RETHINKING THE HIGH SCHOOL VISIT: IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMS TO CONNECT STUDENTS AND ADMISSION COUNSELORS

Gregg Murray Michael Nation Karen Rowe Viewpoint School Oaks Christian School The Meadows School

OVERVIEW

Why Connect Students and Admission Counselors?

Programmatic Overview The Meadows School Viewpoint School Oaks Christian School

Admission Counselor Survey Results Student Survey Results Supporting Students’ Noncognitive Growth

WHY CONNECT STUDENTS AND ADMISSION COUNSELORS?

Add authenticity and depth to the high school visit Allow admission counselors to interact with students

Educate admission counselors about student life Enable students to serve as ambassadors of the school

Support student engagement in college process Encourage active participation in college search Allay student fears of the “scary” admission counselor

Enhance students’ noncognitive learning opportunities Provide alternative methods to develop “soft-skills”

THE MEADOWS SCHOOL

Las Vegas, NV IndependentPK – 12270 upper school students2 College Counselors for graduating class

of ~70100% college acceptance , very high

achieving“College Ambassadors Club”

COLLEGE AMBASSADOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Greet college admission counselors Members used for panel discussions Senior members speak with 9th and 10th

grade advisory classes Sponsor Instagram account Write for the college blog Make treats for recommendation appreciation

FUTURE INITIATIVES

Sponsor May 1st celebration Sponsor “college of the week” during

announcements Sponsor a college assembly Write thank you notes to admission

counselors Make a podcast highlighting the school

PROGRAMMATIC ADVICE

Change can be tough Teacher buy-in Getting more underclassmen involved

VIEWPOINT SCHOOLCALABASAS, CA

• Independent, co-ed., college prep, PK-12, day school

• 500 students in grades 9-12• 4 college counselors for a graduating

class of ~120 students• 100% college acceptance, very high

achieving

FOUNDERS’ CLUB RESPONSIBILITIES

Greet college admission counselors Provide campus tour option for college

admission counselors Assist with check-in and serve as college

representative hosts for Junior Case Studies Night

FOUNDERS’ CLUB GOALS

Encourage active participation in college process

Build productive relationships Create an inviting experience for college

admission counselors Promote and spread college knowledge

within the school through sponsored activities

Promote non-cognitive learning opportunities for students

FUTURE INITIATIVES

Write college visit blog from student perspective to post on social media

Assist with Summer Enrichment Fair Establish leadership roles within Founders’

Club for individuals interested in assisting with student-to-student scheduling and communications

Encourage students to create tour route and informal script for other Founders’ Club members

PROGRAMMATIC ADVICE

Logistical issues Matching students with college admission

counselor Maintain Counselor-to-Counselor relationship Student leadership & Communication

OAKS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA

• Independent, co-ed., college prep, 6-12, day school

• 950 students in grades 9-12• 5 college counselors for a graduating

class of 240 students• 98% college acceptance, high achieving

COLLEGE COUNSELING AMBASSADORS

Provide opportunities for students to become comfortable and familiar with admission counselors and the college exploration process

Create an inviting atmosphere for college admission counselors with at least 1 student and 1 college counselor in attendance

Promote an environment for students to see that “great colleges” are not defined by rankings

COLLEGE AMBASSADOR ACTIVITIES

Students volunteer at the beginning of the year Greet admission counselors Host the admission counselor at a roundtable

discussion (using a questionnaire as a guide- when needed)

Offer a tour of the campus Walk the admission counselor out Write handwritten thank you notes (newer

addition to program) Help admission counselor get a glimpse into Oaks

Christian

COLLEGE COUNSELING PREFECT

One student selected by a committee Announces which colleges will be on campus to

peers during an all-school assembly Recruits volunteers for college counseling events Announces events that the College Counseling

Office is offering Coordinates all college counseling ambassadors

hosting dates/times Meets with a college counselor each week

IMPORTANT FACTORS

Teacher/Administrator buy-in Well advertised (Weekly Counselor e-mails, Posted

on TV’s, announced at assembly each week, updated on School calendar and Naviance)

10th grade students are required to attend two visits Prefect does a lot of daily tasks Any given period we have 100-200 students with

open periods If missing class, students get a teacher permission

slip signed Closed Campus- one place to check in for admission

counselors

IS IT WORTH THE EFFORT?

Admission Counselor Responses Student Responses Learning Outcomes

130College Admission Counselors surveyed

College Admission Counselors greeted

by students47%College Admission Counselors offered tours by students

69%85%College Admission

Counselors responding that fewer than 1/5 of high schools they visit had a greeter

91%College Admission Counselors responding that fewer than 1 out of every 10 high schools they visited offer a tour

Admission Counselor Survey

RATING OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Welcoming Professional Friendly Informative0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

VerySomewhatNot Very

PLEASE INDICATE WHETHER THE GREETER/GUIDE HAD AN IMPACT ON

YOUR PERCEPTION OF THE FOLLOWING:

Facilit

ies

Acad

emic R

igor

Visu

al A

rts

Athl

etics

Acad

emic C

lubs

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

PositiveNo ChangeNegative

SAID TOURS IMPROVED THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SCHOOL CONTEXT.

“Love seeing the HS from the

students perspective”

“Receive genuine opinions about the school”

“Feel welcomed and that the HS values my visit”

“Better

understanding of

school culture, arts

opportunities,

resources, electives,

facilities, etc.”

“There is a great level of authenticity with the personal greeting and

conversation”

“Enhanced my perspective of the school

and/or a particular student”

64%

25% OF RESPONDENTS SAID THE TOURS DID NOT IMPROVE THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SCHOOL

CONTEXT.

Least favorite Aspects of Greeter/guide programs Not enough time to take a tour (cannot do it/feel

bad saying no) When the student greeter replaces the

opportunity to meet with a counselor Would like to know a tour is available ahead of

time If it is a lesser known college, students often lack

enthusiasm or are dismissive. Students should do some research before greeting them

When shy, non-talkative or socially awkward student hosts greet or tour

51 Students surveyed

Thought the program to

greet/give a tour was beneficial to

themselves

100%Thought the program to

greet/give a tour was beneficial to their high

school

88%Rated their

experience greeting and/or touring the

admission counselor as excellent

Student Survey

94%

Improvements were also reported in Professionalism and Communication

WHY DID STUDENTS BECOME INVOLVED?

“To build a relationship with the college I want to go to”

“Get a kick-start on the admissions process and get acquainted with who’d be reading the applications for our school”

“I wanted to show the rep the real me and not just the paper version they will see in my application”

“It helped my ability to greet and connect with complete strangers”

FIVE CATEGORIES OF NONCOGNITIVE FACTORS

Academic Behaviors Academic Perseverance Academic Mindset Learning Strategies Social Skills

STUDENTS’ SELF-REPORTED NON-COGNITIVE LEARNING OUTCOMES

Professionalism Conversation Skills Communication Confidence Self-Advocacy Networking Public Speaking Leadership Initiative Accountability Time Management Organization

58%

55%

40%

36%

36%

32%

28%

25%

24%

16%

14%

14%

QUESTIONS?

Karen Rowe - The Meadows School krowe@themeadowsschool.org

Gregg Murray - Viewpoint School gregg.murray@viewpoint.org

Michael Nation - Oaks Christian School mnation@oakschristian.org