Yes I do.The one problem we had was miscomunication about the program and expectations of students. We immediatly got together with our addmissions Dept. and worked with them and let them know exactly what the progrram was.
I have found that the further behind an admission rep falls in meeting their monthly goals the faster the admission process flows. This in turns leads to an increase in reverses and/or drops for that rep. I pay particular attention to any rep who is struggling in meeting their numbers to ensure that they are not pushing the students through the process to fast. I also do daily short observations to ensure they are not moving too fast and are following the admissions protocols
I don't have access to admissions as an instructor.
Streamlining the process of enrollement would make the exsperience less stressful.
I feel that admissions reps tend to get into a same job different day attitude and that can hurt the process. We need to learn about our skill each day when we stop learning we stop making sales. These steps look very useful in that learning process and also in the retention rate!
We have a mentor program in place, mentors meet with new students every other week for 15 minutes for the first 8 weeks of class.
Our admissions reps conduct an interview and then give a tour. The students return a second time to take an entrance exam and meet with financial aide. I think retention can be improved by putting together a questionnaire like suggested in module 1.
Our admissions department operates basically the same as your school. We try to identify barriers early on, but once they move on to the next phase that is where the student services and education departments take over. I agree maybe by improving on asking more probative question it would help us to identify more information that could be helpful to us and the student as well in making their education process more enjoyable.
I think our admission processes are just fine . We actually have a great record and we constantly are keeping up with current trends in retention and marketing strategies as well as job placement , and in these tough economic times are enrollment is higher than ever .
Our Admissions department actually escorts prospects in the classroom while teachers are instructing so the prospect get a real life sample of whats going on. I really feel this helps a prospect really get a hands on trial of what the career is like and what is expected of them . It really works .
I believe this is maybe something our admissions department needs more of. Several of the ideas that this module has presented is currently some of the plans we have in place as well as our career counseling department. The career counseling contacts students at the beginning of enrollment with a questionarrie similar to these guidelines.
I have found that you really have to listen to what the student is saying and probe each student to find out if they are ready to take online coures.
Hi Elizabeth! Thanks so much for your comments! The checklist, as you noted, can be a helpful tool to online, as well as onground, admissions.
Just curious, since the majority of admisions is done over the phone, without the luxury of "seeing" a prospective student's body language, what cues do your admissions reps listen for to help guide the phone interview to a close or to next steps?
What part of the online admissions process has the most significant impact on future student retention?
Jay Hollowell
Interim Facilitator
RT103
Our school admissions is a little different because we are an online only program. This means that majority of our admissions is done over the phone. However, I think coming up with a generic checklist to discuss with the students may help alot.
Absolutley. I hope to be instrumental in creating questionaires for the perspective student as well as a checklist for the school representatives to be included in a 'training manual' for new and seasoned admissions reps as part of a 'product Knowledge' project I am working on.
Yes I feel we could use the checklist to help determine if student is going in the right trade or not. Many times have had students want to switch trades or drop because did not understand the trade they signed up for.
Our process is very, very thorough. All of our admissions representatives go through a two week training process and must be certified by our Director of Admissions. In addition, we conduct observations on our admissions reps every quarter to ensure that they are doing things correctly (they actually get three evaluations, phone, interview and training).
Student prospects go through a powerpoint presentation as part of their enrollment process, they get a tour, they meet with a school chair as well as will most of the directors (Finance, Career Services, Registrar, Campus and Director as well as the Dean and Associate Dean). We want them to know and understand that we are here to help them be successful and that we are here for them. In addition, we usually have employers from the field visit the school once a month to give our students (and future students) updates from the field. New students are invited to student appreciation days, gaming days, and employer visits and they must attend an orientation before they get started in their program.
Ours is also the same. We have specific lock in activities for new students as well as our re-entering students. We want to make sure that our students are really ready for their program. We want them to think about the entire process. As I tell my team, I don't want students, I want graduates.
start with a check list as described in the class
I think if they stay a little bit more involved in the students throughout there stay at the training. Have a system in place for every quarter the students are here.
