When doing an entrance as well as exit counseling it is important to provided the information and also ask your student questions because it’s one thing just feeding them the information and it’s another thing them actually understanding what you have explained to them. We give the information one-on-one but it all depends on the individual method of learning and understanding, so we usually ask them questions about the information we gave to them.
Asking questions to ensure they understand what you have told them is great. Simply providing the information and expecting them to grasp it all in unrealistic. Ensuring that they walk away with at least 5 major points that they fully understand will increase that students chance for success.
I suggest putting in a life skills course within the curriculum. At least the attempt is there and they have something to study and reflect on.
We empahisize the ways students can avoid deliquency. The entrance and exit counseling procedures definitely cover all the points.
Moises,
It's great that you are thoroughly covering the alternatives to delinquency during your loan counseling. When students understand the many options they have with student loans to solve financial difficulties such as economic hardship or unemployment, they are more likely to exercise these options and never become delinquent in the first place.
Diana Mateer
The largest challenge is of course on the exit side of counseling. Since students who drop without notice are more difficult to contact and meet with. We have instituted a policy to inform students that exit interviews are a shared requirement from both the institution as well as the student and encourage them to remember to stop by the financial aid or fiscal office to complete an exit interview prior to their separation.
Ashley,
If you set the expectation that all students need to complete exit interviews, even if they withdraw, at least some will follow through, particularly if they go through a formal withdrawal process. Of course, there will always be students who withdraw unofficially, and in those cases you may be unable to make the contact necessary to share exit interview information in any way other than simply mailing it. Another attempt you might make to reach out to these students is to locate them through the references they left while enrolled in the program, because if you can talk with them in person that is of course a better opportunity to provide exit information.
Diana Mateer
At the time of the final financial aid interview, we explain to students that they will need to attend entrance and exit counseling sessions at the beginning and end of their program. We explain that there will be important information provided to them to help manage their student loan debt during and after program completion. I think that we need to take a more realistic approach in advising students of the negative affects of defaulting on their student loans such as a thorough explaination of how it will affect their ability to borrow money for mortgages and autos. Possibly conducting an in-depth personal finance seminar to all students.
While it is unpleasant to talk about default consequences, you are correct in that we all probably need to emphasize them more. When students realize from the very beginning how serious student loans are, they are more likely to pay attention to all of the rights and responsibilities you explain to them during student loan counseling. I am even telling students now how default can negatively impact employment possibilities.
Your idea to conduct a personal financial seminar for all students is highly recommended. Then you are taking a whole student approach rather than just covering their student loans. I think a financial literacy seminar or program will surely benefit your default management efforts.
We will be improving our default prevention department by offering additional group seminars to students nearing graduation. The purpose of this is to reinforce the information the student receives from Financial Aid during the Entrance and Exit process.
Dale,
It is a great idea to hold in-person group sessions for exits as your primary or even supplemental exit process. I have found that students are very attentive during group sessions at the end of their programs, when they need the most practical information about their upcoming repayment.
Also, students in a group tend to reinforce one another and benefit from each other's general questions. It is also beneficial if you can access outside resources, either materials and/or speakers, to supplement your school specific information. Diana
I intend to work diligently on improving our group sessions. I am excited to see the result.
Dale,
I think you will find the results to be very successful. Students will leaarn from the loan counseling presentation as well as from each other in a group setting. Often students ask questions that others are reluctant to ask, and everyone benefits from the answers. Good luck!
Diana Mateer
We used to just do entrance counseling, and one-on-one exit counseling. About 3 months ago we started doing group exit counseling for all our upcoming grads. We have found this to be quite successful because questions arise that some of the students had not thought of and this helps to answer questions they didn't even know they had.
Thomas,
You have identified one of the beast reeasons to do a group counseling session. Students learn from each other's questions, and then they can schedule one-on-one time with you if they have concerns specific to themselves. I find that each time I have done a group exit session the questions help remind me of points I should make in the next session, so the students help the presenter as well!
Diana Mateer
I plan to share this information. Currently, I know that our FA Office advises in several ways, including entrance, exit and during a class that is common to all students in their last quarter. The information that is covered in this lesson will be shared in order to see if we have other opportunities to counsel students before graduation in addition to making sure all highlighted areas are part of the discussions.
A few of the ways our Entrance and Exit counseling procedures can be inproved to help default prevention are to include the total amount of loan debt for each student specifically. Currently, we give the student the information for maximum loan amounts, but they may be more interested if they have specific to them information.
We could also improve on the one on one sessions for Entrance and Exit counseling. Our school requires the students complete Entrance counseling online and are available to answer any questions they have after they have completed it. Also, Exit counseling is about an hour and done in a group setting. Perhaps, one on one counseling may have more detailed information for the indvidual student instead of giving just general information.
A third way to improve is to identify who our graduates are earlier and mail them the Exit counseling booklets and have that as a requirement to complete prior to graduation. I believe that will spark the student's interest more intead of just having a group Exit counseling sessions that are about an hour. It may give the student an oportunity to really read the information instead of just trying to fulfill a requirement and give them ample time to ask questions regarding their loans specifically.
Kimberly,
Supplementing exit interviews with information presented in a student success class at the end of the last quarter of enrollment should surely pay off, since it can never hurt to repeat vital information that a student will need to know very shortly after graduation. The students will know how seriously your school takes your obligation to provide this information, and hopefully they won't leave your campus with unanswered questions about their loan debt. That ending course is also a great opportunity to collect references for graduation announcements (and for financial aid in the future of course).
Diana Mateer
Carolyn ,
You identified a great way to supplement group exit sessions--provide the graduates with sonme exit information in advance of the session and give them some task, however small, to complete prior to attending the group session. Then the students come more prepared to the exit session and may even have more questions. Group exit sessions can be great ways for students to learn from each other as well as from you. If one student asks a question, it is pretty likely that the other students in the group had a similar question!
Diana Mateer
one on one really is the best way. I know it is tough to do but, I have to agree with all who preech it. Also keeping the student informed about where there fa stands
