Avoid This Mistake With Late Applicants And Late Admits

Yes, May 1 is an important date on the calendar for some colleges and universities.

But at the end of the day, a lot of schools will still be working hard over the next couple of months to successfully bring in their next class.

As your school receives new applications and you admit new students who are interested in starting this fall, let me provide some quick words of caution.

Do not try to rush those students through their decision-making process.

Do that and you risk overwhelming them and coming across as completely transactional, both of which I continue to find causes students to stop paying attention or in some cases lose interest entirely.

Instead, I encourage admissions counselors and enrollment marketers to follow many of the same personalized communication and relationship building tactics that I outline often in my weekly newsletter.

Start by expressing excitement that the student has either applied or was just admitted to your school. Acknowledge that while it’s later in the process, as their admissions counselor you can guide both them and their family through the decision-making process step by step.

Being their guide involves filling in any remaining question marks, addressing any concerns, as well as determining how the student sees the rest of their process playing out – namely their timeline and who’s helping them. You can discover those things by asking questions like:

“What do you see as the next step in your process?” (Follow up: “And then what?”)

“<First/Preferred Name>, what would you like to see us talk about next that would be helpful as you move toward your decision?”

“At this point, what’s the biggest concern you have about <Your School’s Name>?”

“What are you still wondering about when it comes to being a student here?”

“What are some things you and your parents (or family) have been talking about when it comes to your decision-making process?”

“What else besides cost is going to be very important in your decision?”

If you learn that a student is relying on one or both parents (or a guardian) for help, reach out to them separately and determine what questions they need answered, and/or what concerns they need you to address or alleviate.

Remember, there’s no perfect timeline for a student to complete their college search.

The key is that from start to finish the student feels like you’re making the process about them and trying to better understand their interests, needs, goals, worries, and concerns. Take the information you receive along the way, find ways to add more value, and help guide the student towards a decision.

DID YOU KNOW:

Leadership, student recruitment, personal growth, failure, self awareness, and managing stress are just some of the topics that I’ve covered on my Mission Admissions podcast. All 87 episodes are free and can be found on Apple and Spotify.

Spots are still open on my summer calendar. You can bring me to your campus to lead an in-person recruiting workshop for your admissions, enrollment marketing, and campus visit/events teams.