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Admissions should be well informed or trained in the school curriculum

The title for my discussion comes simply from making sure the admissions department has a full understanding of what goes on within the educational facility they work for.
For instance, If you are an admin rep for an automotive trade school, you should understand exactly what the curriculum will entail as the perspective student progresses through their program. So many students are not sure of exactly what they will be learning as they progress in their program, and with unexpected courses thrust upon them, at times seems to make them uneasy with their education and that's just a plan for disaster for retention.

Anton,

Yes, this is important. Students need to know what they will need to do and then, back it up with success stories. They will surprise you.

Dr. Larry Banks

The sharing of both work and world experiance is our greatest resource. As the students advance they should be made aware of each application of technology and how it translates into real world direction in the workplace.

Patrick ,

Excellent. This is a key.

Dr. Larry Banks

I absolutely agree... I have had experiences where I have heard admissions reps stating out and out lies about equipment used and experiences to expect simply because they did not know what the program entailed. They gave this idealistic remark which the student believed and when it didnt happen, the student dropped! They are continually working on the admissions process where I work and it still needs a lot of help! Students cant be expected to persevere if they were not given the truth to begin with.

melissa,

It is so important that we don't strecth the truth. It is what it is. Do what you can to link all departments together.

Dr. Larry Banks

Students that well informed on there course of study and how it will apply to there future employment will start to look for and retain more information.Students can only succeed if they are given the learning tools and knowledge for there employment they are going into.

Bruce,

And, they tend to complete their course of study, too.

Dr. Larry Banks

At our school some of the faculty will walk through a tour of the school that an admissions person gives a prospective student. The faculty member may be able to add new information or a funny fact that may interest new students. The admission people love this and it ties together the two departments in a fun way.

I agree it is imperative that Admission representatives have a clear understanding of all programs. Our programs are delivered through distance so we do not have the luxury of talking to the student face to face so we must enure a qualifing checklist is in place. I think the ideal scenario would be to have admission staff that have expertise in Multimedia programs (creative individuals), and admisson staff with expertise in Business programs. This would allow for indepth conversations on the industry and what the true expectations of the program of choice for the potential student would entail.

I absolutely agree. We occasionally get students at my school who somehow made it through the entire enrollment process with a totally wrong idea about the program they're entering. Every program needs to have a clear outcome goal, consisting of key skills to be taught and a target job market for graduates. Then this goal needs to be communicated to admissions personnel so they can clearly communicate it to prospective students.

We also do tours of our schools and when it comes to anything concerning our department our admissions reps let me do the work of talking about our field and what to expect on the education side of things, just as when students have questions that are about their admissions process I direct them to the admissions department. We work together well in that way. We also conduct product knowledge meetings with admissions where we, program directors, take turns going to speak at admissions meetings and discuss what students can expect from going to school in our career field to what job prospects are like. It's important to make sure that admissions is aware of even the small details of the program such as hours and the length of the program so that student do not feel disillusioned or just unable to fit school into their already busy lives.

Rodney,

The importance of attendance and the work involved to successfully complete the program does need to be stressed with students in the admissions process. A solid relationship between Education and Admissions leads to students hearing a uniform message.

Dr. Ron Hansen

I completely agree to the success of the student falling on the 1st wave of the admissions process (i.e. the tour given by the representative) the student needs to know exactly what he/she is getting into, so when they arrive their expectations are what was portrayed to them up front. This will lead to long term commitment from tne student.

Shawn,

Absolutely. Providing the Admissions with product knowledge on a regular basis is key to aiding them present the program in the best possible way.

Dr. Ron Hansen

Somethime I think admissions are too focused on numbers. I think students are more likely to succeed when the reps are honest and up front about what school has to offer and what the expectations are. The reps are soooooo important to the whole process.

Susan,

All departments work together. It is okay to have a quantitative goal as does Admissions. The instructors and others in education should support Admissions through product knowledge and any other training that can be provided. Admissions representatives sell what they know but are also held accountable to properly present the programs and the institution.

Ron Hansen, Ed. D.

I agree. It is so important that the admissions rep. have a good knowledge of each of the program that are offered at the school.The prospective student needs to understand the details of the program that they are interested in enrolling in and what will be expected of them. A campus tour of each of the departments will help the prospective student to see the other students in action,performimg the various procedures that are required of that program.

Sue ,

The Education department providing Product Knowledge to Admissions on a regular basis can help achieve a "good knowledge".

Ron Hansen, Ed. D.

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