Throughout the year, we know campuses have a multitude of events, from open houses to orientations to staff meetings.  While these important occasions are going on, prospective students still need attention!  We’ve found that schools handle these circumstances in a variety of ways, including refusing to accept appointments and turning away walk-in visitors.

 

What can happen when a visitor wants to learn about your program, but it’s someone’s birthday and there’s a pizza or lunch party?

 

Cameron answered all my questions but would not let me speak with Financial Aid before I enrolled, and he carried a pizza around during the tour.

 

During my interview, a man stopped by Carla’s office to tell her that he had “$15 pork” in his refrigerator. He told a story and described the different pork options in a fake Vietnamese accent. Carla elaborated on this and also used the fake accent.

 

Events can also contribute significantly to the campus ambience, making visitors feel comfortable and excited about starting school!  Managing meeting the needs of prospective students during all-staff meetings is a challenge we have encountered many times.  We’ve overheard internal conversations not designed for student ears and have been hustled out of interviews after scheduling appointments.

 

Hanna was pleasant and informative throughout our meeting, though she did nonverbally imply that ours was to be a brief meeting because she never offered me the chance to take a seat, nor did she sit down first as a cue for me to sit down at her desk. Our entire meeting was held standing.

 

Our evaluators leave interviews like this with questions unanswered and time wasted, feeling frustrated and dismissed.  If you were the prospective student, would these experiences impact your decision to enroll?

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