<p>Although the Bates initiative is aimed specifically at students of color and addresses a concern at Bates about dwindling minority retention, this seems to be a wise strategy for ALL students.</p>
<p>Over the years, I’ve heard from parents who complain that, once their enrollment deposits have hit the mail, their children feel “blown off” by the admission folks who’d been so solicitous during the admitted students’ weekend. Parents who are fighting the “helicopter” urge would like to think that someone on campus will be looking out for their kids once they themselves back away.</p>
<p>Although questions about registration or housing are rarely in the admissions office purview once an applicant matriculates, some admission officers don’t seem very helpful–or diplomatic–when new students come to them for assistance. </p>
<p>I think that having at least one “Swing Dean” at each college could enhance the freshman experience, especially for those who are the most nervous about navigating these new waters. It would also be beneficial to the deans themselves to get an up-close look at what life is really like for the students they have wooed to campus.</p>
<p>You know, at one level I understand this (because I do sort of feel - wow, we spent so much time thinking about you? and once you let us in, there’s been little correspondence beyond “get your tuition deposit in” and “more to come in the spring / summer” - but intellectually, I recognize I’m being silly, and there is no real reason the colleges should have to engage with my kids right now beyond tuition and admitted student weekend / get-together in your city types of logistics.</p>
<p>As soon as I made the original post, I steeled myself for a batch of responses that said basically, “Parents need to back off and realize that the admission folks aren’t going to be BFF’s with their kids.” But, frankly, many families find it quite daunting to send a child miles (maybe even more than 1,000 miles) from home without having some sense that there will be a familiar face there to help shepherd the child through this transition. Although such anxiety can hit any family, it is especially common among those parents who did not go to college themselves or who stayed very close to home when they did.</p>
<p>Also, as I noted above, I really do feel that colleges could benefit from allowing their admissions staff members to see what life is like on the other side of the desk.</p>
<p>I think it’s a great idea, especially for schools that emphasize a “holistic” approach to admissions. If the school is truly interested in knowing how an admitted student fares after enrolling, then this is a perfect way to do that. The benefit is as much to the school as to the student.
For the student and family, it’s nice to know that there will be someone familiar (hopefully) with the background, to help ease them into the future.</p>
<p>I love this idea. It’s plain good sense too, for all kinds of reasons, one being-- people learn better, act better, do better in general when they have stronger support. Another: when you’re asking people to pay $200,000 or more for 4 years, and you’re going to ask them for another contribution every year for the rest of their lives, it’s good to keep good relations with them. And as you say above-- first generation college students (and their parents) need some extra guidance, and why not give what’s needed?</p>
<p>I love this idea. It seems that a new student is more likely to ask for assistance from someone they are somewhat familiar with as opposed to someone they don’t know at all. It also seems that it may create a bit more job satisfaction for the deans as well; they (hopefully) put a lot of energy into these kids during the admission process and to just cut them off may seem a but unsatisfying, IMHO.</p>
<p>Not only is it an intriguing idea for small colleges but it also gives those admissions people an opportunity to keep a “bead” on what young people are finding highpoints and lowpoints in the actual college experience which can only add value as they look at applications for the next cycle to build the next class of students. This type of position would work “best” in the smaller colleges where students actually have an assigned admission officer that they have gotten to know on at least a basic personal level.</p>
<p>I agree that a single “Swing Dean” could have a lot of impact at a small college (and not much significant effect at a large one). One of my ongoing rants about the college experience today (as opposed to light years ago, when I was a student) is that there is often a lack of in loco parentis presence. When I was in school, it was still the era of “housemothers” (actual grown-ups who lived in the dorm and knew everyone’s business). We also had a boatload of rules, and those who broke them had lots of additional interaction with adults! ;)</p>
<p>While college freshmen certainly need to learn to survive without constant adult intervention, I think that, for many, the leap is too big, and that the typical Resident Advisors, however competent, don’t truly suffice when it comes to providing mature support during the transition period. A Swing Dean–or several–could help to fill the current void.</p>
<p>However, I have to share that I often feel that the Office of Admission ceases to exist in some students’ minds once they get their offer letters. We still get calls, but students and parents call to be transferred so they can talk to orientation, housing, dining, and academic advisers. They don’t seem interested in us anymore. </p>
<p>I probably chat with hundreds of students via my blog, CC, Facebook, and Twitter, but I don’t hear from many of them after May 1st. I started putting a sign in my window when CavDog is in the office, hoping he would attract visitors. :)</p>
<p>That’s okay, though. The process is cyclical, so when one class is moving on, another is getting more and more interested in talking to us.</p>
<p>Thanks, Dean J. It’s very helpful and interesting to have an insider’s perspective. However, when I worked at Smith, on the days when I was the “floater” in spring and summer (i.e., the person who fielded random phone calls), I often heard from admitted students or their parents who had assorted queries that usually had to do with housing concerns, course selection, or various issues unrelated to admission. I spent a lot of time with my nose in the college directory, trying to point them to the best place to get answers but without sounding like I was giving them the brush off. </p>
<p>But that was actually in the pre-Internet era (or at least back when many folks still paid for Web time by the hour :eek:). So I suspect that most folks are now more accustomed to getting information on their own, either by finding it directly on Web sites or by using the Internet to identify the appropriate office to contact … which usually WON’T be Admissions.</p>
