I've only witnessed the admissions process during my new hire orientation, but it seems to be strong and we are regulalry updated about changes or improvments that are being made.
Nikki,
Your comments are similar to others. I am not sure anyone can really know what school is going to be like for them. Also, many students come to us with a marginal track record with things like homework. Making it all relevant to what they want to do with their career Is part of our challenge.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
At are campus I see a lot of one on one time. As instructors we try when available to interact was possible students.
Tim,
When potential students make a connection with faculty it does help them to see the school as a possible choice.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
I really like this approach to retaining first term students!
Great Ideas.
I'm new to my institution, but so far I am impressed with what ive seen with our admissions staff.
Jeremy,
Let them know that. It will be appreciated.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
Our admission process includes the mentioned checklists and multiple visits. One change that was implemented about a year ago that I found benefical was to allow student to sit in on a class or two to get a better feel for the required workload and expectations.
Cory,
Do most students that sit in a class end up coming to the school? I wonder if that is tracked at all by your school?
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
Ron,
This is a great question. I'd like to weigh in on this after providing some of my background information. I work for a for-profit trade school. I started years ago in admissions and worked my way up to Director of Admissions. I have recently transitioned to Director of Student Operations and student retention is my main concern.
The admissions team is the first line of defense when it comes to retention. The goal of the admissions team is to enroll students who are serious about learning a skill that will assist them in finding work or becoming employed. The admissions representatives need to listen to each applicant to find out if what they want is in line with what the school has to offer. If this is done properly, then students will have a better chance of being successful throughout school. This breaks down when admissions representatives cut corners or try to “over-sell†what the school can do for an applicant.
The admissions process that I have followed was to have a short conversation with an applicant. When I say short I mean 5 minutes on the phone setting up the interview followed by a 20 minute conversation at my desk and a 20-30 minute tour of the school. Tours would go by each department (Career Services, Student Services, Financial Aid) and be introduced to someone who worked there. Applicants would be asked if they wanted to enroll in the school at that time. If they chose to enroll, they would sign an enrollment agreement and see our financial aid office if they planned on obtaining federal funding.
I think one of the keys to this admissions process is to tour the entire campus. Our applicants tour every classroom and every department. They truly get to “peak behind the curtain†to assess if they will be comfortable in this environment. If they chose to commit to coming to school, we can be confident they are making an informed decision to do so. The Director of Admissions should work with their team to ensure this is being done on a regular basis. This can be tracked and monitored by conducting Director Interviews or by surveys during student orientation.
Eric ,
Thank you for a very thorough post. Yes, the admissions process is a very detailed and long process. Students do have to show a certain resolve to actually get to starting.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
My students have told me that the admission reps have lied to them about the program, accreditation, not even telling the students that when they start it might not be in the beginning but in fact some start either in the second or third half of the program. They need to know this because some students cannot catch up with the pace. Once it begins with lies then the students are disgruntled. Admission must be honest with them from the start.
Yes I do think our admissions processes can be improved. We don't have a check list but we do have a questionnaire that does cover a lot of what would be on the checklist. A lot of the questions covered on the sample checklists in this course are questions we ask on the interview questionnaires.
I honestly don't believe we really go over it thoroughly in Admissions. I think we can speak more about it. We don't spend enough time with these students.
I agree 100% that if more time really interviewing and determining their core commonalities we would have a higher retention rate.
I totally agree with you on this one! Sometimes Admissions likes to sugar coat things and then the rest of the school are the "bad guys" when we tell them the truth. Then the student says "well they lied and told me this when I signed up". That is the one thing I hate!! It makes us look bad and dishonest.
Nelida,
You might want to bring these claims to someone's attention. If the programs have prerequisites it would seem that a student could not come in halfway. If they do not have prerequisites then the students can be placed in the middle.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
Kristie,
If you see any common problems regarding items or topics needing more explanation during the admissions process please bring them to someone's attention.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
Kristie,
When a student says Admissions lied that needs to be brought to the attention of campus leadership.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
I definitely see a correlation between admissions and retention. Some of our admissions reps do an excellent job at evaluating the student for success. Others seem to fill seats to meet numbers. When this occurs, the student is less likely to succeed.
Alissa,
I have learned to give Admissions the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes, a student comes because they truly want to and learn quickly it is not what they expected or are not ready for the work.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
I feel our admissions process could be greatly improved by putting more emphasis on the time management that will be needed for success as a student to go along with any encouragement that a student might get from initial aptitude that is shown. It is important for students to see and think about the whole picture before making the decision to start school. While a genuine interest or passion in the program being looked at is important, each student needs to realize that there are certain resources that will be required for them to have the best chance at being successful. Interest or passion can quickly become frustration or disappointment if a student realizes that more time and effort are going to be required of them than what they originally thought.
