A Campus to Call Home | Kyle Peach

Kyle Peach, Director of Traditional Undergraduate Admissions, joins to talk about finding the right college fit—and why experiencing campus firsthand matters. Kyle encourages students to visit UNW to truly get a feel for what makes it unique. He shares his passion for helping students understand exactly who UNW is, from its Christ-centered mission to a culture where students are bold in living out their faith.

With record-breaking incoming class numbers in recent years, it’s clear that more students are discovering and loving UNW—and often, it starts with word-of-mouth. Hear why your experience matters and how sharing it can help others find a home at UNW. 

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💬 Know an alum, faculty member, staff, or student of UNW doing amazing things out in the world? Let us know at alumni@unwsp.edu. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:02

Join as we highlight the people, the purpose, and the pulse of Northwestern. This is the Unwavering Podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

Hey everybody, this is Monty and Cassie. And welcome to another pulse episode of the Unwavering Podcast. And today we are stepping into a new area of campus that we have yet to feature on the Unwavering Podcast. We are stepping into admissions. That's right. Our guest today is Kyle Peach. Kyle is the director of traditional admissions here at the University of Northwestern and has been involved with admissions for nearly a decade. He got his undergrad, an elementary ed from Bethel University before getting a Master of Education from Liberty University. He's also okay at football, decent at golf, and uh truly one of the kindest people on campus. So, Kyle, welcome to the podcast. Thank you guys for having me.

SPEAKER_03 1:08

Good to have you. And is it true you're okay at football? How are you at flag football?

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Well, flag football has a special place in my heart. Um, as associated under my job description as director of admissions, I am also the head flag football coach uh of our club team. Amazing. And I feel like I should say that it's not actually in my job description, but it is it is something I have enjoyed getting to do these last two years that we have had women's flag here at Northwestern. Season just ended. Bittersweet. Actually, later today going to get ice cream with the whole crew for kind of end of the year party. And this will be fun to have the whole team together uh before school ends here in a couple weeks. Very cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Super fun. Well, the and the women's flag football team is a recent thing um here at Northwestern, but there's also something that recently happened in your personal life, which is that you became a dad for the first time recently. So congratulations. And how's that going? And has your daughter committed to Northwestern yet?

SPEAKER_00 2:01

Well, it's it's going great. I mean, right? First first time parents, so it's our first, our first, and she's just a bundle of joy, which also happens to be her middle name. Oh, which one bundle or joy? Good question. Uh Joy. Yeah, Joy. Great name.

SPEAKER_03 2:17

Great name.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Yeah. And is she committed to Northwestern? Yeah, she has been on campus a lot between uh just coming in by and seeing the admissions office, seeing me at work, or if it is flag football practice. And so we're getting there, right? It's it's kinda it's probably a long, it's a long-term play. It's a long-term recruitment with her.

SPEAKER_03 2:34

Absolutely. And do you like her yet so far?

SPEAKER_00 2:37

Love her. Good. Love her.

SPEAKER_01 2:39

Yes. Yes. Yeah. Uh daughters have a way of wrapping you around their finger very quickly. Um how have you grown in your faith since becoming a dad?

SPEAKER_00 2:50

Yeah, that's a great question. I man, it's hard to it's hard to quantify and maybe even talk about like the love that you have for your own child. And you both of you are are parents, so you can probably relate, especially in that newborn. Now she's getting closer to toddler stage, but at one point where you could just kind of hold her, you know, in both hands and something really sp special and sweet. And now she has reactions. So when I get home, I had a long day at work, or I had a long day at football, and then and but then come home. And she's just sitting up there on the table and she turns and she smiles. The the love that fills your hearts. And I think that there's something really similar there, like a fraction of the love that the Lord has for us, like as the father, right? So the love that he feels for us as his children, and he loved us enough to sacrifice his own son. And so there's so much there that now as a dad, you know, I feel like, man, I can relate to just a percentage of like what the father's love is for us.

SPEAKER_03 3:47

And then you get to that teen and tween age, which I have, and like, how could you disobey when I know best? And then you learn a new lesson. So parenthood is full of lessons.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

Yes. The Lord He came up with parenthood. That's amazing. Leads us to him.

