By Liam Reilly
@liampreilly852
April can be a busy month for college students with final approaching, but it’s also a busy month for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Kyle Andolina is the Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions, and he and the rest of the staff have been gearing up for tours and the Accepted Student Open House on Sunday.
The Student sat down with Andolina to learn more about his switch from being a sport management major to working for Undergraduate Admissions and what he looks for in an application.
Student: What are some of your daily tasks?
Andolina: It depends every day. Every day is a little different. Right now we’re getting ready for our Accepted Student Open House so hopefully every accepted student will come and decide if this is the place they want to spend the next four, five or six years. And then a lot of it is getting ready for tours. I oversee our Pride Guides, our tour guides on campus, so they come in and I give them their tasks and get them ready to go out on tour. Making sure families feel comfortable on campus.
Student: What do you look for in an application?
Andolina: We’re looking for well-rounded students. I feel like everyone on this campus knows the holistic mindset goes back to the triangle that we all know, so somebody that’s well-rounded, has good grades, has people that say good things about them or if they work or are involved in clubs or sports.
Student: What was your time as a student like?
Andolina: I loved my time here, it’s one of the reasons I came back. I was an undergrad and I stayed for Graduate school too. My wife also went here, my sister came here and my sister-in-law is here as a grad student so there’s a lot of my family here. In my time I did a lot of things on campus, I was super involved.
Student: What prompted you to switch from Sport Management to Undergraduate Admissions?
Andolina: I always thought I was going to work professional sports but I fell in love with higher education. My kids are young, I keep saying that I’m going to be here till they graduate so I can get free college tuition. But no I wouldn’t want to leave this place anytime, it’s the best.
Student: What’s your favorite spot on campus?
Andolina: I love the museum downstairs in Judd. I love the history of Springfield College. I think there’s so much about the history that can make people realize how special Springfield is. I did the YMCA minor when I was here and I had an advisor at the time who really taught us a lot about the college and I think it made me realize how valuable the education at Springfield was and that’s why I like to go down to the museum, check it out and see all the history that we have at Springfield.
Photo Courtesy of Springfield College