I think that every process can be improved upon. In the terms of our admissions I would think giving the students an understanding of some of the things to bring with them (work history, school history) in order to help the employment office build a good resume for them.
We have put together an admissions process which looks quite similar to what is discussed here. It's nice to see we are on the right track!
Admissions and Academic need to work together. A join venture is going to be very vital to the success of the school.
We have our Admissions Team actively call each student prior to starting classes to make sure they had a successful experience enrolling in the college. Once the student has started school, our Admissions Team follows up with the student a month into the program to see how everything is going again. We find that the student feels connected to the Admissions Team until about the time they complete their first qtr, once the qtr is over our Academic Dept has the ball.
There is always room for improvement in every department. The admissions process can be more probing with the potential students.
Our admissions is similar except that not all prospects get to meet with the program director. We're a smaller school and logistically, it isn't possible but I think if we had the resources, it would add tremendously to the admissions process. It would give the prospect the chance to ask more detailed questions and also give the PD the opportunity to give the adm rep feedback on the prospect.
We have introduced within the past year a 'formal review' process which adds a step in the admissions process. After the prospect has enrolled with the admissions rep, they have a formal review meeting with the DOA. We have them twice a week so depending on the number of enrollments, they could be individual meetings or group. It gives the prospects a reminder of what it required for admission, what the expectations are while attending school, requires the them to come back to the campus for one more visit, and seems to really seal their commitment.
Our Admissions Directors do a fantastic job with the interviewing process, although it has been a long journey to get to this place. They have used surveys of students over the course of several years to put together the presentations and processes they use today. However, we still struggle with learning disabilities and sometimes general trouble with reading, which usually means failure in an A & P class. Without an entrance exam or the person's willingness to reveal these difficulties, how best can you confront this during the admissions process?
I feel our admission process could benefit from the check list. Our team needs to be more "involved" with the student. Retention, as mentioned in the discussion, should begin at the start. For us, retention begins when the student is just ready to give up and leave.
I think if they stay a little bit more involved in the students throughout there stay at the training. Have a system in place for every quarter the students are here.
start with a check list as described in the class
Ours is also the same. We have specific lock in activities for new students as well as our re-entering students. We want to make sure that our students are really ready for their program. We want them to think about the entire process. As I tell my team, I don't want students, I want graduates.
Our process is very, very thorough. All of our admissions representatives go through a two week training process and must be certified by our Director of Admissions. In addition, we conduct observations on our admissions reps every quarter to ensure that they are doing things correctly (they actually get three evaluations, phone, interview and training).
Student prospects go through a powerpoint presentation as part of their enrollment process, they get a tour, they meet with a school chair as well as will most of the directors (Finance, Career Services, Registrar, Campus and Director as well as the Dean and Associate Dean). We want them to know and understand that we are here to help them be successful and that we are here for them. In addition, we usually have employers from the field visit the school once a month to give our students (and future students) updates from the field. New students are invited to student appreciation days, gaming days, and employer visits and they must attend an orientation before they get started in their program.
Yes I feel we could use the checklist to help determine if student is going in the right trade or not. Many times have had students want to switch trades or drop because did not understand the trade they signed up for.
Absolutley. I hope to be instrumental in creating questionaires for the perspective student as well as a checklist for the school representatives to be included in a 'training manual' for new and seasoned admissions reps as part of a 'product Knowledge' project I am working on.
Our school admissions is a little different because we are an online only program. This means that majority of our admissions is done over the phone. However, I think coming up with a generic checklist to discuss with the students may help alot.
Hi Elizabeth! Thanks so much for your comments! The checklist, as you noted, can be a helpful tool to online, as well as onground, admissions.
Just curious, since the majority of admisions is done over the phone, without the luxury of "seeing" a prospective student's body language, what cues do your admissions reps listen for to help guide the phone interview to a close or to next steps?
What part of the online admissions process has the most significant impact on future student retention?
Jay Hollowell
Interim Facilitator
RT103
I have found that you really have to listen to what the student is saying and probe each student to find out if they are ready to take online coures.
I believe this is maybe something our admissions department needs more of. Several of the ideas that this module has presented is currently some of the plans we have in place as well as our career counseling department. The career counseling contacts students at the beginning of enrollment with a questionarrie similar to these guidelines.
Our Admissions department actually escorts prospects in the classroom while teachers are instructing so the prospect get a real life sample of whats going on. I really feel this helps a prospect really get a hands on trial of what the career is like and what is expected of them . It really works .
I think our admission processes are just fine . We actually have a great record and we constantly are keeping up with current trends in retention and marketing strategies as well as job placement , and in these tough economic times are enrollment is higher than ever .
