Behind the Scenes: College Fair Planning
Written by Suzanne Dianetti, Administrative Assistant for Recruitment and Outreach, Office of Admissions
Since classes are well underway on the University of Rochester River Campus, I bet you can’t help but wonder what all of those folks in the Office of Admissions are doing with their “free” time! I know exactly what they’re doing, because I’m keeping them busy! Fall, in the admissions office, is all about RSVPing to the hundreds of invitations that our counselors are sent to attend college fairs around the country and overseas! That’s right – we prep for fall travel! My job as college fair coordinator is to process the decisions our counselors make on where to visit, where not to visit, and where to send our amazing alums on our behalf.
Of course, it wouldn’t be travel without travel supplies! Our various printed brochures and flyers help to support our counselors, and give those we visit a starting point to learn more about us. So while I’m RSVPing, my support staff colleagues and I are also packing and shipping boxes all around the world. We have this down to an exact science and although the counselors call it travel season, we call it packing season… It’s all the same thing, for the same reason – to shout about the University of Rochester whenever we can!
Most of the coordinating is done electronically through a very organized process – I’ll spare you the exciting details – but much of it is also done via telephone and fax. It’s always rewarding and interesting to talk with high schools around the country about their rising seniors and their higher education interests. Regardless of how, the why is the most important part of the process.
Our amazing leadership team focuses on the analysis of stats in the various regions we travel to. We think about how to bring students on campus to meet us and experience the University of Rochester in person. We think about what programs we can make “ever better,” and what new technologies and on-campus changes we can communicate out to everyone (prospective students, parents, alumni, school counselors, and peers at other colleges and universities) to help them to know the University of Rochester the way we do… It’s all about the visits, the travel, and the students.
So, don’t worry one bit, we’re on our fall travel mission to spread the word as we gather together prospective members of the Class of 2017!
