Improving Entrance and Exit counseling...
Identify ways in which your current Entrance and Exit counseling procedures can be improved to help with default prevention.
On Entrance it is important to present the proper environment (in all areas) that promotes the concept of loan repayment.
On exit it is important for the student to have an exit interview with the financial aid officer. The concept of loan repayment, interest relief, loan foregiveness can be reviewed. Literature and brochures can also be provided.
There are many great ideas for exit and entrance counseling, depending on the needs of your students. Do you conduct group or one-on-one sessions? Some schools incorporate multimedia presentations and invite representatives from the lenders and servicers to speak at group sessions.
I believe that one-on-one counseling works the best for our students upon entering. We also get the chance to talk with them again when they are called in to sign their prom notes. I have noticed that are more likely to ask questions at that time. A lot of information is given to our students upon entering and I know it is difficult for them to retain all of it. As for exit counseling, we currently show the Financial Aid Exit film and go over the information in the Exit Guide. This is usually done in small groups. There are times when I do counsel the students on an indiviual basis and I have noticed that they are more likely to ask questions or express any concerns that they might have.
We also work with our students on a one on one basis upon entering the program. I agree that because of receiving so much information initially I too often question how much of it do they retain. During exit counseling we review the information given initially but this time in a group enviornment. At this time we stress the importance of loan repayment.
I think if a problem with default arises we should also add a mid point counseling session to highlight important factors when they are in the routine of school. At the beginning of their program they are excited about starting and at the end they are ready to be done; a session at mid point may help drill the importance of repayment a little better.
By presenting the Entrance and Exit counseling as a resource to the students instead of a federal requirement, they will be more open to listening. I have also had success with lenders coming in to speak to the students about repaying their loans. The attention seems to increase when a lender or loan servicer is in the room with them. The students feel more involved.
We meet one on one with each student for entrance and exit counseling. I go over the basics with each student and then give him/her a short quiz after entrance counseling. While there isn't a quiz given to our students for exit counseling, I do go over their total loan amounts owed and remind them when their repayment date is. I think that I can improve this process by maybe spending a little more time discussing their repayment options and handing out more literature.
Considering schools that conduct online or group counseling, do you feel this is as effective as one-on-one sessions?
I suggest we discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy (e.g. efficiency, information retention, availability of staff and resources, etc.)
Mary,
I agree with you. The interviews of entrance and exit are two essential processes of financial aid. The interview of exit is important because it gives him to the opportunity to the student of which is consolidation of we rendered and the different alternatives from payment. This helps us to default prevention.
Our entrance and exit counseling sessions are done on a one on one basis. We do this because our student body is small in nature.
We can ensure that the paperwork is done on-time and completely.
Here is an interesting idea for a more effective exit interview… have you ever considered it as an opportunity to give students additional career search resources? Perhaps including tips on resume writing, interview skills, etc.
Students might be more engaged if they are empowered with tools to understand not only their student loan obligations, but also how to increase their career and earning potential.
I believe that students who are interested in a conversation (rather than simply going through the motions of an exit interview) are more likely retain and seriously consider the student loan information you are providing to them.
I think that there are two ways in which Entrance and Exit counseling procedures can be improved to help with default prevention. Firstly there should be some humor in the presentation. This will encourage people to pay attention and make it more memorable. The other is to make it very clear that there are options (other than default) available for students who need more time or lower payments.
This is the first time someone has mentioned using humor in presentations. We all know how quickly you lose an audience when a presentation is monotone, uninteresting or exceptionally long. Also, even well-scripted material can fall flat if the presenter lacks enthusiasm.
When considering the written and verbal presentations given to students, it is an excellent idea to consider how your message is being communicated to the students.
Thank you for that suggestion!
One of the most important ways to improve the entrance and exit process is to simplify it for the student by presenting complex information in smaller to swallow parts and on a regular basis. I think that as Financial Aid Administrators we have to remind ourselves that our students do not understand our terminology which makes it difficult for them to relate to important concepts. We currently conduct one on one sessions but group counseling makes sense because you can deliver a lot of information quickly to a large number of students.
I think schools need to find ways to improve their counseling, especially at the exit interview. Too often this is done quickly and without much thought.
Schools should thoroughly and objectively assess their Entrance and Exit counseling procedures to determine the best strategy for their students. Schools catering to paralegals would have a completely different presentation than those catering to art students. The programs should be customized to fit the student population.
Ultimately, it is best to perform both one-on-one counseling and group counseling with videos. Presenting the information in different mediums will cater to the different learning styles of the students. Details of the debt, payment options, deferment options and default management contact information should always be provided in writing to every students for future reference.
We are an online school and we struggled with students completing the manual entrance and exit counseling brochures. Even with our explanations, the student did not seem to comprehend everything entailed with accepting a loan. We have transitioned to utilizing the online entrance and exit counseling. This has greatly improved the borrower's understanding by: providing more details regarding the borrower's rights and responsibilities, and requiring successful completion of the "quiz".
Leslie,
It is great to hear a success story! We hope that all schools participating in our course will evaluate their presentation methods and content, and it is especially helpful for schools to see what has worked for other organizations.
Kellee,
I just posted to the initial question about starting group sessions for Exit counseling this year for our school. We had someone from Career Services there and resume writing and interviewing for a job was brought up during this session. It definetly did help engage a few of the students when it was brought up. I felt more like we were having a conversation, rather than preaching to them, and I do think that helped with what the students got out of that time we were together.
Brenda
For the Entrance counseling, the Admissions department sends out a packet of information and in there it tells the new student about the process they will be going through. Then the student comes in to meet someone in Financial Aid and they get a one-on-one session when they get their finanacial aid package.
This process has not been questioned so far, but one repeating theme in this course is that if we keep putting the information in front of them, there is a better chance that their financial responsiblity will be taken seriously by them. Finding ways to do that can only help.
Our Exit counseling has been a little bit more difficult. Students do not always take it very seriously because they know they see the finish line and they just want out of there.
Exit counseling included online and one-on-one sessions up until this year. Last month we started group sessions. There was someone from Career Services, Financial Aid and Default Management. We had their packets ready and each department took turns at speaking about our end of things. Then we were all available for any questions. It was a new experience for me and was not sure how it went, but there is only one student left to do the counseling out of all the March graduates. That is the best numbers ever for getting students done in this process.
The next step that is going to be added is that the instructors will tell students that if they do not do their Exit counseling, they will not be able to get their grades or diplomas.
It is a work-in-process, but we are slowly trying to improve all aspects of the process.
Brenda