SPEAKER_03 4:04

We love him anyway. It's great.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

Man, well, thanks for sharing that and thanks again for joining us. Um, where I'm hoping to go in this conversation, which is gonna go pretty quick, um, is I want to dive into like the whole process of admissions. Um, also what makes Northwestern kind of distinct in this process and then land with kind of a pulse of admissions, like how is the class looking for the coming fall, that kind of thing. But before I get to that, what drew you into the field of admissions in the first place?

SPEAKER_00 4:31

So my college journey back when I was a high schooler to say I was stressed about college was probably an understatement. And so I visited 15 schools in seven different states between my junior and senior year of high school. Fun fact about me. And my first interaction with admissions was really as a student tour guide, right? So getting tours as a high school student, going to multiple different campuses and interacting with other current students at other schools. And then it came time for me. I enrolled in undergrad, right? Enrolled as a freshman, and somebody told me, you would make a great tour guide, right? You would make a great tour guide. And so um, it was actually my dad. We were at another school. I won't say the name or what state it was in, but our tour guide maybe just had a rough day that day. And my dad leaned over and his very blue collar, my dad was a rougher, right? Very blue collar, very blunt, direct, leaned over and said, You could give a better tour than this guy. You know, and it kind of like put it in the back of my mind, like, oh, maybe I would be. And I was humble. I said, No, dad, that's ridiculous. But it actually did lead to me working in admissions as a student. So for three and a half years in my undergrad, both as a as a tour, I gave tours. Um, I worked over the summer. At one point, I was the assistant to the director of admissions at the time. And and then that led into a career uh of being an admissions counselor at my Mount Alma mater and then working there for a few years, and then now being here at Northwestern for now the last four years.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

Wow. That's cool. Are you still just as giddy about it and growing in it now than you ever have?

SPEAKER_00 5:55

Oh, yeah. There there's just something new to the role all the time. And I think that's something we talk about a lot in our office, our department. And when we're talking to folks who join our team, right, is about the things that we love, is that every day can be different, right? It's different. Um, you're working with different families, you're working through different seasons of their life, you're having different conversations. And for me, as a as a back when I was a tour guide, even I learned that I loved meeting complete strangers. I loved meeting complete strangers and talking to them about um something I'm passionate about, something that I love. And in this case, it's it's Christian higher ed, which is just such a need in this generation, in this world, in this city, and in this, in this state right now. Um there's a need for it. And so getting a chance to talk to families about the the values of it and the the positives and maybe why they would look at a place like Northwestern brings me joy.

SPEAKER_03 6:42

That's awesome. Well, okay, you looked at 15 schools.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

A few.

SPEAKER_03 6:47

Just a few. That's that sounds overwhelming. So I know some high schoolers are overwhelmed with the process of admissions. And uh how do you help navigate them through that process?

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Yeah, that's a great question. Uh you know, I think for our team, we talk a lot about we don't want any student to come to college and to come to Northwestern and be surprised, right? So I think it's all about expectation setting, the best that we can. And so, right, an R VP likes to say, uh, you know, if a student comes to Northwestern and they're surprised and it's a good surprise, right? We missed out on an opportunity to share that experience with them, like so for them to expect and to know it. And then if a student comes and it's uh not a great surprise, then it's okay. They didn't have the right expectations there either. And so we're not fortune tellers. Uh we don't tell students, hey, this is exactly what your experience is going to be, this is uh, you know, everything and this and that and the other. But we do try our best to give families a realistic expectation of what they can experience at Northwestern and what the not just the student experience, but I think even like what the admissions process will look like, right? So clarity for that and what they can expect. Are we test optional? Do we give out scholarships? Um, what do those look like? Um, is the application free? Right. So doing our best as a team to to really give families clarity, right? And so I I would I would say that for families who are, you know, wondering about, you know, how do I navigate this? I would say talk to colleges, right? The colleges that you're interested in, talk to our team, talk to a team at somebody in admissions, like they're the professionals in the space. So if anybody knows um what to do or how to do it, um, man, I would start there.

SPEAKER_03 8:23

Yeah, for sure. What what kind of questions should families and students be asking?

