konkol (29:37):
So I think Penn State Behrend is a great
opportunity within the PennState system. So you are not
only getting all of the thingsthat Penn State Behrend offers
and and we'll touch on that. Butyou're also getting a degree
that says Penn State Universityso no matter where you attend
within Penn State, your diplomasays the Pennsylvania State
(29:58):
University now we dig into PennState there. And I think what I
like to talk to students aboutis thinking about the gold star
moments that you can accumulateat Behrend and gold star moments
can be a lot of differentthings. So it could be their
open lab experiences thatthey're involved in. So open lab
(30:20):
being involved with industry orcommunity organizations on real
world projects, doing research,having an internship during
their time, it could be all ofthe activities, it could be
athletics that they're involvedin, they could be writing for
the weekend, which is theBehrend newspaper, could be
having a show on BBC Radio. Sothe Gold Star moments are the
(30:43):
things if you equate it to goingback to kindergarten and getting
a star on the chart. These arethe things that you can
accumulate during your time atPenn State, that when you get to
commencement, that's yourresume, right? So start building
your resume from the very firstmoment that you walk in the
door.
Dr. Ralph Ford (31:02):
That's great advice, because our students
have many opportunities afterthey graduate as well. Is there
anything else you'd like to add?
Andrea Konkol (31:11):
I would just say, you've already said it Ralph, is
asked questions. And one of thethings that kind of hurts my
heart is when a parent calls andsays, I don't want to bother
you. But I have this question.
And we truly are here to helpour students and our parents
through this process. So ask thequestion, that's absolutely what
we're there for.
Dr. Ralph Ford (31:32):
Right? Right.
bother us. Yeah. Okay. Allright. Yeah. All right. Well,
great advice to end this. I'mDr. Ralph Ford, Chancellor of
Penn State Behrend and my guesttoday has been Andrea Konkol,
the Director of EnrollmentManagement here at Penn State
Behrend. Great to have you backon the show. Thank you.
Andrea Konkol (31:47):
Yep, thanks.
I'm Dr. Ralph Ford, Chancellor of Penn State
(00:02):
Behrend and you're listening toBehrend Talks. My guest today is
Andrea Konkol, Director ofEnrollment Management here at
Penn State Behrend. And I jokeand say that because you've been
on the show before, and wealways have great things to talk
about. So welcome to the show,Andrea.
Andrea Konkol (00:16):
Thanks, Ralph.
Dr. Ralph Ford (00:17):
For those who don't know, Andrea oversees our
admissions and financial aidoffices here on campus. And you
are a member of our seniorleadership team. You have a very
unique vantage point here atPenn State Behrend. And I think
a really actually noble purposein what your group does. And I
say that and you get to giveadvice to a lot of students who
(00:39):
are trying to think about theirfuture. So you and the
admissions team get to work withstudents trying to figure out if
Penn State Behrend or otherplaces are the right fit for
them. And not only that, notonly do you welcome the new
classes when they come to campusevery fall the incoming class,
you also get to read their namesat graduation, which is a lot of
fun. So anyway, so you've beenon the show. Let's get into it.
(00:59):
I will talk a little bit though,about your background. We know
you're an MIS ManagementInformation Systems graduate
from Penn State Behrend. Sowhat's the path from MIS into
admissions?
Andrea Konkol (01:12):
Yeah, so during my time at Behrend, I was a
campus tour guide. I also workedin the registrar's office. So I
think that was kind of myconnection. Back to Behrend, I
always say worked in the realworld for a year, I worked at
Erie Insurance after Igraduated, I was a computer
programmer. And I just reallymissed people. It kind of was
(01:34):
cubicle job, a lot ofprogramming and saw this job in
the newspaper at that time, westill advertised for jobs in the
newspaper, applied, and I'vebeen here ever since. It's been
a really great career for me,I'm able to include a lot of
what my undergraduate degreekind of entailed as far as
(01:54):
technology and databases,understanding data helps me to
this day in my job, so it's fun,I get the data side, and I also
get the people side.
