Planning & Training
All prospective student events are coordinated with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions (OUA) and centralized through our CRM, Slate.
Review our event planning and training to know what steps you need to take to properly coordinate your events and enter them into Slate.
Planning Considerations
- Virtual visits are valuable. Time and again, OUA surveys show that students want to hear directly about academics within their intended college. Students don’t have to come to campus to do this, which lowers barriers. What’s more, much less planning is required for virtual events than in-person events. Virtual events can usually accommodate more registrants, too (up to 500 in Zoom, depending on your license).
- Evenings or weekends are ideal. Because students are in school during the day, it’s ideal to schedule virtual visits during evenings or weekends. If this isn’t possible, late afternoons are also a better option than during the school day.
- One size does not fit all. The number and kinds of virtual visits you offer will depend on your unit. For example, smaller units may prefer more frequent one-on-one meetings with students to allow for a more personalized experience, while larger units may opt for fewer, larger info sessions. In addition, your virtual visit content will depend on your audience. For example, prospective visits will typically focus on more general information about your college, while admitted visits can become more specialized.
- Expect lower show rates. Even with the multiple reminders we send out, the number of no-shows for virtual visits is much higher than for on-campus visits. According to national data, about 50% of those who sign up for a free virtual event will attend.
OUA’s Strategy
Many prospective and admitted students do not have the ability to visit our campus in person, whether due to distance or financial restrictions. For this reason, virtual visits are an important complement to our on-campus and off-campus offerings.
OUA’s virtual visit options include:
- Info sessions (presentation and student panel or Q&A)
- One-on-one meetings with an admissions counselor (over Zoom and phone)
- Campus tours (prerecorded videos and photo slideshows)