Have You Asked Students About This Yet?

While every student experiences the college search process a little differently, there is one thing that in 12 years of collecting data from students has remained universal.

93% of students are scared, worried, or nervous about one or more things during their college search. And if that fear or concern isn’t alleviated, it slows down their decision-making process and confidence to take the next step.

If you’re looking for a simple way to build trust, show empathy and increase engagement with this next class. I encourage you to ask your students about their fears and worries – in some cases multiple times (i.e. when they’re an inquiry, and again after they’ve been admitted).

Simply ask a direct question like, “<Student’s First or Preferred Name>, what worries you when you think about your college search?” You could even replace “your college search” with “filling out your college applications?"

If you’re wondering what kind of feedback students are likely to give, the two biggest fears according to my Top Tier Higher Ed survey research continue to be:

·       Making the wrong decision

·       Not being able to afford the college they want to attend

The fastest rising fear over the last few years is not being emotionally and socially ready for college.

Ahead of a campus visit and tour, a lot of students are worried about making a good impression, not knowing what questions they should ask, and getting asked a bunch of questions that they don’t know how to answer.

For non-traditional students, in addition to some of the same fears listed above, many are also worried about their credits not transferring, and not being able to fit school into their schedule.

I also want to make it clear that this shouldn’t be your icebreaker or the first thing that comes up when you meet or communicate with a new inquiry. You need to develop some trust and rapport first before asking such an emotional and deep question.

After a student shares their thoughts and feelings I encourage you to thank them and validate that it’s okay to feel that way. For high school students in particular, it's helpful to hear that from you.

The final piece of this strategy is helping alleviate their fear, or at least putting their mind at ease. Storytelling continues to be one of the most effective ways to do that. I want you to provide them with one or more concrete examples of people who felt the same way (namely your current students) and explain how they, you, or someone else on your campus helped them deal with that.

When you ask about and help alleviate a student’s fears and worries you’ll gain a recruiting advantage over other admissions counselors and recruiters who believe this topic isn’t important, or don’t know how to address it.

P.S. Parents and guardians also have fears and worries during this process. I strongly encourage you to take the same approach with that group.

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