SPEAKER_00 8:28

One of my favorite questions that a family asked me one time is what type of student thrives here? So really high level in terms of high overview of okay, I'm looking at coming here. Am I gonna fit? And I think students in this generation this day, they want to figure out what the vibe is. They want to know like, am I gonna fit in here? Like, what's the vibe of this place? And that's a funny word. It's probably not the like the professional word that you hear admissions officers or or counselors use, but it's it's the one that we hear the most about, right? And so it's the thing that students, I think today, they want community. They want to know how they can engage, they want to know how they can get involved. Um, they want to know how a place is gonna change their life, uh, not only change their life, but how they can change um it. And so how they can come to a place like Northwestern or go to college and make an impact. This is one of the most that I have seen. This is the generation coming in that wants to make the most impact, and which is a really exciting time for higher ed and Christian higher education because we have groups of students who are coming in um chasing after the Lord and wanting him to be glorified, and they do it through their works, um, but also through faith. And that's so cool to me.

SPEAKER_03 9:37

Oh, that's great. Well, you're great at what you do. So thank you for helping those students navigate through. Um, I was unlike you. I went, I applied to one school that's the only one I wanted, and it was here at Northwestern. But there are so many students and families who feel stuck with their decision. They're either choosing between a few or maybe they don't have any in mind. They're they're unsure. So, what would you say to somebody who's feeling stuck in their decision?

SPEAKER_00 10:01

Well, the first thing I would say is man, get on a college campus, like go and visit somewhere. And I'll use this time to plug Northwestern as that first college visit, if you're wondering. But I'd say like the campus visit is one of the best ways to figure out like if it is a fit. And as you're walking around campus, try the food. If you're gonna be eating the food there for the next four years, you better make sure we like the food, right? That's for real. And I was a former college athlete, and so that was probably even more on my priority list as a student. For sure. You know, being a football player, it's like I'm gonna eat four meals a day. I better make sure I like the food where I'm going. So I think like getting on campus, meeting with professors, sitting in on a class, meeting with coaches, meeting with different, you know, current students, right? So we always make sure that um we try our best when a student visits Northwestern that they are actually paired with a current student. So someone that they not only get to hear and see campus from, but somebody they can ask questions to and ask, ask the questions that are on their mind. And even if they don't have questions, it's you just kind of get to sit there and be like, I don't know a lot about Northwestern. I don't know a lot about this college, but tell me what you would say about it, right? And starting really simple, I was the high schooler that needed to visit so many colleges because after my first one, I didn't know what questions to ask. And so that's really that question really relates to me because it took me a few tries to really figure out what mattered to me. And it took visiting on campus and seeing that every college in the country was really different from each other to understand what what was really important to me.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

That's actually a really good segue. You you you said each college is different, has a different feel. What is it about Northwestern that is different from other universities?

SPEAKER_00 11:39

Well, I think for from my from my vantage point with Northwestern, the thing that really sticks out to me is is just the incredible people that we have here on this campus who are here for students and the one mission that we have under unwavering, right? And I think um I'm sure you guys have had you've had President Hornbeek on this podcast talking about unwavering. Shout out to that episode. If anybody hasn't listened to it, they should go back and listen to it because it's incredible. But that students come here and they know exactly who we are and they know exactly what we're about, and they know exactly what um they will hear in classrooms and what they'll hear from others around campus. We want students, staff, and faculty who love Jesus. And to become to become a student here means to be in a place where you're surrounded by like-minded people who love the Lord and we're non-denominational, which I think is really cool because people come in from different views and perspectives, but we all love Jesus and we all believe that. And so there's a lot of clarity around the mission and where we are heading, and it's so fun to be on a college campus where you can actually feel that. You can feel that amongst every department, with amongst faculty and staff, amongst students. When you're walking by students in the cafe, and groups of them just have their Bibles out, right? And maybe you can say that in every Christian college, but it it really has felt like between that chapel experiences, small groups that are forming, Bible studies that are forming, the conversations that are being had in the classroom, there is real, real spiritual and faith development happening here. Um so we're not just a Christian college in name, but we have the proof and the pudding, I think, to to say that we're we're actually chasing that and we are unwavering.

