Why consider automation in the first place? In a recent report, researchers indicated that automation of processes helps managers identify key activities that can be improved and more efficiently executed by using technology (McKinsey, 2016). In doing this, employees can devote more time to activities that no robot or algorithm can replace, thus benefiting the organization’s bottom line. The good news: Automation in the workforce is not new.

Think about how the healthcare industry has utilized automation to provide virtual care. The American Telemedicine Association predicts that approximately 750,000 patients will access more than 1.25 million online consultations this year, which are just one aspect of the telehealth field (Olson, 2017). Automation in healthcare has become an extremely valuable tool with the potential to impact healthcare reform by improving the quality of the patient experience and outcomes, while saving money (Olson, 2017). Automation also allowed one healthcare system the ability to move from a provider-centric to a patient-centric approach. In 2015, as a direct result of round-the-clock virtual monitoring of intensive care units, Mercy Virtual Care reported that 1,000 more patients survived than expected, and ICU patients spent a total of 90,000 fewer days in the hospital. This translated to avoiding a $50 million cost and getting better outcomes for patients (Olson, 2017).

So, if automation can work in healthcare, what are the chances that it can be applied to higher education? Think about your current admissions process. What would it mean if you could automate key processes? It would mean that your prospective students would have easy access to important information anywhere, anytime; improved service prior to and during the admissions process; and the ability for key departments and individuals working with students to have simultaneous access to important information (Educause Quarterly, 2017). Additionally, an automated admissions process can also provide a compliant and consistent admissions approach so that every prospective student has the same experience.

MyGuidance Coach (MGC ) is one technology that is helping to revolutionize automated admissions. MGC is a pre-enrollment advising software offering prospective students the opportunity to set future goals and determine areas of their life that need to be managed to achieve those goals. In addition, MGC pushes customized information about your institution to the prospective student to assist in making an informed decision before reaching out to an admissions advisor or enrolling. The process culminates in the development of a Career Action Plan, which identifies specific milestones and steps to assist prospective students in achieving their goal. And this plan stays with the student throughout his or her journey at your institution and gets passed along to other critical team members (financial aid, faculty, career services, etc.) who will help them to work toward their goal. The best news: MGC is accessible from a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer, which means that as the student’s goals evolve over time, the plan can evolve with them.

Automation can provide a number of benefits for higher education and specifically, admissions professionals. It expands access to students and gives them the opportunity to experience the process in a way that is most comfortable for them. By offering this option, we are also improving service throughout the customer experience and providing touch points along the way. In addition, admissions professionals can focus their time and attention on building solid relationships with their students, and establishing trust in helping with the decision-making process. What’s important to remember with automation is that even as machines do take over some activities performed by humans in a given occupation, that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of jobs in that line of work. In many cases, occupations that have been partly automated continue to grow because overall demand for the remaining activities continues to grow (McKinsey, 2016).

Sources

Frazier, L. (2000). An admissions process transformed with technology. Educause Quarterly.

Chui, M., Manyika, J., and Miremadi, M. Where machines can replace humans and where they can’t (yet). McKinsey Quarterly, July 2016.

Asp Olson, S. Staying Well, Virtually. Delta Sky, January 2017.

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Think of the important contributions your local school counselors have made in your success as an admissions professional. Counselors spend a great deal of their time helping students develop and grow in three specific areas: academics, social/emotional growth and career development. Post-secondary planning is an important part of what school counselors do. However, a recent study found that they can devote only 30% of their time to college and career readiness due to so many other responsibilities. Exploration of key areas related to post-secondary options directly impacts the options students decide to pursue. This makes the relationship that college admissions counselors establish with their local school counselors critically important to ensuring students are able to perform once enrolled in your programs and institutions.

Many conversations related to the success of college admissions counselors today relate to how we can assist our prospective students in finding the right fit. And for many, the idea of “fit” can be difficult to quantify. What are the elements that a student must consider in order to determine the right “fit”? We can look to our school counselor partners for help in defining those areas. As ASCA’s Executive Director, Kwok-Sze Wong has pointed out that “school counselors actively engage in helping students examine their abilities, strengths, interests and talents.” In doing so, counselors are instrumental in laying the foundation for determining a student’s “fit” criteria. Through the partnerships we establish with school counselors, we have the opportunity to continue that initial exploration of “fit” criteria as it relates to prospective students, gaining a better understanding of alignment and likelihood for success in our program and beyond.

