Transcript Document

Can You Hear Me Now?
Understanding the unspoken concerns of underserved
students and how to communicate college access
Presented by Tiyah Western
Freshman Admissions Counselor
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Chair: MOACAC Inclusion, Access, & Success Committee
The Conversation
We Say…
They’re Thinking
Making the Case
The Conversation
We Discuss…
They’re Thinking…
Making the Case
The Conversation
We Think...
They Think…
Making the Case
Moving Them Forward
How can we work to get them
From Here
To Here
Making the Case
The Job Description
JOB DESCRIPTION: an orderly record of the essential activities involved
in the performance of a task that is abstracted from a job analysis and
used in classifying and evaluating jobs and in the selection and
placement of employees.
Admissions Counselors:
• Represent the University both on and off campus to prospective students,
parents, secondary school counselors and other constituents involved in the
college selection process
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with constituents
• Counsel prospective applicants on academic offerings, admissions process and
requirements, vocational concerns and opportunities at the University
Role of an Admissions Representative
The Responsibility
RESPONSIBILITY: the state of being the person who caused something
to happen; something that you should do because it is morally right,
legally required, etc.
To the Student:
To the College/University:
• Represent the University both on
• Develop and maintain positive
and off campus to prospective
relationships with the student
students, parents, secondary
• Counsel students on their college
school counselors and other
access and opportunities and
constituents involved in the college
provide realistic information on
selection process
preparation, admissions, and
requirements in order to help them
optimize their higher education
Role of an Admissions Representative
The Students We Serve
MO 6 Yr Grad Rates By Ethnicity & Gender
36.9%
25.9%
33.9%
40.4%
33.7%
21.8%
23.5%
24.3%
31.6%
33.2%
35.4%
27.4%
21.7%
25.5%
32.7%
37.0%
8.5%
19.0%
14.1%
28.8%
30.7%
40.8%
39.6%
10.0%
18.9%
22.6%
24.9%
29.7%
35.4%
38.9%
15.7%
13.0%
19.6%
25.2%
31.0%
29.9%
25.1%
29.9%
13.3%
20.0%
12.2%
30.0%
26.7%
40.0%
42.8%
46.4%
38.9%
40.0%
40.5%
41.7%
43.3%
50.0%
49.8%
60.0%
0.0%
10.0%
0.0%
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Black Female
Black Male
Latino Female
Latino Male
Native American Female
Native American Male
Asian Female
Asian Male
White Female
White Male
Understanding the Arena
Defining Underserved Students
• Underserved: provided with inadequate service
• Webster’s Dictionary
• Underserved students:
• Low Income
• First Generation
• Ethnic Minority
•
•
•
•
African-American
Hispanic
Southeast Asian
Native American
Understanding the Arena
Characteristics of Underserved Students
• Low income
• Low ACT scores
• Many may be first generation college students
• Little support
• Knowledgeable of what a college education can offer
• Unrealistic expectations of college
• Not very knowledgeable of resources and the admissions process
Understanding the Arena
Incongruence in College Life vs. Student’s Life
• The world of underserves student don’t typically align with the values of
“college-going culture”
• Home and family situations
• Students may lack certain life experiences and be strained by lack of resources and sleep
• Family encourages academic success and higher education but unable to support it due to
lack of knowledge and resources
• Students typically have responsibilities helping out at home with family members and
finances
• Parents typically want students to stay close to home
• Cultural values and expectations
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Cultural and generational variances in receiving information about college and financial aid
Language barriers within the home and between families and high school and college officials
Generational differences of opinion in family structure and communication at home
Students are expected by high school and college officials to have the same understanding
across the board about what is expected of them when preparing for college
Understanding the Arena
Incongruence in College Life vs. Student’s Life
• The world of underserves student don’t typically align with the values
of “college-going culture”
• Definition of success
• Low standardized test scores and near 3.0 GPA’s are the norm and are celebrated as high
achievement
• Environment
• Peers who are in the same struggle:
• Want to go to college but not well informed
• Same cultural and socioeconomic circumstances
• Societal and Institutional Misnomers
• This group of students is “encouraged” but not expected to succeed-sometimes even by high
school counselors and are treated as such
• Societal barriers that encourage failure
• School curriculum does not align with college prep curriculum; therefore students are not
college-ready
Understanding the Arena
Incongruence in College Life vs. Student’s Life
• What about students who have information about
college and perform well academically?
