Your school’s admissions office deals with questions from prospective families and education consultants all day long. A lot of families will be just starting their boarding school journey through online research and personal conversations. They’re balancing their daily parent duties on top of the heavy, emotional decision about what’s best for their child’s education and future. They could have a difficult time even knowing where to start. Oftentimes, they don’t even know the right questions to ask. The admissions and enrollment process is the greatest opportunity to build relationships with families and educational consultants. You want to make the admissions process as seamless and stress-free as possible. Your school’s admissions team should be aiming to make prospective families feel confident in their decision. Here’s how to tackle their most pressing questions.
1. School Environment
Parents want to know their children will be safe, successful and happy in the school environment they choose. When they ask about your school’s environment, they want a full understanding of what life is like on campus. They want to be able to picture themselves living day-to-day within your school’s community.
Questions may include:
- What does your school environment look like for a child?
- What does the average weekly schedule look like?
- What is the average class size?
- How many students live in the dorms?
- What are your campus safety procedures?
The goal of your answers to these questions should be to tell the full story of the student (and parent) experience at your school. Understanding their individual concerns will also help you ask follow-up questions to better understand what they are looking for — making the conversation feel more personal rather than scripted.
2. Student Learning Philosophy
Many concerns from prospective families are rooted in academic and learning needs. Whether they need additional learning support, extra attention in the classroom or even have specific goals for higher education, your admissions team needs to be able to address every concern families have.
Questions may include:
- What is the faculty to student ratio?
- How would you describe the pace of learning?
- Can you please describe the academic curriculum?
- What are the common learning styles in your classrooms?
- What kind of academic resources are available?
- Do you offer any additional learning support?
- How often do students meet with their college counselor?
Your answers to these questions should make families feel as though your school’s environment can adapt to their every concern. You will want to showcase the flexibility your school offers inside and outside the classroom. Parents will want to hear about the individualized learning experience their child will receive from faculty and staff. They will also want to feel confident their child will feel comfortable and have fun with extracurriculars outside the classroom.
3. Student Health & Wellness
Student health and wellness services are a top concern for prospective families. With high college admissions competition, students are under constant pressure. Parents want to know your school offers all the proper resources to make students feel safe, comfortable and happy.
Questions may include:
- How important is physical education within the curriculum?
- Are there mental health counselors available?
- What would a student do when they feel overwhelmed?
- How often do students meet with their advisors?
- How diverse is the student body?
- How does the school make all students feel welcome (i.e. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)?
There is a need to balance the language regarding a rigorous academic program and a safe environment that won’t make students feel overwhelmed and out of place. You will want to showcase all the resources and programs available to all students.
4. Financials
Boarding schools are quite the financial investment for families. They want to know their child is receiving the best educational experience possible for the price of tuition and boarding.
Questions may include:
- What is the yearly tuition cost?
- What are some of the other costs we should plan for?
- Is financial aid available? How do we apply for financial aid?
- Are scholarships available? If so, how do we apply?
Messaging regarding finances should always lead with the value of the experience you provide. Your goal should be to make the enrollment process as easy as possible for families, which means having an organized process for tuition payment and financial aid. Creating a centralized resource on your school’s website to answer common FAQs will be a huge help for prospective families.
With over 20 years of combined experience in admissions and marketing, Katava Marketing can build your school a website with a data-driven marketing strategy that will have a positive impact on your school’s enrollment. Contact Us to get started!