I wholeheartedly believe that helping students determine if your school, college, university or program is the right fit for them is one of the most important tasks that admissions professionals have when working with prospective students. Our school counselor partners help to establish a foundation of fit criteria early on, by exploring their students’ interests, skills and values associated with specific careers. College admissions professionals then have the opportunity to carry that discovery forward through the student’s journey in a given institution to help increase the likelihood of success at the college and beyond.

I personally would like to give a shout-out to the school counselors whom I have had the good fortune to work with throughout my career. While I have not been a student on your caseload, you have contributed to my development over the years and cultivated a deep passion for helping students. Thank you for your continued collaboration in helping students reach their truest potential and achieve the goals they have set while pushing toward even greater heights. For any of you who have had the privilege to work with amazing school counselors, don’t be shy this week (and beyond). Let them know how much you appreciate their time, passion, energy and efforts in positively impacting students’ lives. #NSCW17

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In my days as an admissions counselor, I wholeheartedly believed that helping my students determine if my college was the right fit for them was one of the most important tasks that I had to accomplish. The question was how?  I began my career in admissions in the mid-1990s, and let’s just say our process didn’t really lend itself to conversations around “fit.” It was more about getting to know students, their “hot buttons” and providing solutions that put my college at the top of their list. “Fit” was just a bit too subjective. I mean, c’mon … if the student is looking to get a degree in a field of study we offered, of course it was the right fit … right?

Well, as many of you know, that’s not always the case. When it comes to fit, it’s important to understand a person’s interests, skills and values related to what it is that they want – especially when talking about choosing a college or career path. In fact, there are a number of career theorists who believe a career plan is not the result of one decision, but a series of decisions made throughout a lifetime and that the process of exploring one’s interest, skills and values indicates reflection and knowledge of self to develop a satisfying and successful career and life plans.

So, what exactly do you need to know when it comes to these three key areas that contribute to overall fit? Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

Interests

It’s important to have your prospective students consider their interests when it comes to determining fit. Helping your student understand the activities, people, information and things they enjoy the most is important. As human beings, we tend to gravitate toward activities that allow us to spend our time on those interests. And the people who are most satisfied with their jobs are usually the ones who are doing what they enjoy most consistently.

Skills

In addition to exploring students’ interests, you also want to help them discover what skills they have and are willing to acquire for a particular career. When assessing skills, it’s important to think about job-specific skills (things they need to know), transferable skills (things they need to be able to do) and education/training required (what preparation is needed) in order to help determine what career success might look like.

Values

And last but definitely not least, it’s also important that your prospective students have an understanding of their values or what’s important to them when it comes to finding fit. If you don’t take your values into account when planning your career, there’s a good chance you’ll dislike your work and therefore not succeed in it. Looking at values helps you see if there is alignment between what is important to your student and your institution.

So what makes it important to explore these areas as an admissions professional? As you look to help your students discover what’s right for them, you’ll also see if you’re the right place for them. Many of the talented admissions professionals I have the privilege of working with say that helping students achieve and succeed is the reason that they’ve chosen this profession. When a student has the opportunity to explore all areas related to their decision to attend your school or enroll in your program, you’ve given them a gift. They can see what is most important to them and what they need to do to get there. And that gift is a win-win for all involved.

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Without a doubt, that sentiment by Ms. Mead is one of my core beliefs and on June 8^th, I had the privilege of bringing together a group of committed higher ed professionals at the inaugural Symposium for Career Education Admission Professionals.  The event brought together high school counselors and professionals working in and for career colleges and community colleges to understand the similarities and differences each share in serving students.  In many cases, this includes advising underserved, first-generation, and/or at-risk student populations who are not looking to take a traditional route when it comes to their post-secondary education.

The Symposium lent itself to the discovery of a number of ideas to help the college admission professional move forward, with a goal of determining how these somewhat unlikely partners can work together to provide meaningful guidance for students interested in alternate paths to higher education.   Three main ideas/takeaways surfaced during the workshop related to development of the career education admission professional.  These takeaways include:

• Credentialing – A common idea/request from the group centered on the credentialing of college admission professionals by offering badging to demonstrate achievement of specific competencies related to the position. For example, a digital badge to verify Admission Advisors’ skills.
• Member Organization – As the landscape in higher education continues to evolve, both presenters and attendees agreed that joining a member organization would help college admission professionals stay abreast of important regulations impacting the profession and open the door to participate in professional development opportunities.
• Education of HS Counseling Professionals – Participants and attendees felt it important to keep exploring ways to expand partnerships with high school counselors to help bridge the gap between high school graduation and preparation for the next step of a student’s education and career. The consensus was that there needs to be continued education and partnership with high school counselors for all groups.

