Dive Brief:
- A recent blog post highlights some of the worst stories from college admissions offices, from helicopter parents to fake athletic recruitment calls and forged applications.
- Exposing the effects of smothering or neglectful parents, officers recount how bad guidance can negatively impact college selection even for qualified students.
- Carefully screening parents during college visits can often highlight potential students who may have learning or emotional problems when they arrive on campus, like the daughter whose father asked if the campus had low calorie meals to help her avoid gaining weight during her first year.
Dive Insight:
College administrators are charged with ensuring that the first point of formal engagement between potential students and their institutions is managed with courtesy, knowledge and efficiency, because when families are confronted with an official lacking in these areas, delicate scenarios can go bad in a hurry.
In admissions, financial aid and university housing, vice presidents and deans should make sure staff are trained with high levels of conflict resolution and basic mental health intervention skills, because identifying and admitting a student who may be entering with certain challenges can often be traced back to a visible display that began with a parent's visit to the campus.