Dr. Ralph Ford (02:03):
And you were an admissions counselor, and then
assistant or associate directorfor a number of years. So you
met with many students, andyou've been director now help me
on my memory to three years? Howlong? Have you been director of
the admissions enrollment?
Andrea Konkol (02:20):
For almost a year and then Director for two years
now.
Dr. Ralph Ford (02:24):
What I recall about that is I believe we did
the search during the pandemic.
Andrea Konkol (02:27):
Yes, those were high pandemic times.
Dr. Ralph Ford (02:29):
All right. So when it was difficult times,
because a lot of students werenot choosing to come to
universities at that point. Sointo the fire. Anyways, why
don't we talk a bit about thisidea of fit? Because that's
something we, we know, isimportant as we talk to those
students. So what do you mean byfit? And how does that factor
(02:51):
into your discussions withprospective families?
Andrea Konkol (02:54):
So fit, I often equate to a feeling right, it's
the emotional part of a collegedecision in many aspects. So
when students come to visit uson campus, or when we're
speaking with them at their highschool or college fair, we'd
really try to suss out a lot ofwhat their interests are. So
(03:15):
whether they have particularacademic interests at that
point, or whether they haveactivities that they're looking
for, they might be a studentathlete or really into music and
want someplace that has a core.
So there are a lot of thingsthat we can ask them. And we can
talk about what we have here atBehrend that might align with
their interests, but I think fita lot of time comes down to is
(03:37):
it a place where they can seethemselves for the next four
years? Does it feel comfortableto them? Do they feel at home,
and then a lot of times it's afinancial fit as well. So that's
a big part of a student'sdecision. But I really think
coming to visit is the best wayto determine fit. Sometimes it's
that getting out of the carexperience. This is a place I
(03:59):
can see myself.
Dr. Ralph Ford (04:03):
Right. So many students say when they drive
onto a college campus. Theydescribe that experience of they
knew this was the place forthem. And I think that's that
holds pretty well, whether it'shere or some other place that
often feels like it's the rightplace where they met people. So
if someone is interested inBehrend they apply. Walk us
(04:24):
through the process of like,what does it take to apply to
Penn State University and PennState Behrend? I want to get
into some of these discussionsabout the complexity of the
FAFSA form that's in the currentnews and everything but just you
know, if somebody's interested,what should they do?
Andrea Konkol (04:40):
So I think the process can start early on in
their high school careers. Sostudents should be thinking
about things early on. So evenlate in their middle school
years, if they're headed towardscollege, making sure that
they're scheduling all of theright courses is a really
important thing. And that'ssomething that I ended up having
(05:01):
to work with a lot of students,when they apply, they might not
have taken all of the right mathcourses that are required. World
Language, foreign languagecourses, a lot of times catch a
lot of students up. So startingto think very early on in their
high school career, that collegemight be a possibility for me,
and then working with theirschool counselors to make sure
(05:22):
that they're scheduling theright classes. And then I think,
moving through high school, oncea student gets into 11th grade
starting to visit the schoolsthat they're interested in is
really important so that theycan determine things like fit.
And then really, the applicationprocess starts for a student of
the beginning of their 12thgrade year. So students can
(05:44):
apply to Penn State throughmultiple platforms, there's
something called the CommonApplication, which many schools
are part of where students canchoose to apply to multiple
schools on the same application.
Usually, schools have their ownapplication platform as well,
which Penn State does. Soapplying early on in the senior
year. And then we like to getdecisions to students during
(06:05):
that fall of their senior year.
So usually, we ask students toapply by November 1 of their
senior year, we like to get themthat decision before the
December holidays, so that theyhave plenty of time to make an
admissions decision, if theyhaven't visited yet come visit.
If they need to explore academicprograms more, we can set them
(06:28):
up with a faculty member, orsome of our current students in
those programs to learn more. Sothat gives them plenty of time
so that by the time they are atthe end of their senior year,
they're able to make an informeddecision.
Dr. Ralph Ford (06:40):
And that idea that we give them an answer, if
they apply by November 1 andgenerally hear from us in
December. That's fairly new. Ithink we've really pushed that
forward.
Andrea Konkol (06:51):
We have Yes, so it previously was November 30,
was our date that we used touse, we are rolling admissions.
