By Jeremy Tiers, Senior Director of Admissions Services
3 minute read
The college search process is just that….it’s a process. And remember, not every student goes through their process the same way, or with the same timeline in mind.
Just because your school has sent admitted students their financial aid package does not mean that your admissions counselors should be asking every single one of them to take that next step and submit their deposit.
Instead of making random asks for a deposit, it’s important to figure out which admitted students feel like they have all the information they need to make an informed decision. It’s up to you to identify who’s ready, and who’s not. That’s what this article will help you with.
Setting yourself up for success prior to asking for their commitment is absolutely essential. When you do, you’re more likely to get a favorable response.
The key is understanding how to identify which admitted students are ready (or are getting close to being ready) to end their process.
Before I give you some questions to help with that, I also want you to keep in mind that many of your admitted students are scared to make the wrong decision. It remains the number one fear over the past two years with 34.8% of students telling us it was their biggest concern during their search.
In that particular instance, students need you to help alleviate that fear before most will feel comfortable making their decision.
Now let’s get to those five questions that will help you identify where many of your admitted students are currently at in their process. You can ask these in-person during a campus visit or your admitted student day, or you can ask them as a call to action in an upcoming email or text message.
“What do you have left to do before you’re going to make your decision?”
“When do you see yourself making your decision?”
“How will you make your final decision?”
“Who are you going to rely upon most to help you make your decision?”
“What worries you the most when you think about making your decision?”
Each of those questions will give you important insights into their decision making process as well as their needs, concerns, and fears.
Once you narrow down your list and figure out who is ready to be asked, I encourage you to have confidence and ask for their deposit.
Both Ethan (Penland) and I have been urging admissions counselors during recent workshops to do just that, and each time multiple students have submitted their deposit. You too can experience that same success!
If you’d like to talk more about something I said, I’d love to hear from you. Simply reply or email me here.
And if you found this article helpful, forward it to someone else on your campus who could also benefit from reading it.