That is great Rosa! I find that helping students visualize works really well. Do you ever have a student say that they want to do it but aren't sure they can see themselves in that role?
Emotional intelligence works very well for me. All of my students I speak to over the phone or by email; I have yet to meet a student face to face. But validating, normalizing and neutralizing works wonders with my students when they let me know about their various concerns/problems.
I woulk be able to show them personal stories or resources matterial that they can use to become more succesful student.
I use the three Fs Feel Felt and Found. I try to feel out what the student is feeling and acknowledge him or her. I put myself in their shoes. And give what I have found in my experience to help them out throw out the process
Certain tools used to address challenges are first being honest with the student and outcome, expressing empathy with the student, shareing the benefits of possible solutions, and Compromiseing with the student. All of these give a chance to continue builfing trust.
I think sometimes students just need to know that they are not alone in their fears and apprehensions about going to school. Normalizing this for them can be a great comfort.
Because we are all online and students do not usually come to campus, we have an amazing website which outlines the programs, classes and steps in the process. Our process is to take things one step at a time and address all of our students concerns and challenges. Lots of times a student will get off the phone and you think they are headed to fill out the application only to call the next day and they have changed their mind. The goal is to not let multiple challenges get the best of you. A student may have a concern today that s/he didn't even bring up the last time you spoke. Patience and knowing timing is everything when making a decision about education is key.
One tool we have for addressing financial issues is the ability to save money by testing out of courses and using life experiences to get college credit at a much lower rate than our regular tuition. It doesn't always get me the registration in the end, but it almost always buys me more time with the prospect.
I like the idea of adding to my tools to address challenges. Most of the objections at our school revolve around cost. It would be helpful to have some statistics handy about the increased earning potential for those who have a degree.
I currently use our website since I handle out of state online students. I will talk them over to the program pages and the pages detailing the classes. This works really well!
I could not agree more more taking short cutes is not the way to ensure the fit with your student.
Exactly! Often I have found that just being patient and asking questions I am able to allow the student to find their own solution that often mirrors what we can offer them. This not only empowers the student but it allows them to feel like they are making the best deceision they can for themselves.
The tools that I use success stories and facts,this bridges emotional and logical connections.
I think the most important part is truly understanding what concerns the student has. If I do not fully understand then there is no way that I will be able to address the concerns and be able to help them make the best choice they can for their future.
Working for the online component of our university, the two biggest challenges that I face most often are finances and time limitation. To combat the former, I have a series of financial aid information - providing opportunities for grants, loan options, scholarships, etc. for the student. I also explain the long-term financial benefits of going to school and earning a degree.
Thankfully, our online program is incredibly flexible at this university. We don't have any specific time requirements, as long as the assignments are being completed on time. Therefore, students can tailor school to fit around their lives, not the other way around.
It's great to have tools like you mentioned as a point of difference for our school. How do you determine with whom to discuss this option?
We have a very useful in-house financing system at our school which charges zero interest and fees so that students who do not qualify for financial aid, and do not have the funds for the tuition upfront, can spread their payments out over a period of ten or twelve months.
Miriam,
These are some great resources to help your prospective students. Any other ideas?
Dr. Jean Norris
There is always room for improvement and this is so far what I am doing: Besides financial aid, I have a map to show where the public transportation stops are close by the school and a roster of childcare places around the school.
We definitely utilize a prospect info sheet and the extraordinary tour. The tour takes care of them meeting a lot of the most important staff members that can answer any questions they might have during the initial interview. Especially Financial Aid and Career Services questions.