So not every student knows thatthey're going to apply by
November 1, not every student isready to apply. Not every
student has found us by November1 of their senior year. So
(07:11):
that's an important thing toknow is that we do have rolling
admissions, we like to getdecisions to students early. But
there are students that becauseof home situations, or schools
that might have less resourcesthat are applying late and we
can absolutely accommodate thosestudents too.
Dr. Ralph Ford (07:29):
You know, one of the things I think about is for
us, you and I deal with thisevery day we've been at this for
many years, it's very natural,right. But it's pretty
intimidating, actually, for afamily, or for a student often
to walk onto a college campus.
So walk us through so somebody'sapplied, they've been accepted.
They want to visit campus.
(07:51):
What's that experience like forthem? What should they be
thinking about as they meet withyou and your team?
Andrea Konkol (07:57):
There are lots of different types of visit
opportunities. So some studentswant to feel a little bit more
anonymous when they come oncampus. So attending an event,
like a large scale, open housemight feel more comfortable for
them. We also have individualappointments as well. So a
student that might be ready toask some more in depth
(08:18):
questions, or have some personalcircumstances that they want to
discuss with us. We also haveindividual appointments. I think
when visiting schools, one ofthe most important things that a
student and family can do isassess how they're treated
during that visit, that givesyou a good idea of how you'll be
(08:40):
treated as a student. So whenyou walk into the admissions
office or to an event, how areyou greeted, as you are working
with staff and faculty andstudents? Are they excited about
their programs? And do you feelcomfortable talking to them? Do
you feel like they have care andconcern for your situation? So
(09:01):
as families are visiting, that'ssomething that I think caring a
little bit more than everybodyelse is a great strategy for us.
Making sure that students feellike they're number one, when
they walk in our office is soimportant. We don't want them to
feel uncomfortable.
Dr. Ralph Ford (09:17):
I love the fact that they're just different
opportunities and ways forpeople to come and engage. Now
you have two daughters that arecollege age. And if you don't
mind me saying they're here atBehrend, did they look at other
institutions as well.
Andrea Konkol (09:30):
They looked within Penn State. So we visited
University Park, they decidedthat was not for them, but not
outside of Penn State. They didnot look at other institutions.
But I will say that, so they'retwins, just like so everybody's
like this seems like a weirdconversation. So two daughters.
(09:50):
Yes, they're twins. So we wentthrough this process last year.
And what was interesting is Iwas able to see a lot of their
really close friends go throughthe application process and
admissions process here at PennState as well. And I will say it
fundamentally changed me in theway that I kind of interact now
with students and parents, Irealized that it takes a lot, we
(10:16):
throw a lot of information atstudents and ask them to digest
it and make decisions on it. Mydaughter's had me as a resource,
and they still had questions. SoI think now and as we've gone
through this new admissioncycle, I've really looked at the
way that we communicate withstudents, we're throwing a lot
(10:36):
at them, can we make it simplerfor them? Can we help them
through this process? Not thatwe want to completely hold their
hand? But can we make it alittle bit easier?
Dr. Ralph Ford (10:46):
Well, I just think about you come to an open
house at any institution. Andthere are all these tables with
all these different things. Andthen you go to an orientation
session, there is a lot to takein, well, what I'm confident in.
And I can say this, because wejust got a lot of data. You
know, I think it's one of thosethings that we do really well
here at Behrend, and it doesn'tmean we can't get better. But I
(11:07):
will talk a little bit about mytwo kids. And they both looked
at other institutions, and theyended up here and they
graduated, then I'll make thepoint out is is don't take for
granted that every school is thesame. I think you made that
point. And what I and I won'tname the institutions, I thought
one did a phenomenal job thatone of my both of my sons looked
at. And I thought it was justoutstanding, and we had a lot to
(11:29):
learn. The other one I foundvery interesting, because it was
more about how we were going toselect you out and how kind of
open they were about if you'regood enough to get in the door
here. And you know, maybe theyhave that luxury to do that. But
I think it's a little bit morein the culture of the type of
institution they're in. So toyour point, try to figure out
the culture, is it one that isgoing to be welcoming and
(11:49):
helpful and give you the supportnetwork that you need? So maybe
enough set around that? Let'sswitch the cost. Okay. So, as a
family is thinking about it,this is also another part that
is tremendously confusing,right? So they're trying to
figure out what the cost is togo to a university, trying to
get the true cost to understandwhat it's going to look like 2,
(12:10):
3, 4 years from now, whatfinancial aid is, help us
understand this process? Andwhat's your advice?