My experience at the Symposium confirmed one of my long held beliefs…admission professionals and high school counselors are united in a main goal – helping students.  Keeping our students at the forefront is a must for all of us.  It is our mission to ensure that the through the insights and ideas shared at the Symposium we can collectively reach more students to make a difference in more lives.

Why not get started with your professional development this summer?! Join us for an EnrollMatch Admissions Training Workshop in Chicago, August 3-5! The workshop will offer tools and techniques for enhancing your relationships with your students as well as helping them find the right college/program fit!  Contact us for more information at (312) 262-7418.  Space is limited so click here to register, today!

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Something that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is practice.  Being a mom of three involves a lot of running from one practice to the next and it can be overwhelming trying to manage staggered drop off and pick up times, practice days and non-practice days, and who I’m picking up from practice all after a full day of work!

Recently, my son was invited to compete in his first conference swim meet.   Not all swimmers are invited to conference, so the invitation also meant  that after regular swim season practices have ended, our little fish is still practicing five times a wee
k while many of his friends and teammates are home playing on their tablets or with friends.  Suddenly, the idea of the conference meet didn’t seem as exciting to my son.    However, with this experience comes a great lesson.  In order to improve and enhance performance, one must practice regularly.  For my son, this means endless laps in the pool while his friends are playing Minecraft (his favorite past time), with the hope that after that conference meet, he’ll bring home some kind of hardware to symbolize his hard work, hours of practice and ultimately, his achievement.

In thinking about my son’s practice schedule, I can’t help but also think of our clients in terms of continued practice after their initial training workshop.   In order to make change stick, regular practice becomes essential for a number of reasons.

One, practice allows for immediate application of training content.  This helps participants get a complete understanding of the concepts trained and implement those concepts in a real-time environment.

Two, after training, practice helps us to identify areas that are still a bit “gritty”.  This is crucial because it helps trainers support and coach their teams for maximum effectiveness and success in using the process.

Finally, consistent practice helps identify what is working!   Identifying wins with regards to what participants learned through training is equally critical to the teams’ success.  Whether it’s enrolling a new student mere hours after the training has ended – using the new approach – or enhancing communication between departments.

Consistent practice is a must in order to achieve mastery.  Keep pushing yourself to move beyond the “grittiness” and improve your level of understanding.  As you incorporate practice into your routine, don’t forget to celebrate the wins that you have along the way.  So…what will you be practicing today?

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It’s extremely rewarding to see someone casually stroll out the door of our training/facilitating with a smile on their face after initially walking in with a scowl. We’ve held sessions for people who were hesitant, unwilling, and even a little scared. Still, every single person who’s walked through our doors has held a positive outlook by the end of the final session.

Here are some excerpts that I’ve found to be among the most fulfilling:

• “Life Changing!” – Sam, an Admissions Representative from Santa Ana, California
• “An engaging and informative experience that was filled with “AH-HA” moments right and left. It helped me to see a more effective and powerful ways to help students.” – Whitney, a Learning & Development Consultant from Iowa
• “It was very engaging. It was fun and it was exciting to come every day. It made me think outside of what we were usually doing. I even use it in my personal life.” – Lauren, an Admissions Representative from Kansas City, Missouri
• “I believe this was one of the most effective and enjoyable training sessions that I’ve done. It was relevant to what the company is looking for and gave me a new perspective on my duties.” – Liz, an Admissions Representative from Springfield, Illinois
• “AMAZING! ENGAGING! INCREDIBLE!” – Natalie, an Admissions Representative from Arlington, Texas
• “The workshop exceeded my expectations. The presenters were very engaging and informative. The workshop set me up for success!” Terrent, an Admissions Representative from Ardmore, Texas

As I look back at these quotes I get a feeling of elation knowing that I have positively impacted someone’s life in one way or another. And when people ask me what I do for a living I say, “I change people’s lives. What do you do?”

You can learn more about Virtual Training and Admission Mystery shopping by just a single click over here.

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