By Jeremy Tiers, Senior Director of Admissions Services
2 minute read
We both know that getting good information out of a teenager continues to be a challenge.
Most young people aren’t that great at communicating what’s really going on in their mind, as well as what their decision-making process looks like.
Because of that, it’s extremely important for admissions counselors or anyone sending out messaging, to lead the conversation and utilize direct questions.
The best questions will be thought-provoking and result in the student (or parent) providing you with details and context.
Today I’m going to share some effective questions that continue to work well for our college partners in a few situations that are quite common this time of year.
For senior inquiries who visited campus more than 45 days ago and haven’t started their application, or senior inquiries who met their counselor at a high school visit more than 30 days ago and haven’t started their application:
“Help me understand, what’s keeping you from starting your application, <Student’s First or Preferred Name>?”
For admitted seniors:
“What are two or three things you’re still trying to figure out about us when you look at all your options?”
For the parents of admitted seniors:
“What questions do you have for me at this point?”
When it comes to how you ask those questions, my advice is to write a very short email for each group and ask the question as your call to action. Be sure and use a subject line that creates some curiosity, and in your email reiterate that you’re there to listen and provide support wherever you can.
If you want to talk more about any of these messages, or you find yourself struggling to come up with a good subject line, I’m happy to help. Just reply back, 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.