Andrea Konkol (12:18):
Yeah, so actually, I was able to speak
with one of our classes here atBehrend yesterday was the
resident assistant class. That'sthe class that prepares students
to go on to be ResidentAssistants. And we're in good
discussion about students comingfrom different backgrounds and
understanding that, and one ofthe things that they said was
(12:41):
most confusing to them was thefinancial aid process. And so
some of that is out of PennState's control. So some of the
financial aid process is throughsomething that we call the Free
Application for Federal StudentAid. So that is the federal form
that students fill out. So theprocess of applying for
(13:03):
financial aid, in mostcircumstances starts with a
student or family filing theirFAFSA form. And then, based on
information from the FAFSA, eachschool that they're applying to
receives that information, andthen puts together a financial
aid package for the student. Andso, at the end of the day, there
(13:23):
are many different types of aidthat a student can both apply
for receive, and then they haveto look at their bottom line
costs as well. And so it can bereally confusing when you're
applying to different types ofschools. So you know, Penn
State, as a land grantinstitution, we're committed to
keeping our tuition as low aspossible and being accessible
(13:44):
for students. privateinstitutions are very different.
They might have a highertuition, but offer students more
scholarships. And so as we workwith students through the
admissions process, we try togive them a few examples of what
that might look like for them sothat they can say, for each
school that they're applying to,what is the base cost, tuition
(14:06):
and fees? And what does it costto live on campus? What am I
qualifying for? Whatscholarships Am I getting? And
then looking at that bottom linenumber when they're trying to
determine whether the school isthe right fit for them as far as
cost goes.
Dr. Ralph Ford (14:21):
And your team will sit down and help them
through that process?
Andrea Konkol (14:24):
We do? Yeah, and we do actually lay out examples
for students in a very visualway. And we say, whether your
family uses a notebook, whetherit's a post it note, whether you
create an Excel spreadsheet, dothis for each school that you're
considering so that you trulyknow what your cost will be.
Dr. Ralph Ford (14:43):
And I think we've gotten a lot better as an
institution and I everybody hasbecause laying it out in a way
families can understand and Ithink that that's to everyone's
benefit, I'm sure we havefurther to go. Since you've
mentioned the FASFA, you know,it's in the news. It was very
hot in the news. Tell us whyit's in the news, what's going
(15:03):
on? And frankly, it's impactingstudents this year who are
applying to college, but atleast it's impacting everybody
who's applying.
Andrea Konkol (15:12):
So this all started with the FAFSA
Simplification Act, which waspassed by Congress in 2021. And
so this has been right now we'rein 2024. So this has been a
three year project. And so thereason that FAFSA is being
redone is that it is incrediblycomplicated. The old FAFSA had
(15:33):
over 100 questions that a familyor student had to answer. The
new FAFSA will have 36questions, it will better be
able to interact with the IRSsystem and pull in tax
information. So because thereare fewer questions, we expect
(15:54):
that it will be more accessiblefor families, it won't seem like
such a barrier to apply, andthat more students will be
eligible for aid. So in the end,this is a very good thing. This
is kind of a crazy year, though.
