Handling These Two Common Situations With Admitted Students

Over the past few weeks I’ve had multiple admissions counselors who are part of my newsletter community message me for advice about handling two fairly common situations this time of year.

I thought I’d share their questions along with some of the advice I gave each:

Question: What should I say if an admitted student tells me we’re one of their top choices but they aren’t ready to make a decision?

Start by thanking the student for sharing, then follow that with “What do you see happening next for you in this whole process?” Or, “What still has to happen before you see yourself making your decision?"

The key is to determine if that student has all the information they need from each of the final schools on their list. Some do and are struggling with the process of making their final decision, while others are waiting on things from other schools, or they may be scheduled to attend an upcoming campus event.

Question: What can I do if a student tells me our school is too far away from home and their friends?

After almost 12 years of surveying students and families, I continue to find that too far (or too close) to home is one of two concerns or objections that remains very hard to overcome – not impossible, but very hard.

Just like the first situation I encourage counselors to ask specific questions like, “When you think about being farther from home, what is it about the distance that worries you the most?” Or, “What would make being farther from home feel more comfortable for you?” You might also ask, “How does your family feel about the distance from home?” Sometimes it’s a family member who is uncomfortable with the idea more than it is the student.

The other strategy that has proven helpful involves either sharing relevant feedback from first-year students who dealt with the same issue and still chose to come (why did they do that?), or connecting the undecided student with one of those students.

If you found this article helpful, go ahead and forward it to someone else on your campus who could also benefit from reading it. You can also encourage them to sign up for my weekly newsletter.

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