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Escaping Tradition: �A New Campus Visit Structure

Andy Marshall

University of Puget Sound

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The Plan

  • Our Story –
    • What We Did
    • What We Do Now
    • Why We Did It
  • Advantages
  • Challenges
  • Data
  • Philosophy
  • Discussion

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Old Structure

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New Structure

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Why?

  • Desire to shorten the information session…
  • But to keep people scheduled for two hours

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So make the tour longer

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Why?

  • Desire to shorten the information session…
  • But to keep people scheduled for two hours
  • BUT – Students go to class
    • Can’t schedule tour guides over 1.5 hours

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Why?

  • Desire to shorten the information session…
  • But to keep people scheduled for two hours
  • BUT – Students go to class
    • Can’t schedule tour guides over 1.5 hours
  • Looked at – (It all felt awkward)
    • Meeting space in the middle of a tour to switch guides
    • Having tours wait with a counselor
    • Scrapping the whole plan

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New Structure

Counselor Intro

Academic Focus

Tour

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Information

Session

Student Life Focus

Tour

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List form (9:00 session)

  • 9:00-9:05 – Counselor Introduction
  • 9:05-9:10 – Get tours started, restrooms
  • 9:10-9:40 – Academic Focus Tour
  • 9:40-9:45 – Break
  • 9:45-10:15 – Counselor Information Session
  • 10:15-10:20 Break
  • 10:20-10:50 – Student Life Focus Tour

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Advantages – The schedule works

  • The schedule works
    • More time on tour
    • Less in a boring talk
    • Breaks built in = less stress

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Advantages – The schedule works

Old Format – Actual

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9:00 – 10:05 – Info Session

10:05-10:15 – Bathroom Break/Find the people that get lost

10:15-10:59:59 – Campus Tour

11:00-11:10 – Late for class visit

Old Format – Ideal

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  • 9:00-10:00 – Info Session
  • 10:00-10:50 – Campus Tour

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Advantages – Multiple voices

  • The schedule works
    • More time on tour
    • Less in a boring talk
    • Breaks built in = less stress
  • Every guests has two tour guides

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  • 2>1

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Advantages – More movement = less boring

  • The schedule works
    • More time on tour
    • Less in a boring talk
    • Breaks built in = less stress
  • Multiple tour guides
  • More movement
  • Less boring

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Challenges

  • Coordination of tours
    • Timing
  • Late Arrivals
  • Liberal Arts is not divided into Academics and Student Life
  • Convincing counselors to change

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Philosophy

  • Story based experience
    • Be authentic
    • Be powerful
    • Be memorable
  • Students are, by definition, unique. Counselors are not
  • The Campus Visit should be different
    • Market without marketing

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Philosophy

  • Student staff is extremely important
  • Turing over part of the “info session” to them
  • Good, but requires attention
    • Hiring
    • Training (continuous)
    • Structure
    • Management

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Data

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Data

Rate Campus Visit 1-5?

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Data

  • Format Preference

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    • Prefer Two Tours = 78%
    • Prefer One Tour = 17%
    • No Response = 5%
  • Rate Visit 1-5?
    • 2 – 1%
    • 3 – 8%
    • 4 – 40%
    • 5 – 51%
    • No Response – 1%

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Data – over time

  • Average Campus Visit Rating
    • Summer 2015 – 4.37
    • Spring 2016 – 4.56
  • Prefer Two Tours
    • Summer 2015 – 77%
    • Spring 2016 – 100%

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Discussion

Andy Marshall

Assistant Director of Admission

Campus Visits and Events

253-879-3992

amarshall@pugetsound.edu

@PugetSoundAndy

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