Greetings from IACAC 2008! IACAC is the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling and I'm writing to you "as we speak," from our annual conference, just outside of Chicago. Desmar, Jessica, Cassie and I are all here since we recruit in territories throughout the state of Illinois.
With the recruiting season winding down, I always look forward IACAC because I get see fellow Cubs and Bears fans - I mean, admission and guidance counseling professionals. We take three days to share, learn, network and get re-energized for another year!
What do we do at these conferences?
We talk about you... the students!
We share, discuss and learn how we can better serve you and your needs. One of the topics that always tend to be "hot" are ones that discuss technology. Today I attended a panel of high school students to hear their views on technology and how it assisted (and limited) them on their college search. We heard from an articulate panel of several high school students who explained how (all but one), used online searches that allowed them to choose specific criteria (they referenced fastweb and collegeboard), to narrow their schools from a few thousand down to a several. They then researched their "short lists" extensively online, and followed that up with speaking with their guidance counselors to tap their knowledge and experience, and then visited their top few schools in-person.
Then the question was asked, "How do you feel about still receiving phone calls at home or on your cell phone from Admission Counselors." All the students said they liked receiving phone calls, accept around dinner time. (I wouldn't like that either!)
Then a strong consensus was made that sometimes when they received calls, or when they are in an office with a counselor or at a fair that that they sometimes felt off guard and found themselves in an awkward silence with their counselor and/or were afraid of what questions to ask. Some feared that *gasp* this awkward silence would hurt their admission decisions! I was quite surprised to hear this, especially from such a well-spoken group! One student commented like she felt like she should have been asking questions that went "beyond the basics," but at the time could not think of any.
Hence my post.
Whether it's at a college fair table, in our office, on the phone, etc., to avoid that "dreaded awkward silence," here are some deeper questions you should consider asking - if some of these criteria are important to you:
If class sizes are important:
- What is your average class size?
- What is your average freshmen class size?
Classroom/teaching atmosphere:
- How much is lecture format vs. engaged learning (discussion, experiential, group projects, service learning).
- How do you place your internships/fieldwork? (Ask for examples for your major).
- Are there opportunities for undergrad research?
- Are there opportunities for study abroad?
Academic and other Support
- How are students academically advised?
- Tutoring Center? Writing
Center? etc. - are there any additional costs?
- Is there a mentoring program for students? Volunteering? Leadership?
- What disability services are available? (at your disclosure, if applicable)
Faculty:
- Do you have Teaching Assistants and if so, what percentage of freshmen classes are taught by TA's?
- Are professors accessible to assist students if needed? If not, what other academic support is available (Tutoring Center? Writing Center? etc. - are there any additional costs?).
- Do faculty mentor students? Do they academically advise students? If not, how are students academically advised?
Access to speaking with others beyond Admissions Office (for further questions):
- Is there an opportunity for me to speak with current students?
- ...academic advisors? ...professor/s (within my major)? ...special needs coordinator?
Life after this school:
- Assistance/Support for Grad/Professional School search/application process? (if applicable for your program/area of study)
- What are the special services your Career Center can provide (ie: workshops/assistance on resume writing/review, portfolio construction, "dress for success" for job interviews, job interview skills, mock job interviewing, etc.).
- Are there on campus career-fairs? Companies who do on-campus interviews? Who is your largest employer of alumni (and the main career field they are in is...?)?
- Professional/Grad school % placement for a particular program (of your interest, if applicable)
Don't be afraid to ask your admission counselor:
- Did you go to this school?
- If yes, why did you choose it? If no, why not - or why do you like it now?
As you may notice - these are not easy questions to ask, but do not be afraid to ask these questions or others that come to mind of us or any other school.
College is a big investment of your life and money. Do not "fear" us or the process. You cannot afford to NOT ask questions. As a student you must take ownership of the process. As admission counselors we are more impressed when you are asking the questions. While it is important for parents to be involved, we want to see you having an honest vested interest in this because you are the one who is ultimately responsible for your success.
We are here to help you. We are not "out to make a sale" nor are we "the mean dictators" who would make or break an admission decision based
on some awkward silence while you ponder over an admission question. This is about your future. You are a person - someone's sister/brother/son/daughter and we take the thought of your future seriously and with great care. I can speak for UW-Parkside, when I say, all of us (counselors) take a
student-service approach in our office.
Our purpose is to provide you
with the most up to date information in order to assist you in
connecting your needs with the offerings (academic and co-curricular)
of our University - to make you comfortable with the institution so you
can make the best informed decision possible.
Without hesitation you should ask more detailed questions of us in order to get the information you need to make the decisions that are right for you.
See you on the road,
~ Nicole