So in a typical year, studentswho'd be able to start applying
for financial aid in October 1,so October 1 of their senior
(16:15):
year, because of the changes inthe fastest system, the FAFSA
hasn't opened until December 31,it's opened very late. And
there's also a lot of testing,that has to happen both on the
faster side. And also on all ofthe colleges and university
side. It's a completelydifferent data system. So the
(16:36):
way that we receive informationis different. And I guess maybe
this is an MIS thing that I canthink about is we have to take a
completely new data set from thefederal government and figure
out how that works with PennState Systems, and then what the
students financial aid packagewill look like in the end. So
(16:56):
there's a lot of testing thathas to take place. So in a
normal year, we would expectthat students would have their
financial aid packages in midFebruary, this year, and we keep
getting news about continueddelays. We're not even expecting
to get information from FAFSAuntil mid March, which means
that our financial aid packagesprobably will not be available
(17:17):
to students until late March orearly April. So we're trying to
be flexible with students aretrying to know that they're
getting this information that'sreally important to their
college decision very late. Thenormal kind of college national
decision date is May 1, it'spossible that that date could be
delayed by many institutionsacross the United States. So
(17:42):
just starting to see that now.
Yeah, so we're really workingand up there. And because of our
size, we can be more flexiblewith students. So as we get more
information and aid packagesstart being released. We'll work
very closely with students andfamilies to make sure they
understand and have theinformation they need before
they have to make a decision.
Dr. Ralph Ford (18:03):
So people will need some extra patience this
year, no matter whatinstitutions are looking at.
Just take your time. You don'thave to make your decision till
June 1, we need to watch thenews and see how this plays out.
Well, one of the awards that wecreated as a university a few
years ago, something known asthe Discover award. And it is
(18:25):
particularly good for studentswho want to go to Penn State
Behrend in particular, andprovides an aid package for
those who are out of state andwe're expanding it this year. So
why don't you tell us what thatis and what the opportunities
are there because it issignificant.
Andrea Konkol (18:42):
Yeah, we are so excited about the changes to the
Discover award this year atBehrend. So the Discover award
is $6,000. Award for each year.
So up to $24,000 total, inprevious iterations of this
award, it has only beenavailable to contiguous states,
so states that borderedPennsylvania this year, it's
(19:02):
actually opened up to all 49states and US territories
outside of Pennsylvania. Sobasically, if you're a US
citizen, and you don't reside inPennsylvania, you are now
eligible to be considered forthis scholarship. And we've
always had a lot of studentsthat come to us from out of
state. So last year in ourincoming class, we had students
(19:27):
from 29 states, I think it'sreally going to be a game
changer for us. Our athleticcoaches are so excited about
this opportunity. Many of themrecruit and further afield areas
likeTexas, Illinois, Michigan,California, a couple of them
called very excited becausePuerto Rico has been on their
(19:48):
radar. And this really is goingto allow them to recruit further
afield and support out of statestudents.
Dr. Ralph Ford (19:59):
Great opportunity. And I tell people,
you know, they're often askingthe question, where do your
students come from? And I alwayssurprise them. When I say, you
know, we get students fromCalifornia, and there are
reasons why we get them, we getstudents from a whole lot of
different places. Just want tostay on this topic of cost and
aid. And the other thing that weall know is really important is
(20:20):
student loan debt. And what'sthe discussion that you have
with students? And how do youhelp them minimize the amount of
debt they have to take on tocome to a four year university
Andrea Konkol (20:30):
Yeah, so I think as far as student debt goes, I
like us?
mean, one of the biggest thingsthat a family can do is consider
what a student is paying overtheir four years, and how that
can most be minimized. And soone of the things that we talk
with families about early on inthe process is, look, we're
(20:53):
telling you what your cost islikely to be across each year
that you attend, the best waythat you can save is to actually
graduate in a four yeartimeframe. And so that's
something that we talk withfamilies early on in the
process, and what does it mean?
And how do you graduate in a
Dr. Ralph Ford (21:11):
Now, really great advice, and leads into my
four year timeframe? Look, allof our degree programs at Penn
State are designed to befinished in a four year
timeframe. So working with youracademic advisor to make sure
that you're on track and gettingto graduation, don't miss a
course don't get to that lastsemester and say, Oh, no, I
(21:31):
needed a foreign language classin order to graduate. So the
best way that students canminimize student debt is to
think about time to graduation.