SPEAKER_01 13:13

No, I think you're right. And that clarity is so good, not just in the process, but in the mission and how it actually plays out. And I think you're spot on, it's happening all over the campus, not just in chapels, but it is you're growing in your faith while you play this sport or while you participate in this or study this. Um that's unique to Northwestern. Is Northwestern the right place for every student?

SPEAKER_00 13:34

That's a great question, Monty. It's a question to ask somebody in admissions, but well, actually, you know, it's it's I think the clarity that we've had actually actually shows that, you know, not every college is there there's no perfect college, right? I mean, if there was one college that was really that superior, and I'll I'll use Minnesota as a great example, they there are almost 10 colleges on R Street alone on Snelling. Wow. Right? So if you go down Snelling, there's about ten different colleges. And if there was really one college that was for everyone and worked best for everyone, I think everyone would just go to that school. And so I think that speaks to me as somebody who works in higher ed, the vast diversity that there is of different colleges and universities. And so I would not say that Northwestern is for everyone. And we we don't try to be either. We don't try to be for everyone. Um, but man, if you're if you're a believer, if you're a Christian, like you love Jesus and you want a phenomenal education, or you want to be part of an incredible sports program or get um an incredible academic experience, Northwestern should be on your radar. That's so good.

SPEAKER_01 14:38

We can't be for everybody. And at the heart of who we are is a is a commitment to being unwavering, to have a love for God's word and God's world. Um, we're passionate about that here. We're not perfect in it. And that we've heard plenty of stories from alums who they met Jesus here as students and had a real faith that happens. Yes. But for the majority of people, or even just to say it differently, our faith will be at the heart of everything that we do here at Northwestern. So if you're desiring something like that, then this is the place that you should be. So good. So I'm curious to know because the admissions landscape is facing headwinds from a lot of different places. But I'm I'm really curious to learn a little bit about the state of the current class for this fall.

SPEAKER_03 15:19

Yeah, what's the incoming class looking like?

SPEAKER_00 15:21

Yeah. Yeah. Can I tell you in August? Yeah. When all the students enroll, um, we're not all that different, I think, from you know, probably businesses and nonprofits too that like ask, like, how is this next year looking? Right. And I think um for us, like it's crazy. Like, we spend a whole year with these students and families um working with them to determine if they're if Northwestern is gonna be their spot or not. And we don't really know like what it looks like until we get to um the start of classes in the fall. Um, that being said, early, we have some really strong, early indicators that this is gonna be another really strong class. And following up from a year last year, that was a record-breaking year, you know, our largest incoming class in seven, eight years, um, you know, from a lot of different groups and and you know, um in in public, homeschool, private school populations. I mean, it was really exciting to be part of that year last year, and this year um just to seem like building off of that momentum. And I think that's where we talk about clear mission, right? And having really clear expectations. And I think that's where a lot of families hopefully are seeing that with Northwestern, and that's what's attracting them to Northwestern. But so some strong positive indicators, but I you we'll see, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:33

We'll see in the fall. Well, and that's good to have the positive indicators. I know that you all enjoy data a lot in admissions with the different data points. Are there any other trends or tidbits or things that you're seeing, whether it's uh number of admitted students or a conversion rate within a a certain type of student or anything like that that you can share?

