WHO SHE IS : Admissions Coordinator, Office of International Programs

TIME AT PENN : A year and a half

WHAT SHE DOES: “I handle all study abroad applications for semester and academic year programs for undergraduates as well as incoming exchange students. There might be about 700 outbound (we have about 120 sites in over 40 different countries) and we’re expecting about 180 inbound students this year. I handle a lot of frontline stuff.”

HOW SHE PREAPRES STUDENTS: “I do a series of 101 sessions where I start out asking them why they want to go abroad and then go into how can they use those objectives to research a program that will meet their needs. We talk about billing, housing, what happens once they’re accepted and when they return.”

WHY STUDENTS WANT TO STUDY ABROAD: “It varies. Some want to go for very particular purposes or to become fluent in a language. For others, their friends are going and they want to go too.”

BUSIEST TIME OF THE YEAR: February. “My birthday is on the same day as the first application deadline.”