Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission Interviews

YCBK 621: What Can I Learn from a College Based on How They Communicate with Me

Mar 12, 2026
Grace Robertson-Lloyd, regional admission officer for Grinnell College based in Denver, talks about recruiting remotely and balancing travel with virtual programming. Stephen Burd, senior writer at New America, discusses Parent PLUS loan packaging, accountability, and shifts in enrollment management. They explore communication, responsiveness, recruitment tactics, and policy reforms in higher education.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Enrollment Management Changed Admissions Culture

  • Enrollment management shifted admissions from counseling toward marketing, reducing guaranteed personal attention during recruitment.
  • Susan Tree notes data analytics and PR hires prioritized scale and outreach over individualized counselor relationships that used to mirror campus treatment.
INSIGHT

Demographics Are Driving A Return To High Touch Recruitment

  • The demographic decline and skepticism about college force many institutions to increase personalized outreach to secure yield.
  • Mark Stucker points out schools are adding interviews with juniors and other high-touch tactics as yields become critical amid the enrollment cliff.
ADVICE

Contact Relevant Campus Offices Directly

  • Do bypass admissions when possible to contact the specific campus office you care about (career center, disability services, residential life) to test responsiveness and get precise answers.
  • Susan Tree and Mark recommend student-led outreach to see who will actually support the student's daily experience.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app