Counsellor resource: How to collaborate with university admissions reps

Admissions representatives can be powerful allies as we, as high school counsellors, guide students through the university application process.

Partnering with admissions reps is a win-win situation: these collaborations not only benefit students and families but also provide unique opportunities for admissions representatives and for high school counsellors, too. These collaborations have been a game changer for me, and I hope they are as helpful for you.

Joining forces: workshops and programmes

One effective way to facilitate this collaboration is by inviting university admissions representatives to extend their school visits. For instance, when a representative visits to talk about their university, we can request that they provide a school-day workshop or evening programme. These can range from student workshops during the school day, covering topics such as demonstrated interest, the liberal arts or mock interviews, to evening programming for families on financial aid or studying in a particular country.

I have also organised events, such as the college workshop described below, where a group of university representatives volunteers to work with students towards a specific goal.

Collaboration example: college-essay feedback workshop

For the past six years, I have hosted virtual college essay feedback workshops, at which each student in grade 11 or 12 (Years 12 or 13) gets a 30-minute virtual meeting with an admissions rep to get feedback on an admissions essay.

To set these up, I invite admissions reps to read between two and four students’ essays and then meet with them via Zoom to share feedback. During the last workshop that I held, in early October, representatives from 19 universities in the US, Canada and Spain gave individualised feedback to all 50 of my seniors in one-to-one meetings.

It takes a bit of work to organise and set up the experience, but these are some of the most high-impact events that I run each year. Here is the letter I use (and lightly adapt each time) to recruit admissions representatives to participate. And here is the schedule that I send to facilitate the connections, containing everyone’s email address and the virtual meeting links.

In the end-of-year feedback that I solicit from students, these workshops are frequently mentioned as one of the most impactful and memorable experiences from their college application process. Here is one student’s comments after the last event: “I learned a lot about the college-application process and about myself…I also learned that I am more confident and capable than I thought I was.”

The events tend to be just as popular with admissions reps. Here is one rep’s feedback from the last event I hosted: “It was a remarkably positive experience. The students came in with great essays, great questions and an amazing attitude, to receive constructive criticism about their work. Both students I worked with were absolutely wonderful…This was an amazing experience, and I would love to participate in any other events you have in the future.”

How these collaborations benefit various stakeholders

1. Student and family benefits: humanising the process

A common misconception among students and their families is that admissions representatives are intimidating gatekeepers, scrutinising applications for a reason to reject each student.

However, by incorporating admissions representatives into activities such as essay-feedback workshops or evening family workshops, students and families get to see that the representatives are caring and approachable individuals who are genuinely invested in helping students succeed. The benefits for the students and families include:

• Expert guidance and insight
• Humanised perspective of admissions representatives
• Increased confidence when navigating the application process.

2. Admissions representatives benefits: authentic engagement

The feedback I’ve received from admissions representatives is overwhelmingly positive. Participating in workshops and programmes allows reps to go beyond the typical university pitch and to make genuine connections with students and parents. The benefits for the admissions reps include:

• Share their expertise while fulfilling their passion for helping students
• Establish meaningful connections with students and families
• Market their universities in unique ways.

3. High school counsellor benefits: maximising impact

As high school counsellors, we can use these collaborations to provide extra support for our students and families. Additionally, when students receive feedback on college essays directly from admissions representatives, they often perceive it as more credible and unbiased. The benefits for us as counsellors include:

• Work smarter, using expertise from admissions professionals
• Strengthen relationships with universities
• Provide students and families with feedback from diverse perspectives.

The partnership between high school counsellors and university admissions representatives is a powerful force for student success. By expanding engagement beyond the conventional recruitment model, students, families and admissions representatives can build authentic connections.

This collaborative approach not only benefits all involved parties, but also transforms the university application process into a shared journey towards academic and personal growth. As high school counsellors, embracing and promoting these partnerships allows for more efficient and impactful support, ultimately empowering students as they embark on their higher education adventure.