How to Best Prepare Students, Parents, and Staff for University Visits
Phillip Wenturine, MFA, University Counselor and AP Coordinator at GEMS Dubai American Academy.
It is such an exciting time when universities are able to visit high schools prior to the application seasons in both fall and spring each year. While the university application process may be stressful for both students and parents alike, the university visits give both peace of mind to eager applicants and insightful information to those in the decision-making process of where to apply. It is such a unique experience when universities are able to visit high schools, but it does take ample preparation on the counselor’s side of the desk, as well as time teaching etiquette to wider stakeholders involved. However, with a little planning, these events are such a joy to all those in participation.
Begin with the End in Mind: Etiquette for Planning University Fairs Versus University Visits
When planning for these events, it’s important counselor etiquette to distinguish between university fairs and university visits. Visits tend to be ongoing throughout the year, and these tend to take place on an individual basis or in small groups. Fairs may happen once a semester and are much longer in length with a larger number of universities in attendance.
- Visits: these may be anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, and this gives students an informal time to approach the university table (either at break time or at lunch time during the school day) to ask questions, collect information, express interest, etc. For this approach, it is suggested etiquette to set up a user-friendly online booking system for universities to select the day/time they will join, and a public view for students to preview in advance which universities are attending at which times.
- University Fairs: these are typically less frequent but much longer, ranging from a couple of hours to a half day with workshops run by universities. These are usually hosted after school or on a weekend, either on the high school’s campus or at a hotel ballroom that the fair rents out, oftentimes in collaboration with other schools in the area to maximize student participation and university involvement. Fairs take ample planning with both universities and counselors collaborating from other schools in the region. Counselors may choose to reach out to universities of interest and propose dates in advance along with registration information, and other times groups of schools already in collaboration approach the counselor with a proposal.
For both events, it is important for the counselor to plan well in advance with administration, school operations, and participants to ensure date/time, venue, and set-up will come together smoothly for students and families to attend. The counselor needs to assess which months are most feasible for events in the school (for example, in the UAE, October and November are the best fall months after students are in a rhythm and before winter break events, while February and March are the best spring months before the end of the year AP and IB testing).
It’s vital to keep in mind student schedules and their busier times as well, as “burnout” can easily occur (keep in mind that every student cannot attend every event, so it’s important to keep a healthy balance of calendar in mind for the students). Having a mix of universities from around the world as well as a varied set up (some shorter visits, some longer fairs) is appreciated to allow participants to attend based on their interest. If you try to do it all, it may become not only overwhelming for yourself, but also for your students, so keep in mind balance throughout all your planning.
Photo by Kampus Production: Pexels
Etiquette for Booking Systems
Ease of use is something everyone can attest to when it comes to utilizing various websites and appointment booking systems. Everyone prefers user-friendly, easy tools! At Dubai American Academy, we have chosen to host university visits Monday – Thursday during student break time (30-45 minutes; the time is consistent each morning) and create a user-friendly booking form and public calendar for universities. We advertise our information (booking instructions, school information, directions, etc.) on International ACAC’s website, their social media page(s), our counselor section on our school website, and we also have an email ready to copy/paste to any universities who reach out to us.
This pre-planned etiquette helps our entire team maintain a consistent practice, and it allows us to help universities book easily without lots of back and forth (you want to make this process simple for them so they will keep coming back again and again for the students). For the students, we display this calendar on our Google classroom as well as have a QR code on our bulletin board, this way they can scan to see who is coming and plan in advance to attend.
One Team, One Dream: Etiquette for Students, Parents, and Teachers in Support of University Visits
While many students may be excited to speak to universities on campus at either a visit or a fair, others may equally be nervous, anxious, and worried about what to say or ask. It is helpful etiquette for the college counselor to prepare a list of frequently asked questions for students and/or ideas for conversations with universities that students can preview well in advance of these events. Such information can be reviewed at a junior/senior meeting, sent out via email, or perhaps unveiled at an assembly or homeroom class gathering in order to best prepare students on their etiquette when networking with universities.
Students should be informed that while they may be eager to ask course-specific and university-specific questions, it is also okay to engage the university representative about life on campus, the atmosphere and climate in the wider city where the university is located, and what outside involvements are available both on campus and in the surrounding areas. It’s important to coach students to wait patiently if they approach a table where a student and university rep are already in conversation, but it’s wise to extend an ear as the information of that conversation could be general and helpful to hear. During their time in line, they can also be reviewing their list of questions to maximize their time when they do get their turn at the table.
Lastly, if it is a large event, it’s vital students make a list of universities they wish to speak with and make a mock map/prioritization outline so they can visit their top schools of interest first and use their time during the visit/fair effectively.
Photo by Ivan Samkov: Pexels
For parents and teachers, it’s also helpful etiquette to remind them to participate as well but in different capacities. Parents are naturally going to have their own questions, but often they may unintentionally take over the process. It may go without saying, but the university process should always center around the student and be student-driven, so we want to kindly remind parents not to overshadow their learners and to allow the student’s conversation to thrive.
In regard to teachers, especially if an event is hosted during the school day, it’s great to encourage teachers to bring their classes to the event/fair or to attend on their own if they can. Often students engage in university conversations with their teachers, so keeping everyone in the know is helpful to the community. And hey—sometimes teacher’s alma maters are attending these events, so teachers can engage with their own universities and students can see that passion and pride on their faces, which then makes them even more excited to engage. And if teachers see a shy student standing alone, it’s good etiquette to encourage them to go up to a university table with the student to spark that conversation with them. One team, one dream!
What’s the Take Away? Etiquette for Universities upon Arrival
When it comes to universities arriving on campus, it can often be confusing regarding where to park, if parking is free or paid, what entrance to use to get into the school, where to find the auditorium or presentation space, etc. It’s good etiquette to send a cheat-sheet out to universities well in advance answering these FAQs to make the process simple and seamless for them. Have someone greet them at the door (security, secretary, counselor, or perhaps a student ambassador) and walk them to their set-up space. Provide them a copy of your school profile and business card before the event so they can save your contact info and review information about the context of your school before the students arrive at their tables.
If possible, it’s also great to give them a small take-away gift or swag, such as a water bottle or school pennant (universities will usually bring you things like their school flag, sunglasses, bags, etc., which also make great giveaways for student raffles later if you save them). However, easy and free items can be given as gifts too—at Dubai American Academy, we create a bookmark to give universities that lists our favorite things to do in Dubai for them to enjoy during their stay here. It’s always good etiquette to have some sort of a take-away to leave a lasting impression for future visits to come. Make it creative!
All in all – university visits are a great time for everyone and an important part of a student’s time in high school. Especially now that we are mostly past the pandemic and things are operating face-to-face, it’s necessary that we take ample time to prepare for these events that we once took for granted, events that really allow the entire community to rally together for the sake of the student and their excitement for their higher education journey to come. With everyone following proper etiquette as they gear up for the university fairs, there is no doubt that they will have a great time and it will leave smiles on everyone’s faces (students, parents, teachers, universities) for a long time to come. Start scheduling your university visits today!
