Happy Fall! Classes have resumed, Labor Day Weekend has come and gone, and tomorrow I head out on my first recruitment trip for the Class of 2020. While some of my colleagues have already begun their travels, I wanted to take this opportunity to talk a little more about what we in Holy Cross Admissions do while we’re out on the road.
As I mentioned in my previous post, my colleagues and I will be travelling all over the country to share information with prospective students and their families about what makes Holy Cross special. We try to visit at least four high schools a day as well as attend college fairs and host alumni interview programs in order to meet future applicants. As such, travel season is a great time for us to explain our approach to admissions while seeing prospective students in their home areas.
To get the most out of the recruitment season, here are some tips:
– if possible, make labels with your name, high school, class year, email address, home address, and phone number. It will save you a lot of time when you’re meeting admissions reps at college fairs or during high school visits!
– try not to wear any college paraphernalia if you know that you’re going to meet an admission counselor. While a college sweatshirt may be comfortable, it can also be a little distracting if I’m trying to talk to a student about Holy Cross and they’re sporting gear from [INSERT OTHER COLLEGE NAME HERE]. On that note, please be mindful of your clothing choices in general the day of a visit from a rep or a college fair–these are wonderful opportunities to make a strong first impression!
– come talk to us! My colleagues and I travel thousands of miles to visit schools. It takes us a lot of time, effort, and coordination to plan our travel, but we go through it all because we really want to interact with our applicants. At Holy Cross we take a very holistic approach to admissions, so it means a lot to us to be able to speak with prospective students. We call this demonstrated interest, and it plays an important role in our decision-making process.
– lastly but still importantly…please offer us recommendations for dinner or lunch! Travel is such an incredible part of our work for many reasons, but certainly one is that we get the chance to experience other parts of the country and the world. In my opinion, sampling local food and drink is such a lovely little perk!
I hope this helps you as you embark on the next step in the college application process. Enjoy the season!
(photography by Tom Rettig)
