About me
My name is Erin Swope. I am an Admission Associate at Thomas University. I am new to this field, I have been at TU for almost 3 months. I was a substance abuse counselor prior, so I enjoy interacting with diverse groups of people. I love learning about the technical aspects of Admissions. I have the public speaking skills down great; now I am just polishing up the technical and legal aspects.
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I was wondering what your biggest challenge has been with being employed in Admissions? I am new to this realm of work, so the biggest hurdle for me is learning about the compliance aspect and what to do and what not to do. I am learning more every day, which is great. It is nice to have a job that keeps me on my toes daily and one that I am constantly learning new information from.
One challenge I have with Admissions is learning to balance the recruitment aspect with the "in house" aspect. We are a small university, and so we have a small staff. It can get a little overwhelming at times when you are trying to juggle everything, but it is becoming more natural to me as time goes on.
I was wondering what everyon's biggest challenge was when they began their Admissions career? Mine has been learning all the small (but big) details that goes into the everyday process. I was a substance abuse counselor before coming to Admissions, so I have had a lot of experience talking with people and sharing information with others previously. I think I do an excellent job at this aspect. What I am learning are all the minute details, and what to do and what not to do. I am learning more everyday, but am still a work in progress (as I am… >>>
I am new on the Admissions scene, so I don't have a lot of insight to share. What I have enjoyed so far about Admissions is getting to speak with a very diverse population of people. Friendliness and actually listening to a prospective student can be two of our most effective tools in my opinion. I am learning the technical aspects of admissions, but those skills are something that are invaluable as well.
This makes my life so much easier!
This is the website for our Admissions department at Thomas University
I would say that as far as institutional marketing, my university is working pretty hard to improve in this area. We are a small private university, so the funds aren't always there for expensive marketing tools. We recently started airing commercials on television, which has been a big help in getting our name out to the public. We are updating and modernizing all of our brochures and publications to be more relevant to today's generation. We go to every fair and event that we can to get our university attention. I am excited to see how these new marketing strategies… >>>
At our institution, we understand that graduation is one of the most important moments that a student can achieve. It is a memory that the individual, as well as family and friends will remember for a life time. We do a very nice graduation at our institution. We are set in on old plantation grounds, and we have several buildings original to that time period. We have our graduation outside in our pavilion area that is surrounded by the magnificent old buildings. It makes for a special ceremony that you just can't find elsewhere. I am glad that our institution… >>>
I enjoyed reading the section about the organization of the admissions paperwork. I think one of the most important aspects of being a person who works in an admission department is organization. There are so many applications coming in on a daily basis that if you were to not be organized and get off track, it could be really bad. Our institution still uses paper files as well as computer files, so we have double the organization to do at the moment. It is important that one creates a system that helps them stay in compliance of all rules and… >>>
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My opening question for a prospective student (after introductions of course), is to ask what field they are interesting in pursuing. By getting a field, I am able to assist them with making good choices educactionally, as well as give them some suggestions they never thought about. It is vitally important to me to try to make a personal connection with my prospects, because I feel that Admissions is the extremely important gateway between the student and the school. I want their experience to be positive and pleasant with me so they are more apt to choose my univeristy.