[Part 9 of the Counselor Training Blog Series provides you with valuable information to help you have more meaningful conversations with prospective students and their parents.]
Ask any admissions counselor and they will tell you that one of their key responsibilities is to ask questions of prospective students and their parents. The more a counselor discovers about a student, the better he or she can present the values of the institution in a meaningful way. Typically, that requires asking a lot of questions. Earlier, we took an in depth look of the importance of probing and “filling buckets” with crucial information. (Here)
We have found that counselors are inherently motivated to find out everything they can about a prospective student. But the funny thing is, even very good counselors often get in their own way. They hold themselves back from asking the kinds of questions that will yield insight into the student’s emotions and fears and hidden factors that will influence the college selection decision.
Why? Because many counselors are fearful of being intrusive. And the fear is completely manufactured.
We encourage counselors to ask probing questions like, “Are you and your parents in agreement on which college you should attend?” Or, “What is your biggest fear about going away to college?” Or, “If one of your friends were asked to describe you, what do you think they would say?”
While those may sound like off-the-wall questions, the most successful counselors ask them. They have learned that the answers provide a window into the student as a unique individual who is about ready to make one of the most important decisions of his or her life. They know that the information shared will allow them to understand how the student’s feelings, emotions and perceptions will play into his or her ultimate college selection.
When handled with skill, these are the kinds of conversations that help students realize that the counselor is trying to understand them as a person. They want that. They need that. In a national higher-ed study we just completed (the report will be available in January) we asked over 10,000 college-bound students, “Was there a point in your college selection process where you felt the college you most strongly considered had taken a personal interest in you?” Only 36% said, “Yes.”
OUCH!
We encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and ask questions of students and parents that you have never asked before. Don’t worry that those questions will be too intrusive. We have done years of research on this topic, talking with hundreds of thousands of college-bound students and their parents, and have never found these questions to be considered invasive. We do, however, hear frequent complaints from students that the counselor did not attempt to get to know them better. Don’t get in your own way. Ask penetrating questions and your prospective students will know that you truly want to get to know them more as a person.
[In the next installment of the Counselor Training Series we will take a look at how a student’s excitement about attending your college influences their final decision. Subscribe to Versions of Conversion today so you don’t miss any of this highly-valuable information.]
Karen Full is a highly-respected higher education professional who has held positions in admissions and enrollment management at several institutions in the Midwest and Florida.With her vast experience working with large and small, public and private colleges, Karen brings a valuable perspective to her role as an Enrollment Strategist at Longmire and Company. Call Karen at 913/492.1265 x.711 or email her at kfull@longmire-co.com. Follow Karen on Twitter @KarenAFull.
Rick Montgomery is as an Enrollment Strategist at Longmire and Company. With over 20 years in higher education marketing, he brings an innovative approach to helping colleges and universities meet their enrollment goals. 
