By Jeremy Tiers, Vice President of Admissions Services
2 minute read
Last week I got two separate emails – one from an Admissions Counselor and the other from an Associate Director of Recruitment Communication. Both messages asked about communicating with admitted students – specifically what kind of content would be helpful and relevant at this point in the process.
Before I share the feedback I gave, I want to remind you that prospective students at all stages significantly value the current student point of view. How are you providing that via email, videos on social media, as well as during your admitted student events?
Here are six topics that most admitted students want more information on:
- Resources that will help them with the transition to college. I’m talking about things like tutoring, time management, note-taking, study skills, and stress management/social skills. Students continue to tell us in surveys that one of their top fears and concerns is not being emotionally and socially ready for college. How are you reassuring them that your school has resources and people who will help them feel supported?
- Why choose a smaller college instead of a bigger university? Or vice versa. Students are looking for specific pros and cons – not general statements like “more opportunities” or “more hands-on learning.” My advice is ask your current first-year students why they made the decision they did when they could have done the opposite.
- Living in the dorms. How does housing selection work? Why do your current students enjoy where they live? What are the challenges of living with one or more roommates? What kinds of events and activities happen within the dorm communities? How can the RA’s or RD’s help with the transition to college?
- The food. Every school has a dining facility and other options to grab snacks on the go. What makes yours different and/or better? Have students talk about their favorite options and meals. Is the person who scans ID cards or works at one of the meal stations well known around campus? Maybe you bring in special chefs from time to time or your food is locally sourced. Maybe have an eco-friendly dining hall or a unique student choice option where every semester students vote on menu changes. Or maybe it’s just the fact that you have a Starbucks on campus.
- Student clubs and organizations. How many of your current students are involved in at least one student organization or club? When is the club fair and how does it work? How is being involved enhancing the student experience for current freshmen?
- The classroom environment. Students are looking for more than just data on the average class size. If you’re a larger university and TA’s teach some or most of the classes, does that mean students can’t ever meet with their professor? Are most first-year classes lecture style, or more Q&A? What about major-specific classes – how are they different than general courses? How do most professors handle scheduling meetings with students?
If you have questions about how to incorporate the current student point of view into your admitted student campaigns, reply back to the newsletter or send me an email.
And if you found this article helpful, please forward it to someone else on your campus who could also benefit from reading it.