<p>From a student’s perspective, I sent a thank you card to my regional admissions officer after I was accepted, but did not inquire further. It was not because I was no longer interested, but rather because I know how busy the admissions officers are and don’t want to waste their time! My regional officer was invaluable during my admissions process, but by the hurried emails I could really tell he was very, very busy. I feel like a lot of high school students, like myself, would love to talk with the people who accepted them (we’re all very grateful!) but just feel like we’re doing them a service by looking elsewhere to get our questions answered, especially with it being so easy to just google “Penn Dining” “Penn Housing” etc and get direct links to answers. </p>
<p>If I were going to UVa though, I would absolutely come in to see CavDog, so cuteeee! ;)</p>
<p>I just love this idea! And I think it will be mutually beneficial - if a newly enrolled freshman is having some problems - this already familiar person might be just the ticket to help them sort out the next step to take - might prevent kids from dropping out or transferring out when all they needed was some help/encouragement from someone who already knows them a bit.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that, given the way most admission offices work, it’s likely that the “swing dean” will NOT be familiar to the majority of admitted students, except perhaps at a very tiny college. However, if a college were to implement this idea, then it would be wise to make the swing dean prominent during the admissions process, so that even if many enrolling freshmen don’t get to meet this dean in person while in high school, at least the name should be familiar, and there might be some other forms of contact (letters, emails, etc.) during the senior year to promote the concept of an ongoing “relationship.”</p>
<p>The swing dean could be present at accepted student days - orientation weekend - very visible during the first few days of school in August or September and so forth. I think it is a great option - more helpful than some RAs certainly - and a great way to have one key person available as a starting contact point for a problem. Even if the swing dean has to steer them to someone else in housing, or an academic advisor - whatever - at least they have one person as their starting point if there is a problem.</p>
<p>I have hard time finding a correlation between what is discussed here and the initiative at Bates. From my perspective, while there is a LOT of merit to offer support to students during the first year(s) at school–and especially to less-advantaged students–I do not see a great need for an “information officer” to smooth the post-admission months for students and … their parents. After all, this person can only be as good as the existing supporting systems. If a person cannot find the information via google of a good old telephone, chances are that the information is lacking in the first place. </p>
<p>While it is understandable that students might want to find out as much as they can about their future experience, not all requests for information should be entertained or considered imnportant. I am sure that CC threads about parents googling the future roommate(s) might offer (scary) reminders of how the flow of information might become detrimental. Fwiw, one should really question the need for much preliminary information at schools that DO spend a great deal of money and effort in their orientation days or week. After all, what is there to learn from May to August that cannot wait? </p>
<p>However, I believe that there are a great number of students who could benefit from additional support AFTER the orientation ceases. Fwiw, Stanford has recently recognized the need to provide extra support to lower-income students, in addition to the standard support offered to (mostly) minority students. If such efforts have to originate from the admission office seems to be highly debatable, but it seems reasonable that the admission officers should have a proactive participation.</p>
<p>I think the “swing dean” concept could be hugely helpful to first-generation college students – who may or may not be members of minority groups.</p>
<p>The customs and vocabulary of college can be foreign and bewildering to students who are the first in their families to go to college. The swing dean could provide an important contact point for the transition. I wish something of the sort had existed thirtysomething years ago, when I was the first in my family to go to college.</p>
<p>On the other hand, for my kids, who knew what to expect from college long before they got there, the swing dean concept would have been of no special value.</p>
<p>Well, I’ll admit it - I emailed both my kids’ colleges to find out some details about the admitted student weekend (details that weren’t on the website). In D’s case, it involves redeeming miles to fly in, get a hotel room, etc. and I just can’t wait around la-di-da until a month before to find out the details and expect to be able to redeem the miles. In S’s case, it involved a question as to whether the admitted student weekend was for RD students or whether ED students were included (turns out they aren’t). I was polite and I got prompt, polite responses and all was well. But I’m a planner, and yes, I do like to have some details ahead of time!</p>
<p>Our kids aren’t first generation college students but I think the idea sounds good. Why? Because we are military and that involves a more complicated process for going to college. For my first, it meant that he was having a moving company deliver his things for college including a bike since he was having a small move from overseas. There were also concerns about other issues involving us being overseas. With my daughter this year, we will be moving over the summer, she will maybe still be a minor when going to college, we need to set up specialists to continue her medical care in whatever community the school is in. All these issues will need to be addressed. I am sure other people have other issues to content with including things like sending additional transcripts from college classes taken during the summer, CLEP results, AP results, etc, etc.</p>
<p>This was a very good question, and you would have gotten different answers at different colleges.</p>
<p>At the college my daughter attends, both ED and RD students were invited to admitted students days. But I can see why a college might want to limit attendance to RD students if space is limited because RD students have a choice to make and ED students don’t.</p>
<p>A friend of mine has a son who was a recruited athlete at a very selective liberal arts college. This was a completely new thing to him so he was amazed at the experience. The basketball coach who recruited his son also became his point of contact, fielding questions through the applications and admissions process, advising through his orientation to campus, and serving as a mentor on both academic and non-academic issues throughout his time on campus.</p>
<p>At first, my friend was kind of outraged that his son was getting this kind of fabulous concierge treatment that hadn’t been available to his daughter (or to himself, back in his day) and wasn’t available to just “regular kids” at the same school. But then he allowed himself to feel lucky and relieved that it was, at least, available to his son.</p>
<p>I know there really isn’t a way to provide this type of support to every student, but I think it’s been great for his son and I sure wish I could have someone playing this role for my kids! Even for freshman year.</p>