• These students still need:
• BETTER information regarding fit and college access
• information regarding ALL of their opportunities for financial aid
• Information regarding resources on campus that fit their needs and
desires
• Are still likely to go to a school for which they are over-qualified
for, resulting in academic and financial divergence down the
road
• May still combat the same social and institutional misnomers
Understanding the Arena
Expectations vs. Needs
They EXPECT the Admissions Counselor to:
• Inform them about the college being represented
• Inform them of their options and resources
They NEED
• REAL information about what our college/university can offer THEM
• Options and resources relative to their situation and interests
• Realistic expectations of their college access and opportunities
• Sincere information on college preparation, access, and FIT
Beyond the Presentation
One Size^Fits/ All
• Our experiences, selection processes, academic processes are not a one-size-fitall model
• Each student demographic is not the same
• Presentation on college access should fit the student representation present
• College fit is empirically tied to a student’s persistence (and therefore college
retention rates)
• Meet the student where they are to find out how your college fits THIS student
• Go beyond the presentation and engage in open communication
• You will get the most buy-in from students when you provide relative information
Beyond the Presentation
The Johari Window of College Admissions
Student Knows
Student Doesn’t
Know
Feedback
Open
Communication
/Trust
Student
Discovery
Student’s
Rep Doesn’t
Hidden
Know
Knowledge
The
Unknown
Disclosure
Rep Knows
Bridging the Communication Gap
Open Communication/Trust
Student Knows
Rep
Knows
• Student is interested in going to college
• Student is interested in learning more about the
Rep’s college
• The student has questions about going to college
• School student attends (including environment
and general success rate)
• General area student lives in
Bridging the Communication Gap
Student Discovery
Student Doesn’t Know
Rep
Knows
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Support Services Available
Financial Aid
Student Interest Groups
Cost (Gross and Net) Estimates
What campus is REALLY like for this student
The success rate of students like this one
Whether or not your school is a good fit for this
student (over-matched or under-matched)
Bridging the Communication Gap
Student’s Hidden Knowledge
Student Knows
Rep
Doesn’t
Know
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•
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•
Home/Family Situation
How they REALLY feel about education
Financial Situation (Limited Knowledge)
Internal (School) and External (Neighborhood,
Societal) Enviroment and effects on student
• Whether or not they are ACTUALLY interested in
your school
• Student’s lack of confidence, training,
encouragement, or opportunity
• Student’s academic/social comforts/needs
Bridging the Communication Gap
The Unknown
Student Doesn’t Know
Rep
Doesn’t
Know
•
•
•
•
How student will excel or fail at the institution
Student’s untapped ability
How the institution will fit for the student
Conditioned behavior or attitudes that may affect
Rep’s presentation or student’s college success
• Student’s academic/social comforts/needs
• Unknown circumstances
Bridging the Communication Gap
The Goal
Student Knows
Student Doesn’t Know
Rep Tells
Rep Doesn’t
Know
Open
Communication/Trust
Student
Discovery
Discovery
Student Tells
Rep Knows
Discovery
Student’s Hidden Knowledge
The Unknown
Bridging the Communication Gap
Increasing Open Communication
• Speak honestly and Sincerely
• Ask but don’t “intrude”
• Offer useful information about your University
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Financial Aid
Specific Scholarships for the individual or group
Relative student organizations
Academic services and resources
• Ask questions
• Academics
• Degree & Career Aspirations
Bridging the Communication Gap
Increasing Open Communication
• Show interest and give feedback
• Help the student find the right fit
• Inform them of minimum application requirements
• Inform them of other options if they do not meet your institution’s minimum
requirements or have interest in a program not offered at your institution
• Another college or university
• Transfer options and your institution handles transfer
• Inform them that TRANSFER is NOT a bad thing and to be sure to progress beyond
community college
• If you have a story similar to theirs, share it for motivational purposes
only
Bridging the Communication Gap
Job vs. Responsibility
Our responsibility is to inform
the students of their options
and opportunities and to help
them access higher education in
a way that best benefits them in
order to optimize our success
Our job is to recruit students
to our university and inform
them of the admissions
process, requirements, and
resources
Bridging the Communication Gap
Job vs. Responsibility
Our responsibility gets us
rewarded by families and seen
by our offices and helps make
students realistically aware of
their college opportunities and
understand the steps they need
to take to succeed
Our job gets us seen by
families and rewarded by our
offices and informs students
of a college opportunity
Bridging the Communication Gap
Resources
• http://www.Merriam-Webster.com/dictionary
• http://www.collegeresults.org
• 2012 report “Higher Education: Gaps in Access and Persistence Study,” The National
Education….US Department of Education’s
• Lindsey, D.C. & Gable, R.K. (2012) College-ready urban black, hispanic, and biracial Students: Why
are they not applying to college?. Dissertation & Theses Collection. Paper AAI3513230.
http://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/dissertations/AAI3513230
• Green, D. (2006). Historically underserved students: what we know, what we still need to know.
New Directions for Community Colleges, 135, 21-28.
• Cochran, T., & Coles, A. (2012). Maximizing the college choice process to increase fit & match for
underserved students. Washington, DC: Pathways to College Network, Institute for Higher
Education Policy, & National College Access Network.
• Venezia, A & Jaeger, L. (2013) Transitions from high school to college. Postsecondary Education in
the United States, 23 (1), 117-136.
• Rendon, L. (2006). Reconceptualizing success for underserved student in higher education.
National Center for Educational Statistics. Symposium on Student Success.
• Perez, S.M. et. al. (2004). Growing up American. Children of Immigrant Families, 14(2), 121-137