Last year, right around this time, I was still working in college admissions and remember clearly the phone calls that started pouring in and the visitors that came into our front office. College admissions officers are aware that this is a stressful time for families. Students are anxiously waiting to receive their admissions decisions and parents are nervously awaiting the financial aid packages. There are many questions that you, prospective families, want answered. Admissions representatives realize this but also want you to mind your manners. As school breaks, such as Presidents Day and spring break, loom on the horizon – and you are planning your visits to college campuses – just a small reminder to keep your attitudes in check (students and parents alike!).
While the majority of students and parents are polite and friendly to admissions staff it is the rude and demanding families that are often easiest for admissions counselors to remember. The mother who demanded cappuccino instead of coffee during her visit, the father who was sure the high school sent their student’s transcript but when finds it is missing from the application screams over the phone, or the student who rolls their eyes every time the tour guide describes their experience on campus.
Remember that almost every person that you interact who works for an admissions office has the ability to make some sort of note on your file or account. This doesn’t mean that you need to fake it or shower the admissions office with gifts (which does happen sometimes too!) but remember that being polite can go a long way and being rude can go even further – but not in the direction you probably want. It is not just the admissions representative for your particular region or the admissions director who you need to be nice to. Remember that the student workers, the office coordinator sitting up at the front desk, or even the tour guide all have the ability to walk back to the admissions representative who is making a decision on your application and share their impression of you.
Be Nice! You Never Know Who Might Be Giving Input On Your Admissions Decision.
Be Nice! You Never Know Who Might Be Giving Input On Your Admissions Decision.
Mark Montgomery
Mark is the Founder and CEO of Great College Advice, a national college admissions consulting firm. As a career educator, he has served as a college administrator, professor of international relations at the University of Denver and the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, program consultant at Yale and the University of Kansas, government instructor at Harvard and Tufts, high school teacher of French, and a Fulbright teacher of English in France. He has personally helped hundreds of students from around the world map their college journeys. Mark speaks on college preparation, selection, and admission to students and parents around the world, and his views have been published in major newspapers and journals.
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Mark Montgomery
Mark is the Founder and CEO of Great College Advice, a national college admissions consulting firm. As a career educator, he has served as a college administrator, professor of international relations at the University of Denver and the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, program consultant at Yale and the University of Kansas, government instructor at Harvard and Tufts, high school teacher of French, and a Fulbright teacher of English in France. He has personally helped hundreds of students from around the world map their college journeys. Mark speaks on college preparation, selection, and admission to students and parents around the world, and his views have been published in major newspapers and journals.