How Do I Talk to Admissions Counselors?

It is extremely easy to get overwhelmed at college fairs, but your biggest resource and support should be the admissions counselors that are there. Their role in the college search process is to represent their institution and act as a guide for you! They can connect you with helpful information, and connect you with various campus partners to answer lingering questions you may have!

Examples of this could be:

• Providing an overview of information about co-curricular and extra-curricular activities students can participate in

• Directing students to a particular portion of the institution's website for information a student was struggling to find

• Connecting a student with offices such as Financial Aid (for FAFSA and filing info) or Residence Life (for information about housing contracts and life in residence halls)

It is important to be polite and friendly when interacting with admissions representatives.

First, they are the individuals that are most likely going to be your contact for that application process. Most representatives will be recruiting in the area that they will review applications for, and are the person to contact. If you are able to establish good rapport with them, it is easier for them to assist you as they understand your needs and can better support you.

Second, admission counselors are people too! This may sound obvious, but this is important. As someone who used to travel a lot for recruiting students, I have attended college fairs where students and parents have spoken to me like I was simply someone to regurgitate information. They were not friendly, and that influenced the quality of our conversation. This is frustrating because conversations at college fairs should be insightful for both parties, as the student and representative are both gathering information about the other to understand if that institution will fit a student’s needs.

Some schools utilize what is called “Demonstrated Interest”. This is a school’s ability to track how often you interact with that institution, or someone associated there, and the quality of that interaction. If an institution tracks engagement, and you take the time to interact with a representative while asking insightful questions, and demonstrating an inquisitive, yet positive attitude, this could bode well for you as an applicant. 

Finally, ask insightful questions. If you are able to, do your research about an institution before speaking to that representative. I have had many students approach my table and say, “I’ve researched your school and I’m really impressed by your engineering program. Can you tell me more about it?” When I would clarify and ask what type of engineering specifically, they would respond, “Oh I’m not sure, which do you offer?” I will assume that maybe you saw the list during your research and forgot, or maybe you didn’t research at all, and are just trying to impress the counselor, but that is not the way to approach us. Research, be intentful with your plans, because this is very important!