1. Communication - A crash course in Muggle Studies.

2. Tom Knott UNK Admissions Counselor – Member of the Slytherin house 2 nd Year Student – 2 years in Admissions Special Ability: – Legilimens (Mind Reading) Helps with recruiting

3. Joni Anderson Nebraska Wesleyan AC – Member of the Ravenclaw House 3 rd Year Student – 3 years in Admissions Special Ability: – Animagus (Turns into an animal) Prairie Wolf (whatever that is)

4. COMMUNICATION 101 We will cover the When, How, Who and Why of Admissions communication. When – Season will play a determining factor in what your focus will be. How – Effective communication can exist outside email and calls. Social media is helpful, its almost like MAGIC but must be used appropriately/professionally. Who – As ACs we communicate with a broad and diverse audience. Mostly MUGGLES such as Students, Guidance Counselors, Parents etc. – You will also need to stay in touch with your fellow WITCHES and WIZARDS. Why – Although not always convenient, or fun, good communication skills are incredibly important. – The better your communication the stronger your recruitment SPELLS and POTIONS will become!

5. When ALL THE TIME FALL Travel heavy. (dust off the broom) – Scheduling Stay ahead of the game! – Dont wait till the week of. – You will have an ideal schedule….It will fall apart! Know when and where EPPs & College Fairs are. – Set up visits accordingly. – Some ACs like to cover schools in that area. Others like to avoid schools in that area as they are probably attending the fairs. SPRING All the rules from the Fall still apply. – Stay diligent in your scheduling, it does slow down a bit. Really step up student communication. **PLANS CHANGE YOU WILL HAVE TO CANCELL** ITS OK JUST COMMUNICATE! NEVER NO CALL NO SHOW!

6. How Be sure to use the appropriate medium. – Professionals are likely to respond best to phone calls and emails. Most will make it clear what if any preference they have. – Students occasionally like to ignore emails and calls. Twitter and Facebook are rather effective. Using social media requires that you be extra careful. – Parents will hunt you down so there is really no need to reach out. Some parents are too involved, others are not involved enough, every now and then you will find the perfect combination. Talk to each other. – We are all in this together: Share/Steal effective communication styles. **There is no cookie cutter approach** Every Counselor, Student and Parent are different!

7. Who Guidance Counselors/ Secretaries – These are your best friends or your worst enemies. Secretaries are the eyes and ears of the schools. Normally these are the people that you will schedule your visits with. The Office – Stay connected to your home base. Being on the road so much it is important to stay connected to campus. Students – Make yourself reachable Good idea to separate personal from professional (Twitter & FB) – Respond ASAP (you will forget) Hotels – Holiday Inn Expresses (HIE) Managers Receptions (get familiar) Priority Club Member (points are your friend)

8. Why (Students) You are the students connection to your school. – This means… They assume you know everything. – We dont know everything, but we usually know who does. You have the power to increase scholarship $ or change admission requirements. (That spell is above our pay grade) – HA! Sometimes you have to have uncomfortable/honest conversations about $, admissions etc. They are your 1 st and only priority. – You will have favorites but every student deserves your best effort!

9. Why (Guidance Counselors) They are YOUR connection to the school. – No Guidance Counselor, No visit. Make sure GCs know who you are, for the right reasons. – Tips Schedule in advance Keep your appointments Show up early enough to have a brief conversation. Remember them! **Some GCS are secretly Witches and Wizards** When you find these precious few make them your best friend!

10. Why (Parents) Parents aka your students financial backing – Parents will have a variety of concerns and ?s College is a large monetary investment and those paying deserve to know what their investing in. They love their kid (usually) and will want to know what they will be doing, who they are going to be around will they be safe. **BEWARE THE HELICOPTER PARENT**

11. Muggle Studies Review Communicate all the time with everybody. Remember that Students are the focus. But dont forget…No Students without the Guidance Counselors. – So be good to the GCs! Oh and keep in mind… No money or students without parents. – So be good to the parents! **Remember there is NO perfect formula** Its a process, you learn as you go!

12. QUESTIONS