By Jeremy Tiers, Vice President of Admissions Services
2 minute read
The last couple of weeks I’ve received some great questions from admissions counselors who are part of our newsletter community. Each is a fairly common situation this time of year, so I thought I’d share their questions along with the advice I gave each person.
Side note: I really enjoy talking through specific situations with people who read the newsletter, listen to my podcast, or see me present at a conference they attend. You’re welcome to reach out and ask me a question any time.
Question: What should I say if a student tells me we’re one of their top choices but they aren’t ready to make a decision?
The first thing is to thank the student for sharing. Follow that with “Walk me through what you’d like to see happen next.”
Based on how the student responds you might then say, “Okay, and then what?” That approach will result in some students revealing each aspect of their decision-making process, as well as any hurdles or concerns.
The goal here is to figure out what the student has left to do before they make their decision.
Question: What should I do if one of my admitted students has received their financial aid package from our school, but they tell me they’re waiting on financial aid from another college?
This happens every year… a lot. The key is to start with the parent(s) or guardian(s). They’re usually behind the instructions to wait and see what the offers are going to be. Without knowing what’s getting talked about behind the scenes it’s going to be very hard for you to determine the right strategy.
Consider asking the student, “What are your parents saying about money for college?” Another great question to ask is, “Besides money, what else are you still trying to figure out about our school in order to make a decision?” You need to make sure money isn’t the only thing their decision is hinging on.
I also strongly recommend you connect separately with the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) and ask a similar line of questioning.
Question: Is it okay to ask an admitted student who I know has received all their financial aid packages what’s preventing them from submitting their deposit?
Absolutely! Asking a question like that lets the student know how serious your school is about him/her, plus it can get you important context about the student’s mindset, their timeline, or their decision-making process.
If you ask a question and don’t receive much feedback, consider using the strategy of telling them what you think they might be thinking. An example would be, “Jeremy, other seniors have told me they’re worried about making the wrong decision for college. What about you?” Doing that will prompt the student to either agree or disagree with you, which sometimes is easier than verbalizing how they feel and/or what’s holding them back.
Question: What can I do if a student tells me they want to stay closer to home?
As frustrating as it might be, the good news is that student just saved you additional time you might have put into contacting them again thinking they were still interested.
In 20+ years of working with students and families, we continue to find that too close or too far from home is one of two concerns or objections that is almost impossible to overcome.
When working with students from out of state or those who live a significant distance from campus, I advise admissions counselors to ask specific questions early in the process like “What is it about <Your College’s Name> that you think would make it okay to go farther away from home for college?” If their answer isn’t specific and well thought out, that’s a red flag you need to pay close attention to.
If you found this article helpful, please forward it to someone else on your campus who could also benefit from reading it.