I also think speaking withfamilies early on in the
process, about other scholarshipopportunities outside of what
you might qualify for in federalor state aid. So looking into
(21:52):
opportunities through their highschools are great sources. So
their school counselors willhave lists of local kinds of
scholarships that might beavailable. Your Community
Foundation has a great listingof scholarships on their
website, and most communitieshave something similar. Thinking
(22:12):
about other sources, likefamilies that might have a
parent that served in themilitary, using military
benefits students, doingNational Guard or ROTC is a
great opportunity. So there aresome things that families can do
early on, and be thinking aboutapplying for other scholarship
opportunities outside of theinstitution that they're
applying for.
(22:37):
next line of questions whichpeople think about the
admissions process, and theythink about you just getting
students here, but it doesn'tend there. You work with
students, and then they gothrough this new student
orientation in the summer. Andthen we actually have a lot of
support systems here on campus,like the first six weeks
program, we'll talk about that.
But explain, you know, so once astudent is accepted, and they
(22:59):
make that decision, then theyenter into the next phase even
before they get here.
Andrea Konkol (23:05):
Yeah, and our admissions work doesn't stop
until the student arrives hereon campus. And so we continue to
communicate with students. Sothey've made the decision that
they're going to attend PennState bear, and they commit,
they pay their deposit, but thecommunication and the counseling
through all of that doesn't stopthere. And so we're in
(23:28):
continuous contact with thestudent, they need to take a lot
of steps that landed them in theclassroom on that first day. So
New Student Orientation is a bigpart of that. So we're
communicating with students, andparents making sure they
understand all of the next stepsthat are required for New
Student Orientation. Parents area huge factor in supporting
(23:49):
their student and actuallygetting here on that first day.
And we've seen over the years,parents wanting to be more
involved in students want theirparents to be more involved as
well. And so we've added a lotof communications coming out
from my office, parents want toknow, give me a checklist, what
are the things that I can helpsupport my students over these
(24:09):
next couple months? And thenwhen they get here, you've
mentioned the first six weeksinitiative. I think making sure
students know about all of theresources that are available to
them. I mentioned a good storythat illustrates this. I
mentioned that I was talking tothe RA class yesterday. And a
student said, you know, Igraduated from a really small
high school. And at my highschool, there was one guidance
(24:32):
counselor, and I knew that shewas my person. And what was
really hard for me when I got toBehrend is I didn't have one
person. There's a lot of peopletrying to help me and I couldn't
figure out exactly where Ineeded to be or who I needed to
talk to you for each individualthing. And the way I responded
(24:53):
to that was, I'm your admissionscounselor, you can always step
into the Mesker building. Don'tbe afraid Need to ask who you
should be talking to are where Ican get those resources,
admissions doesn't stop once astudent enrolls, someone can
always step into the Metzgarbuilding and we can help direct
them.
Dr. Ralph Ford (25:11):
The Metzgar Building... now that you
mentioned, beautiful inside,yes, you are fortunate to be in
one of the gorgeous spaces oncampus is right when you drive
down to campus here so an alumnican come back as well. So it's
always open for somebody who hasquestions. Absolutely. It's a
great space. Let's talk aboutliving on campus. So Behrend is
a residential campus, large 850acre campus here, a lot to do,
(25:36):
why should or should not astudent live on campus in their
first year.
Andrea Konkol (25:40):
So I think it depends on a student and the
experience that they're lookingfor. So we have great on campus
spaces, we have students comingto us from across the United
States, we have internationalstudents, and students are able
Good advice. Let's talk abouttwo other things that are often
to live on campus and kind ofbuild that community. It makes
(26:01):
it easy for students to getinvolved, they have a lot of
built in support system, we havegreat Residence Life staff that
they are knocking on doors andchecking on students and making
sure that they're alright. Soit's a great supportive
environment, we have some livinglearning communities, which are
(26:24):
interesting. So we have anengineering house, we have our
Honors house, we have our globalborders, which is for students
that are internationally minded,we have our Honors house. So
there are some great ways thatstudents can find a community
within their residence lifeexperience as well. But we have
the opportunity for students tobe able to commute to campus and
(26:44):
for students that live in ourlocal area, commuting to campus
and saving that money that theywould be spending on housing
contracts, and a meal plan canbe a game changer for them in
affording a Penn Stateeducation. So the beautiful
thing is that, yes, if you wantthat residential experience, you
(27:07):
can live on campus. But ifcommuting from home is either
more comfortable for you, or away to save on your college
expenses, you have that option,you have an option to get a Penn
State degree at great cost inyour backyard too.
seen as part of the process. Asa college essay, do students
(27:29):
have to write a college essay tocome here.
