The Counselor's College Tour:

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Presented at the 2004 IACAC Conference Wyndham
Hotel Itasca Illinois
The Counselor's College Tour A Win-Win Event
Presenters Mr. Paul Radke Mr. George
Kazlusky Director of School Relations
College/Career Consultant Murray State
University Hoffman Estates (IL) HS
800-272-4678 847-755-5646
paul.radke_at_murraystate.edu
gkazlusky_at_d211.org
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I. Academic Programs

• Demonstrated quality
• Unique or high rigor or most popular
• Variety
• Faculty credentials and teaching loads
• of GA and TA in the classroom
• Size of classes

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II. Physical Plant

• Care and maintenance
• Up-to-date buildings, classrooms, labs, etc.
• Big enough for the student body

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III. Campus Feel

• Atmosphere
• Personality
• Hospitality
• Conservative/Liberal/Tolerant/Diverse
• Safety

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IV. Nuts Bolts

• Admission requirements and procedures
• Any special exceptions
• Special admission requirements for specific
  programs
• Deadlines
• Costs/Financial Aid/Scholarships available to
  freshmen

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V. Networking

• Key people who can help your students
• Top administrators - not just your local
  admission representative

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VI. Community

• Town Gown relationship
• Size
• Welcoming and warm
• Cosmopolitan, liberal, conservative, tolerant,
  diverse
• Social and cultural offerings
• Safety

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VII. Special Opportunities

• International travel
• Internships/Coop experiences
• Research
• Honors program

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VIII. Student Life

• Number and variety of student organizations
• Athletics
• Wellness and recreation
• Volunteer or community service
• Student Involvement

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IX. Services for Freshmen

• Academic support services
• Retention programming
• Orientation
• Housing options

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X. Cross-Apps

• What other schools do your applicants apply to
• What kind of student fits here
• What kind of student graduates from here
• Who wouldnt fit in
• Whos there from my school

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XI. Five Things to Remember about this School
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Questions That Must Be Asked Answered

• I. Initial Organization
• Who is ultimately in charge?
• Who is second in command?
• Do you have a planning committee and who is on
  it?
• What other departments/offices/
• administrators need to be included?

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Questions That Must Be Asked Answered

• II. The Plan
• What day time?
• Who in the Admission Office will be available?
• What do we want to show them (buildings and
  programs)?
• How do we want to show it to them?
• What key players do we need from other
  departments or offices (Food Service, Grounds,
  Public Safety, etc.)?
• How much will this cost?
• What is our step-by-step itinerary?
• How can we put our best foot forward in three
  hours?

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Questions That Must Be Asked Answered

• III. Arrival
• Where do we want them to start?
• Are there enough restrooms there?
• Do we have a large enough meeting room?
• Who/how many do we need to meet and greet?
• Who will be speaking? What first impressions do
  you want to make?
• Where do we park the bus? Do we need it moved at
  a certain time?

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Questions That Must Be Asked Answered

• IV. Admissions Update
• Who will be speaking and for how long?
• What format? (Video/CD, PowerPoint, talking
  heads, handouts?)
• Which handouts/promotion materials do we want
  them to have?
• What is truly important and must be covered?
• Do we want faculty or student panels?

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Questions That Must Be Asked Answered

• V. Campus Tour
• How many tour guides and which ones?
• Do we want admissions professionals on the tour?
• Which buildings and programs do we show?
• Will the buildings be unlocked?
• Do we want to use the bus for part of the tour?
• Are we going to highlight some programs along the
  way?
• Where do we start and end, and which path does
  each tour take?
• Are there programs off campus that we need to
  show?
• What is your back-up plan incase it rains?

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Questions That Must Be Asked Answered

• VI. Meals
• What do we serve?
• Buffet or sit-down? Will it move?
• Restrooms nearby?
• Who do we invite (students, admissions staff,
  faculty, administrators)?
• Seating arrangements?
• Special diets, vegetarians?
• When and how do we wrap up the meal?

