As we all know, students choose colleges for many intangible reasons, not the least of which is the image of the institution.  Therefore, we work hard to maintain the personal touch which has characterized Hampden-Sydney for generations.  The work you will be doing as an Alumni Admissions Representative is clearly an important part or our image-making process and serves to counteract some of the admissions procedures and computerized systems that have begun to shape student-college relations.

The three primary stages of admissions work are outlined below:

            Stage I             INQUIRY STAGE - identifying interested students

            Stage II            APPLICANT STAGE - developing applications

            Stage III           YIELD - Enrolling acceptable applicants

Stage I – Inquiries

The two objectives of the Admissions Office during the fall are to identify prospective students and to convert interested students to applicants.  The Admissions Staff assumes primary responsibility for identifying prospective students in the following ways: 

1.      Student Search – A service of the College Board, this service enables us to secure the names and addresses of specific high school students (all of whom have taken PSATs, ACTs or SATs) according to rank in class, test score results, academic interests, and geographic location.   Informational mailings are used to introduce students to specific programs at the College.  All of our mailings include an information reply card that helps us keep track of truly interested candidates and it allows them to request more in depth information.  Students responding to our mailings are termed “inquiries” and make up a large portion of our prospective applicant pool.  In recent years, we have expanded our search to include sophomores and even freshmen.  That should give you an idea of just how competitive the college search process is becoming.

2.      Travel – During the fall, the members of the Admissions staff spend an average of 9 weeks “on the road” visiting high schools, attending school and community sponsored college day and night programs, and participating in professionally organized regional and national fairs.  Our goal is to continue introducing new students to the College and cultivating students who already expressed an interest through the student search or by contacting the College on their own.

Stage II – Generating Applications

The applicant stage marks the beginning of the really personalized recruiting work at the College.  Identifying serious inquiries and encouraging them to apply to Hampden-Sydney is clearly our primary task.  Although we do want your help to develop applications, caution should be used.  We urge you to be wary in attempting to determine a student’s eligibility for admission.

Stage III – Yield

This is the most critical stage in the involvement of an Alumni Admissions Representative, for it is during this stage, after a student is accepted to the College, that he is deciding among possible college choices.  The involvement of an alumnus is of great benefit during the period.  It helps make the difference between the student’s enrolling at Randolph Macon, University of Virginia, or Hampden-Sydney.  Since our goal is to enroll the highest percentage possible of these students, it is essential that an alumnus be in telephone or written contact with every accepted student.