Sharing Benefits from the Student's Perspective
How do you encourage your students to share the benefit of attending school with you?
Believe it or not, I'm a graduate of the university I represent. I know first hand the level of instruction students will receive and I'm familiar with course load and expectations. I tour the campus often and speak with instructors to stay abreast of what is new. I have befriended the program leads and built a rapport so that they are more willing to include me when they introduce new material to students or conduct an exciting lab experience. For instance, I was able to observe the dissection of piglets in our medical lab. I want to be conversational with the students and not sound like I only read the brochure. Our CIS programs are the most detailed oriented. I work closely with the professor to understand the terminology to convey to the student. It is so important that you present the information to the student on their level.
Thank you for sharing, Sandra! It sounds like you design your questions so that the prospective student can see what's missing from their current situation as well as see what their future can be. Excellent!
Elizabeth Wheeler
We are not the cheapest option in our industry. I always like to ask the prospect what is it that they are looking for from their training provider. That allows me an opportunity to communicate how our classes will specifically meet those needs. It helps give value to our program.
I ask them several questions to best learn who they are, who they want to be, where they are, how they got there, where they want to go & work with them as a team building a plan to get there. They articulate with me the need for further education as this is a piece typically missing in their previous journey that was limiting their opportunity from becoming the professional/person they wanted to be & from being where they wanted to be. I let them know I'm here for them & continue to motivate, encourage & help them to find ways to overcome obstacles that will come throughout their educational pursuit by utilizing resources of all sorts, including other faculty members, when needed.
The biggest challenge that I get from students is whether they feel that they can be successful in their studies. I always ask students to help me understand what challenges they feel they have, then I have them speak with a student who was in a similar situation. This helps them to feel more at ease. Also, if needed, I get one of the textbooks that they will be using in the course and go through it with them to help make them feel comfortable with the content.
This sounds like a great practice, Michaela! How do your prospective students react to this type of "proof"?
Elizabeth Wheeler
We have former students come back and discuss how the school and externship helped prepare them for getting a job in their field. We post the list in the school and send it to our PAC members. This is a list of the students who were hired each month in the different programs offered by our school. We get a lot of referrals from past graduates. I believe when the students can hear it from another student of how our school helped them change their lives it has more impact than us just showing them numbers on a page.
Deborah, That is a great approach. Do you find you are able to get more information from the student throughout your interview?
Dr. Jean Norris
When I initially meet with the prospective student, I ask them a series of questions to open up dialogue about their current situation. I need to understand what their wants and desires are before I am able to assist them in making sure my school is the perfect fit for them. I want them to understand that I am available to assist them in making an educated decision in determining the benefits of attending my school.
In hopes that prospective students have conducted their research on my school and other institutions... I would ask questions that have them list the benefits of what my school has to offer and perhaps their answers would lead to me offering more benefits that stack up to what the students expectation is on the outcome of their degree completion. Some students know exactly what they want to do with their degree (or completion certificate) and some are traveling a path they aren't quite sure of. Unfortunately, some think they know what they want until they get halfway through a program, only to realize it's not exactly what they wanted or expected. I believe their passion for a particular career path will shine through as they share what they consider to be benefits of attending school. Understanding ones goals is not always easy when uncertainty exists. Ultimately, students who have goals and can share benefits of attending school may not require a lot of encouragement. Asking questions and listening to the student is the key to asking further questions to understand their goals and end-result expectation.
I totally agree. Most of the students I come across want to better their education and once they come in they already have in mind they want a better future.it is a good thing to remind them that the future is in their hands.
I ask them about their future goals and depending on what they tell me I take it from there since each prospects situation is different.
David,
Awesome! It sounds like you really make the features and benefits personal for the prospective student! Asking them to verbalize how features will benefit them is a excellent way to involve them and discover what's important to them.
Elizabeth Wheeler
After sharing a fact or feature, I translate that into a benefit. Then, I pose an open-ended question to the prospective student (e.g., "How would you see blended learning being a plus for you?") Depending on the individual, I may start to reverse the process; that is, share a fact or feature, ask them to tranlate it into a benefit, & either echo their statement or add another.
Ailyn,
It sounds like you try to get a realistic picture of the prospective student's goals. Great job!
Elizabeth Wheeler
First and foremost, my main goal is to get to know my prospective student. I want to understand why is this particular person seeking information about a particular program or career. Is it because they are just walk-in or is it because they want to make a life change? This way they can open up and it is also a way for self-discovery and awareness of their own goals. I then try to make sure that I look into my school's attributes that could match the student's benefit in attending our school.
encourage as much testimonials from other student especialty the student that have graduated already.
This will give them better acknowledment toward school.
Toni Ann, I just want to be clear, you encourage your students to share with the alumni board?
Elizabeth Wheeler