SPEAKER_00 16:55

Yeah, yes. And one thing that stands out is that this, you know, there's a lot of schools this year that so far early, early indicators for other schools. It sounds like you know, a lot of schools have uh, you know, an increase in applications. As we as we continue to see colleges move to actually like removing their application, their college app and moving towards something called direct admit, where all you need is a a GPA of uh maybe it's a 3.0 or above, and then you're automatically admitted into that, into that college. But I think for us as you know, faith-based institution, like there are things, there's criteria that's important to us besides just your high school GPA. Like absolutely, we want a student who's a good academic fit here. Um, but we also care about the faith fit, right? Like we care about um your belief in like who you are as a person, as a human, and um, man, we want you here if you love Jesus, right? Going back to that. And what's been really cool and really interesting to see this year in some of the data is that we actually saw less applications, and yet we are almost exactly on pace with where we were last year. And so to me, what does that say? It says that we have students who we have less students who are applying, but the students who are applying are the ones who know who we are and they want us. And so they're coming, they're getting in their transcripts so they can admit it, they go through the process of submitting a deposit with us. And so some of those strong early indicators uh that this year could be another good year. To me, that's really an encouragement and a testament to our team and to our university, the job that we've done and giving families really clear expectations that if you can actually write the idea of the funnel. Hypothetically, it if you have a funnel, the bigger the funnel is at the top, the more that would come out the bottom, right? It's like, well, for us, like the applications are actually a little bit smaller this year, the top of the funnel is a little bit smaller, and yet the the bottom's actually wider. That's fantastic. That's such a cool, cool testament to this university. And I think the what we're seeing from prospective students and prospective families, their reaction to Northwestern.

SPEAKER_01 18:45

It does come back to what you've been talking about with clarity in this whole process, from the process to the tour to the mission, but now even to the student who has clarity and what they're kind of getting into and what they hope to be a part of or interested in being part of. Um, a couple last questions, and then we'll let you get back to work on getting students here this fall. First, if an alum is listening, or or maybe a parent or staff member or another friend of Northwestern, if they're listening and they want to help be an admissions advocate or something like that, what's one simple step that they can take in their day-to-day life, or what's a way that they can help with Northwestern admissions?

SPEAKER_00 19:17

I'm so glad you asked that, Mati, because word of mouth is still our number one source for students. We, we, our marketing team is incredible here at Northwestern. Incredible. We we spent a lot of time on the website, we spend a lot of time on inquiry forums, we spend a lot of time on billboards and things. But word of mouth continues to show when we ask students on their admissions application, how did you hear about Northwestern? It continues to remain in our top three year after year, even with all the technology, all the ways to find about college online. It's students hearing about Northwestern from other people in their community and their family. My encouragement to alums would be talk about Northwestern. Talk about Northwestern, share your experience, talk about the incredible time that you had on campus, share about those memories. Um, it doesn't have to be salesy, like it doesn't have to be a pitch. It can just be to talk about Northwestern in your church, in your community, in your home, and let people know what a great place Northwestern is. And so that's that's the main thing I would say, besides painting your car purple and getting yellow stripes on the side and a bumper sticker that says Northwestern. That's also a moving billboard, which is I would just say if anybody does that, you should let us know. Because I'll get you some merch or something. Yeah, that's a relief.

SPEAKER_03 20:31

I already scheduled that appointment.

SPEAKER_00 20:33

So oh, cat Cassie, you did it.

unknown 20:36

So glad.

SPEAKER_03 20:37

Well, you're part of the marketing team, so that's what I'm hearing. That's great. You're part of the admissions and marketing teams. Well, Kyle, one last question here on the Unwavering podcast, we like to ask, what does it mean to be unwavering to you?

SPEAKER_00 20:48

To me, unwavering means um that we're that we're different, that we're unique. In today's world where there is so much drift, there is so much change, to be an institution that is putting their stake in the ground and to be an institution that's saying we are unwavering in our commitment to God's word and to God's world is such an incredible statement for a university, like the science of Northwestern is to say, as a community, we are unwavering. This is what it means, not just while you're here on campus, but also after you're off campus too. Let's go.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

That's a good word. It's a good word. May we hold fast and may we may we cling to that thing that makes us unique, which is the unwavering faithfulness of our God and uh what an opportunity we have. So, Kyle, thank you for taking some time to join us. And uh, you know, we're gonna let you go to go chase after the students for this fall or to go celebrate with the flag football team or whatever you're gonna do. But um, we appreciate your heart. We're glad you're here at Northwestern. So thanks for being on the team, and thanks again for joining us. Thank you, guys.

SPEAKER_02 21:52

Thank you for listening. To hear more, subscribe and leave a rating wherever you listen. And if you know an alum, faculty member, staff. Or, student of Northwestern doing amazing things out in the world? Let us know at alumni at unwsp.edu. The unwavering podcast, highlighting the people, the purpose, and the pulse of Northwestern.

SPEAKER_04 22:14

Your love is wavering.