So the essay for the Penn Stateapplication is completely
optional. And it does sayoptional. When you apply, I
always suggest to students thatdon't make it a barrier for
submitting the application. Sodon't feel like you need to
stress out about what you writethere. But if there's something
else about your background thatyou feel is important in the
(27:52):
admissions decision that youwant us to know about, write it
in there. We just had asituation yesterday, one of the
other counselors in the officetook a call. It was a mom, a
student was not admitted. Andshe had some questions. And we
started kind of talking throughoptions. And what we actually
found out when we went in andtook a closer look at the
application is that the studenthad some pretty traumatic
(28:16):
experiences during high schoolthat affected one or two years
of their high school experience.
And so we're able to kind oftake those things into
consideration. So the essay,yes, I recommended that students
do it. Don't stress out aboutit. Tell us something we don't
know.
Dr. Ralph Ford (28:31):
Okay. Good advice. And the other thing I
heard there is if you havequestions, ask, reach out. SATs
and ACTs? What about those?
Andrea Konkol (28:40):
So Penn State is test optional. We became a test
optional during the pandemic asa lot of schools did. But even
prior to the pandemic, there waskind of this movement towards
test optional. And Penn Statehas not made the official
decision. I'm not givingofficial decision here yet. But
I expect that we will probablyremain test optional. About 60%
(29:04):
of our students apply testoptional. It's taken a lot of
the stress off of studentsaround test taking not
everyone's a great standardizedtest taker. So yes, I imagine we
will probably stay test optionaland the majority of our students
apply test optional.
Dr. Ralph Ford (29:22):
All right, well, we're getting close to the end
of our time. And one morequestion and then you can close
with whatever you'd like. Butwhat's your pitch? Why Penn
State Behrend we didn't talkabout that we talked about the
process, but why should thestudent consider Penn State
Behrend?
Andrea Konkol (29:37):
So I think Penn State Behrend is a great
opportunity within the PennState system. So you are not
only getting all of the thingsthat Penn State Behrend offers
and and we'll touch on that. Butyou're also getting a degree
that says Penn State Universityso no matter where you attend
within Penn State, your diplomasays the Pennsylvania State
(29:58):
University now we dig into PennState there. And I think what I
like to talk to students aboutis thinking about the gold star
moments that you can accumulateat Behrend and gold star moments
can be a lot of differentthings. So it could be their
open lab experiences thatthey're involved in. So open lab
(30:20):
being involved with industry orcommunity organizations on real
world projects, doing research,having an internship during
their time, it could be all ofthe activities, it could be
athletics that they're involvedin, they could be writing for
the weekend, which is theBehrend newspaper, could be
having a show on BBC Radio. Sothe Gold Star moments are the
(30:43):
things if you equate it to goingback to kindergarten and getting
a star on the chart. These arethe things that you can
accumulate during your time atPenn State, that when you get to
commencement, that's yourresume, right? So start building
your resume from the very firstmoment that you walk in the
door.
Dr. Ralph Ford (31:02):
That's great advice, because our students
have many opportunities afterthey graduate as well. Is there
anything else you'd like to add?
Andrea Konkol (31:11):
I would just say, you've already said it Ralph, is
asked questions. And one of thethings that kind of hurts my
heart is when a parent calls andsays, I don't want to bother
you. But I have this question.
And we truly are here to helpour students and our parents
through this process. So ask thequestion, that's absolutely what
we're there for.
Dr. Ralph Ford (31:32):
Right? Right.
bother us. Yeah. Okay. Allright. Yeah. All right. Well,
great advice to end this. I'mDr. Ralph Ford, Chancellor of
Penn State Behrend and my guesttoday has been Andrea Konkol,
the Director of EnrollmentManagement here at Penn State
Behrend. Great to have you backon the show. Thank you.
Andrea Konkol (31:47):
Yep, thanks.
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