March 25, 2022

How VisitDays helps build high school counselor and admissions representative relationships

by

Nicole Charpentier

Learn how VisitDays can help improve the high school counselor and admissions rep relationship.

High school counselors cannot always attend in-person visits due to conflicting schedules, the need to put out fires at school or meet with students on different topics. But in missing these in-person visits, the counselors miss the professional development opportunity to network, make connections, and learn about the latest for their students. Once the rep leaves, the counselor is the one who receives next questions about all of the in-state, out-of-state, private, public and everything in between schools. It helps to be on a first name basis with the admissions representatives of the colleges that their students are most interested in. 

Through VisitDays’ college access programs, counselors can be active participants in the various activities and sessions during the year. The community is specific to that district, high school, or community based organization. Just like the students and parents, the counselors have the same opportunity to watch on-demand videos, attend live sessions, and build relationships with the reps in a format that has more flexibility and accommodates busy schedules. Aside from specific events, there is no start or end time to the college access program–so students, parents, and counselors can visit the community at any hour of the day. 

Additionally, in-person visits typically only last 30 minutes so students don’t miss too much class time and can potentially attend multiple sessions. While districts can opt to have designated time during the school day for students to participate in VisitDays college access programming, the time students can spend watching videos or chatting is unlimited. For instance, during a recent college access program, one student watched 70+ videos over the course of two weeks. The colleges and universities were able to receive real-time data into which prospective students were engaging with their profile, watching videos, downloading resources, and more so they could follow up.

At the same time, college reps can better use their time and be a part of various districts’ college access programs and talk with students, post content, and more–from the comfort of their desk, eliminating some of their travel. 

A NACAC study found that “54% of counselors reported that their department spent less than 20% of their time on college readiness, selection, and application.” This was due to other priorities taking up more of their time. VisitDays is the answer to balancing student exploration and support of post-graduation options with being minimal lift for the department. 

VisitDays allows high school counselors and admissions representatives to build stronger relationships in a more flexible environment for everyone. 

Interested in meeting prospective students online in a college access program? Check out our full marketplace of districts and community based organizations across the US and internationally

Are you a high school counselor interested in launching a free college access program for your students? Schedule a call with us today.