Five Things Every Admissions Director Should Do Now

I feel tired. Perhaps it’s just because I am returning from an intensive two-day marketing planning retreat in Michigan?

Perhaps it’s because I have worked hard during the past year to help several schools achieve results in their marketing and enrollment effort?

Or perhaps it’s because my two boys recently started middle school and I have been busy chauffeuring them to and from school, football and swimming practice?

It’s probably a combination of all three.

However, even though I feel tired and am looking forward to some needed rest during the upcoming three-day Labor Day weekend, I am also energized by the launch of a new school year coupled with the rush I get from enrollment results.

Now that school has begun, I believe it is important for every admissions director to do five things:

1.  Take a Break – A long weekend or a short vacation away can be great therapy to rejuvenate your mind, body and spiritfrom the hard work of enrolling students and families at your school. You need it; you deserve it; and you should take it.

2.  Assess your Enrollment Strategies – While the strategies are fresh in your mind, it is important to assess your efforts this year. What worked? What didn’t work? What do you need to do differently to improve next year?

3.  Survey your New Families – The start of the school year provides a great opportunity for you to survey your new families. By asking questions about their school decision and their evaluation of your admissions and marketing effort, you will gain critical insight that can help shape your new admissions and enrollment strategy. You might also consider a survey for families that didn’t enroll, however this data will be much more difficult to collect.

4.  Analyze your Admissions Funnel and Retention Data – Now that you have completed your enrollment effort, you should analyze your yield rates and retention percentages. I suggest that you create an admissions funnel report to assess your yield rates from inquiry to application, inquiry to enrollee and application to enrollee by grade level, division and overall enrollment. In addition, your retention rate should be analyzed by every grade level, division, and overall enrollment.

5.  Set Goals for Next Year – As an outcome of your analysis, you should develop your enrollment goals for next year. These goals should stretch and challenge you but should also be achievable. Goals should be set for total enrollment, inquiries, applications, new students and retention.