Stop Making Parents Feel Like An Afterthought

I usually get some version of this question whenever I’m working with a new college partner or when I’m catching up with a senior admissions or marketing leader.

“What’s something we can be doing right now that will stand out and make us different from other schools?”

My answer is, prioritize parents and guardians more in your communications (and your visits/events). Communicate with them in a personalized way that makes them feel like you understand and value the important role they play in the college search. CC’ing them on emails and saying, “Reach out if you have any questions” does not accomplish that.

If you continue to neglect parents or wait for them to contact you with questions, the data continues to show that a significant number of prospective students will never take the next step in the process with your school – which could be visiting campus.

Parents are one of the biggest reasons why so many colleges and universities are currently down year over year in visits. Guess who coordinates and plans those visits. That’s right, the parents. According to my Top Tier Higher Ed data, planning campus visits continues to be the second highest ranking thing that students say their parents or guardians helped them with during their search.

I can also tell you that when your admitted students start to communicate less and take longer to complete next steps, parents and guardians are the solution. Many of them are happy to take on the role of mediator and conduit in the information exchange process… especially if you’ve built some trust.

One of the best ways to establish and cultivate that recruiting relationship is to introduce (or reintroduce) the parents and guardians to their family's admissions counselor. That could happen via email or mail to certain inquiry groups if you don’t have separate contact information yet.

Your message should make it clear the counselor is there to support the entire family throughout this process, and that he/she values the parents’ opinion and understands the important role they play. Then, depending on what stage their student is at in the process (and what you already know or don’t know), I encourage you to make your call to action a direct question that seeks to uncover how the parent or guardian is feeling about some aspect of your school or the college search.

A few examples include:

“What has this whole process been like so far for you as a parent?”

“What do you see as the next step in <Student’s First or Preferred Name>’s college search process?”

“What’s something you wish colleges would talk about more at this point when they send out communications?”

“What part of the process has been the most frustrating so far?”

From that point on there should be a clear monthly communication plan for parents that keeps them in the loop and addressees the topics they care about most – cost, financial aid, safety, the transition to college, and student outcomes after graduation. Make sure the wording you use for those messages is different for parents and guardians and not just mirror images of your student communications.

After a student has been admitted (as well as before or after a campus visit takes place) there will be opportunities for the student's admissions counselor to do additional proactive outreach where they might ask parents questions such as:

“What’s the biggest concern you have about <Your College’s Name>?”

“What are one or two things that you think make our school a good fit for <Student’s First/Preferred Name>?”

“What are one or two things you think would make a college worth the investment?”

“What are one or two things we should definitely cover with <Student’s First or Preferred Name> during his/her visit to campus?”

It’s also a smart strategy to ask parents or guardians the exact same question you previously asked their student to see how the answers and opinions differ (or don’t) from each other.

Remember, the college search is also an overwhelming and emotional process for parents. When they feel valued and informed, they’re more likely to support and influence the process instead of slowing it down.

REAL-TIME INSIGHTS FROM THE PARENT OF A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT

Listen to my Mission Admissions podcast episode with Melissa Greiner where she reveals the different experiences and feelings she’s had so far as she helps her son navigate his college search. Listen here or download it on Apple or Spotify.