It may not seem like it, but if you’re experiencing winter weather conditions, you’ll find them to be abating over the next few months. That means that if you haven’t already started planning the spring activities on your calendar, it’s time to get it in gear! Better yet, if you’ve already sent out invites or put the event on your alumni activities calendar, why not send out a refresher? Surely your alumni would love to know more about a springtime event now during winter weather. Sending out event invites now also gives alumni a chance to save the date and begin planning. Save the Dates fun alumni springtime announcements You don’t have to spend hundreds of alumni resource dollars just to mail out invites or save-the-dates. Start planning early by having an intern design a festive digital e-vite, or add a custom header graphic to your Facebook or other pages. Use social media or online invitation software to send out save-the-date invitations to folks on your alumni list. In addition to doing this, use all available media channels to remind your alumni that you have an important event coming up. Facebook, Twitter, your customized software applications and program notices posted in the alumni and admissions offices can make a real difference. Involve MVPs Have alumni MVPs within your resource box? Invite famous folks, valued athletes or important members of facility who are alumni or current students to help you create advertising for your events. A video invite that you post on social media networks or send out with your save-the-date can make alumni activities look like top-notch affairs. Create Swag What’s an event without great swag? If you already have some collateral made for the event, feel free to send out a few samples or create some buzz. Use pictures of t-shirts, cards or prizes you’re giving away or raffling off to get people in the know about the event. If you are doing mailers, feel free to send this information out to people who are on your list. You could also create an incentive program to give swag away to people who bring friends or other alumni with them to your activities! Even a potluck can yield some interesting results if you’re willing to do a raffle. When it comes to getting alumni on board with your activities, make sure you let them know how fun your events are going to be well in advance. If you utilize some of the above suggestions in marketing spring event, alumni will at least have something to look forward to when the drudgery of winter passes.
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We’ve discussed how alumni returning to college are often juggling families, jobs and responsibilities very different from the responsibilities experienced by college students in their early 20s. One of the most challenging things for these alumni can be filling out the college application and gathering required materials.
As an admissions counselor, giving your alumni all the help you can will ensure their success, and a higher completion rate at your university. Alumni who previously earn a degree with your institution are likely to complete a second degree as well – so if your alumni are successfully admitted, everyone wins. Time may be a critical factor when it comes to alumni completing applications, so it makes sense to provide some extra time for alumni to schedule application completion and have their questions answered at once. For alumni who are returning, a 1-2 hour workshop during an evening can make for better and more competitive applications – and the convenience of getting everything done at once is appealing to many alumni. Application Workshop Scheduling Many alumni are working during the day, so evening scheduling is important and should be kept in mind when determining a workshop date. After the date is set, it’s a good idea to ensure that your email list for alumni is up to date so that you’re not emailing students who are already enrolled or don’t need the extra help. Dividing your list to target students who need the night workshop from those who you know have a good grip on their application adds an individualized level of service to your incoming students. You can use your own judgment and personal experience to make decisions about which students should be on which list. Volunteering for Incoming Students Enrolled students who are doing internships or for-credit work with you can help new students with their application questions as well. If you have office assistants around, the night workshops could be a great volunteer opportunity to make sure incoming alumni are taken care of and have all their questions answered. When working with returning alumni admissions, it’s important to offer all resources available to ensure that students have their needs met. Incoming students are looking to create great applications, write comparative essays, and to get through the application process as painlessly as possible. By offering additional night resources to incoming alumni, you can ensure these students will have everything they need to complete their application process and await enrollment letters. As a college admissions advisor, it’s important to make sure both new and returning students are taking steps in the right direction. When faced with alumni who are considering becoming returning students, the game is different. Many alumni have led independent lives during their post-baccalaureate experience that includes families, jobs and responsibilities unknown to many young college students.
Returning alumni looking for college admission help may find a different world than the one they faced just a few years ago as a college student. Advances in internet technology and an abundance more college prep websites can help with alumni admissions. There’s so much out there – and by pointing alumni to the right websites, you could save yourself some work and assist them as they move through the college admission process. Preparing for the GREs Many returning alumni are going to graduate school as opposed to getting a second bachelor’s degree. These folks will be responsible for studying up on and taking the GRE. Most institutions require this standardized test, so it’s important to make sure alumni understand mastering the GRE. Much like the SATs, the GRE has a written, a literature/comprehension and a mathematics component. Many alumni approaching the GRE realize they haven’t prepped for the math skills to take the exam, so it’s important to choose the right review material to get alumni started. The GRE is very important to the college admission process, so alumni seeking readmission do need to study. As a college admissions consultant, you can suggest busy alumni who don’t have time for GRE study meetups use the internet to download valuable GRE material for studying. One great GRE prep website/online option to check out is Kaplan’s, one of the monsters in the test prep field. Program Prerequisites Alumni may also be required to fulfill prereqs for each individual department they’re a part of. Most departments make this information available online. In some cases, the info can be downloaded as part of a bulleted pdf or checklist so alumni can mark off each prereq as they fulfill it or understand it. We don’t want to eliminate your job as a college admissions consultant, but it is important to make the process look easy so your alumni don’t throw their hands up and say, “I’ll do this next term.” Online resources make it much more easier for alumni to study, prepare, help to understand how to write an essay, how to prepare for studying. |
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