Drum roll, please.... and you are going... where? This is usually, for us, the hardest part of the college counseling process; finding out all the schools a senior has been accepted (or denied) at, and where he or she decided to attend next year. Once students write their last essay or polish off that last application, they breathe a sigh of relief and move on to the next task on their senior agenda- graduation. They often share with us their anxiety as they wait for the colleges to respond to their applications. We hear from students or parents as those letters start rolling in: jubilation for the acceptances, anguish or anger at the rejections. Yet, it sometimes is a wall of silence after all their letters have come in. Getting students to enter into their student portal ALL their acceptances, rejections and ultimately, where they have decided to attend college as a freshman for 2011-12 can be a challenge.
It is time for "Operation Senior". This is a technique we use for encouraging students to enter that last bit of data into their student portals. Operation Senior starts with:
1) sending a broadcasat email out to all seniors, encouraging them to update their student portals
2) including in that broadcast email a deadline for the update
3) including in that email an incentive for meeting that deadline. We use a $5.00 Starbucks gift card.
4) limiting the number of gifts that will be given : "first 20 students" "in the next 5 days", etc.
This technique works really well. As a follow up, we check for completed senior enrollment plans using the Enrollment report on mycca.net (see help guide in Latest mycca.net news). Many, but not all, students will update their application process in their student portals. Using the report in App List, we can see which students have updated, and which ones still have work to do.
Then our next phase of "Operation Senior" kicks in. We do another broadcast email inviting them to send us an email with the requested information:
1) where were you accepted
2) where were you not accepted
3) where are you going next year?
This will usually garner more notifications from students.
Operation Senior has one final step. In the very end, we still need to use the old fashioned way- call the student and the parent and ask. After all, these are teenagers we are dealing with.
We would love to hear from you as to ways you finish up the year with your seniors- how do you get the final notifications from them as to their acceptances, rejections, and enrollment decisions? What other things do you do for your seniors? Share as a comment .
It is time for "Operation Senior". This is a technique we use for encouraging students to enter that last bit of data into their student portals. Operation Senior starts with:
1) sending a broadcasat email out to all seniors, encouraging them to update their student portals
2) including in that broadcast email a deadline for the update
3) including in that email an incentive for meeting that deadline. We use a $5.00 Starbucks gift card.
4) limiting the number of gifts that will be given : "first 20 students" "in the next 5 days", etc.
This technique works really well. As a follow up, we check for completed senior enrollment plans using the Enrollment report on mycca.net (see help guide in Latest mycca.net news). Many, but not all, students will update their application process in their student portals. Using the report in App List, we can see which students have updated, and which ones still have work to do.
Then our next phase of "Operation Senior" kicks in. We do another broadcast email inviting them to send us an email with the requested information:
1) where were you accepted
2) where were you not accepted
3) where are you going next year?
This will usually garner more notifications from students.
Operation Senior has one final step. In the very end, we still need to use the old fashioned way- call the student and the parent and ask. After all, these are teenagers we are dealing with.
We would love to hear from you as to ways you finish up the year with your seniors- how do you get the final notifications from them as to their acceptances, rejections, and enrollment decisions? What other things do you do for your seniors? Share as a comment .
Posts
