How do you respond to inquiries from prospective students?

At Barrier Breakers, we believe all interactions should be relational and not transactional. One of my favorite questions is to ask students how they best like to be supported. We talk about love languages in relationships and friendships but people have love languages too in consulting relationships. I want to know how my students feel heard, seen, and valued and not just assume that my actions will convey that because that’s how I’d want someone to respond to me. It’s important to treat each student as a unique individual with unique needs.

I’ll do my best through a story from the beginning of my career 25 years ago. Admissions officers travel to forums in cities, where applicants can visit hundreds of schools together. My first time at one of these, I took a break to walk past seasoned admissions officers. I heard two things over and over again: 1. “We read applications holistically.” 2. “Our faculty have an open door policy.” I’m sure for some schools (but certainly not all) the above two statements are true. But in admissions you quickly develop a dislike for essays that use the same cliches ad infinitum. Why wouldn’t it be the same for applicants? Never in my 25 years have I used either — which means not having a canned presentation, and it seems to have worked :-)

The one caveat is that you have to be honest. If you don't have what they need, you should not be attempting to "sell" them to your college/university. I once worked for a business school that admonished me because I let a student go who was looking for a cooking school and was told I should have sold them on entrepreneurship.

Your prospect wants to feel heard and understood. Build rapport and trust where you genuinely want to connect with them and help them.

It's an immediate response prospective students are looking for. I respond first by thanking prospective students for their inquiry. Prospective student's are looking for that one on one personal contact in addition to a knowledgeable professional that can help them navigate the process.

As a college admission consultant, I notice many positive aspects of how colleges provide information to students and others that need improvement. Some websites are difficult to navigate. My clients want to see requirements and curricula plans for various majors and this information is sometimes restricted to current students. The prospective students love short videos that show the experiences of current students such as research in action, profiles of internships, or capstone projects.

Understanding the student’s needs and experiences provides an opportunity to highlight key information about the institution and program of interest. Students appreciate the opportunity to explore and imagine how the program enhances their skills and opportunities, while providing support for their learning. Students also appreciate the honest exploration of potential challenges and solutions to those challenges which they may face when engaging in their academic and career development. An honest and open appraisal of what it takes to be successful and what the future may hold allows a student to prepare for success and engage in active ways to address pitfalls. They get excited to know that their future alma mater comes prepared!

The one thing that I would add is encouraging the students to ask as many questions as possible. Asking questions (and this can go both ways) will help them get to the bottom of what they're truly looking for and determine if the institution in question is right for them or not. Stats and testimonials can and are typically very biased toward attempting to draw students in. There's not a university out there that would tell students that we have about a 40% graduation rate and of those that graduate 10% find a job within 2 years!

Because recruitment and admissions officers are often seen as using statistics to be dishonest to applicants - especially in graduate and professional school admissions- I have always chosen to explain to prospective students exactly how we calculate our statistics and what the numbers mean. Knowing what prospective students are looking for, as addressed above, also makes it easier to break down statistics for students. If I know a student will have a heavy loan burden and thus wants a lucrative job, I can discuss salary expectations and geographic reach of our alumni network but with full transparency.

In the age of automated/canned responses, having a genuine and personalized response from a real person can establish connection, rapport, and relationship. Prospective students are shopping for their academic homes and vetting potential lifelong affiliations and relationships. As the face of the institution, it’s our responsibility and privilege to offer real connections. This can include: ? Using their first name. ? Referencing specific statements or questions in their email. ? Directing follow-up questions where students get to talk about themselves and you can find out how to better assist them. ? Being transparent and establishing expectations.

Be genuine and truly listen by engaging in the conversation. To make a strong first impression, an applicant has to have a sense you care and that your program will have a positive impact on their future career.

Answer their questions throughly and quickly. Throw in some school swag if you can. Also put in some hyperlinks for them to look at.

Reply promptly. Be gracious for their interest. Be open and honest. Personalize/customize reply. Detail precisely and enthusiastically why your school may be the right fit for them. Share relevant information/content (Video, Links). Call to action (Apply, Submit documentation, Schedule School visit, Interview). Be thankful.

For me , it's all about recognising the stage of interest . 1. Browsing 2. Shopping 3. Engaging Etc It's very relevant to map these and some more stages to a crm system to navigate and nurture the response.

Providing students a clear follow-up of what you discussed will remind them of the connection they felt to your program. Making the pathway to information simple and clear allows them to focus on the program and encourages them to see your institution as focused on their needs. Offer the next steps with the expectation that they are moving forward, sharing with them what to do next and offering support if needed. Higher education can be daunting and complicated. A great admission representative provides clear steps, personalized information, and on time support.

Working with transfer students, sometimes they are in touch 1-2 years before they intend to transfer. I found it helpful to stay in touch by checking in once a year, and making sure I took good notes so that if a transfer wrote me saying, "we spoke several months ago about xyz," I could easily re-join the conversation. Asking again about their admission timeline, checking in about questions they have, and updating their transfer articulation/degree plan make for a smooth transfer.

Receptivity, Interest and honesty. Making that first call or visit usually requires an effort from the students since this first step is not voluntary, we must be receptive, discover their interests to take them to our field and thus be able to give them the best advice. Being brutally honest about what they understand they want and their chances of getting it. I always see it as using my skills to help a person choose what is best for them from their own skills.

Balance information with connection. Students who inquire about the program are not only inquiring about cost, time, etc. - these students are also shaping their perceptions of the school. If you are the 1st connection, that is either going to lead to belonging or goodbye songing. Be authentic and take time to get to know them. As the conversation continues, do not sell - just talk