By Jeremy Tiers, Senior Director of Admissions Services
2 minute read
Here’s an assumption that a lot of colleges, universities, and admissions counselors are currently making when it comes to their admitted student population.
If the student has received their financial aid award, the thought is they now have all the information they need to make their college decision.
That’s the wrong assumption.
Remember, you’re dealing with young people who have short attention spans, don’t read every email or text that you send, and in many cases are scared or worried about making the wrong decision for college.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for you and your colleagues to continue to lead the conversation and ask direct, intentional questions.
Your admitted students still need reminders about what makes the student experience at your school, different, unique, and/or better – especially from the current student point of view. Don’t just send them messages that ask, “What questions do you have?”, along with reminders about submitting their deposit.
As an example, let’s talk about students’ fear of making the wrong decision. According to the latest Tudor Collegiate Strategies data, that remains the top fear that students have during their college search process.
You can help alleviate it by sharing stories about your current first-year students and how they dealt with the same feelings during their search. That advice can be shared through direct quotes from current students in a personalized email from their admissions counselor, on social media platforms like Instagram, or as part of your Admitted Student Day event.
Remember, part of school’s ‘value proposition’ is making a student (and their family) feel wanted and cared for throughout the entire process.
If you’d like to talk more about something I said in this article, let’s do it. You can reply back, or email me here.
And if you found this article helpful, forward it to someone else on your campus who could also benefit from reading it.