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Questions That Must Be Asked Answered

• VII. Other Considerations
• Souvenirs
• Special Hands-On presentations
• Hosting the group overnight accommodations
• Overnight social options
• Bookstore visits
• Plan B
• Doing a dry run
• Mailing materials to participants
• Lists of students attending your institution from
  participants high schools
• Follow-up after the visit

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Stuff to Avoid with Large Group Visits

• Too many cooks or changing cooks in midstream
• Showing us the inside of a normal library
• Showing us the inside of a normal residence
  hall room
• Locked buildings
• Introverted Student Ambassadors
• Student Ambassadors who are commuters
• After dinner speakers with no time constraints
• College video right after a meal
• A lack of rest rooms when we get off the bus
• Highly technical professors who cant talk to
  lay people

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Stuff to Avoid with Large Group Visits (continued)

• Bookstore stops in the middle of the campus tour
• Trash on the campus
• Sitting too long in one place (multiple
  speakers/one setting)
• Lots of college information that we have to tote
  all around campus
• Ending the visit a mile from the bus
• No plan B
• No dry run, particularly the speakers tours
• Acting as if we are an imposition
• Telling us about rather than showing us your
  campus

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Stuff That Works for Large Groups

• Student-led tours (a minimum of 4 Student
  Ambassadors)
• Trained, honest, lively, ambassadors
• Admission representatives on campus tours to
  answer technical questions
• Combination bus/walking campus tour for large
  campuses
• Bookstore stops at the end of the tour
• A maximum of 10 counselors to a tour group
• Hands-on presentations
• Student panels to talk about campus life,
  services, likes and dislikes, etc.
• Students at meals (along with admission
  professionals, faculty and administrators)

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Stuff That Works for Large Groups (continued)

• Breakfast, talk, tour
• Talk, lunch, tour
• Talk, tour, dinner
• Dynamic faculty speakers
• Meeting us at our previous school and riding with
  us to campus
• Vegetarian options buffets
• Tours of unusual or state-of-theart resident
  halls or libraries
• Doing a dry run for the visit
• For overnight stays, simplifying the check-in
  process by having the keys ready when we arrive
• Built-in down time for overnight stays
• Welcome signs, souvenirs, different evening
  activities

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2004 KASCAC Bus Tour Itinerary

• Sunday June 27
• 900am Registration Check-In Executive West
  Hotel
• 945am General Information Meeting Welcome
• 1030am Leave for Louisville Airport
• 1210pm Depart Louisville Airport
• 145pm Arrive New Orleans Airport
• 300pm Arrive at University of New Orleans
  Admission Presentation Tour
• 600pm Depart for Lafayette, LA
• 830pm Check into Lafayette Hilton Hotel
• Monday June 28
• 830am Depart for UL-Lafayette
• 900am Arrive at UL-Lafayette Admission
  Presentation, Tour Lunch
• 1230pm Depart for Xavier University
• 300pm Arrive at Xavier University Dinner,
  Admission Presentation Tour
• 600pm Depart for Homewood Suites Hotel

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2004 KASCAC Bus Tour Itinerary (continued)

• Tuesday June 29
• 800am Depart for Louisiana State University
• 1000am Arrive at Louisiana State University
  Lunch, Admission Presentation, Tour Bookstore
  Stop
• 130pm Depart from Louisiana State University
• 200pm Arrive at Southern University Admission
  Presentation Tour
• 500pm Depart for Hotel
• 630pm Arrive Hotel
• Wednesday June 30
• 800am Depart for Loyola University
• 830am Arrive at Loyola University -- Breakfast,
  Admission Presentation Tour
• 1130am Depart for Tulane University
• 1200pm Arrive at Tulane University Lunch,
  Admission Presentation, Bookstore Stop Tour
• 300pm Depart for Hotel
• 400pm End of Bus Tour Test and Awards
• Thursday July 1
• 900am Depart for Airport
• 1115am Depart New Orleans for Louisville

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2004 KASCAC Bus Tour ItineraryJune 27 - July 1,
2004

• REVENUE
• 34 paying participants x 500 17,000
• 1 non-paying participants x 0 0.00
• Surplus revenue from 2003 1,200
• TOTAL REVENUE 18,200
• EXPENDITURES
• Airfare Tickets
• 35 tickets x 237.90 8,326.50
• Coach Bus Transportation 2,413.00
• Hotel Rooms
• 18 rooms Lafayette Hilton Hotel, June
  27 1,209.60
• 12 rooms Homewood Suites, June
  28-30 4,470.12
• Porterage Fee
• 35 x 6.00 per person 210.00
• Supplies
• 35 T-shirts 280.00
• 35 3-Ring Binders x 2.00 70.00
• Postage 164.41

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Counselor's College Tour A Win-Win Event
Presenters Mr. Paul Radke Mr. George
Kazlusky Director of School Relations
College/Career Consultant Murray State
University Hoffman Estates (IL) HS
800-272-4678 847-755-5646
paul.radke_at_murraystate.edu
gkazlusky_at_d211.org