Adding Technology to Admissions

Gone are the days of checking the mailbox everyday in the Spring, hoping for a big, thick envelope from your first choice school. No more scheduling tours with the university's visitor's center, or trying to find current students to talk to over the phone to answer your questions. No more visiting the local Lion's or Rotary Club to ask about scholarships.

The college admittance process of our parents is gone....forever.

Now, colleges and universities are incorporating new technologies to make the process as easy as ever for potential students. Steps include notification of acceptance online, about two weeks faster than letters traditionally sent out through the mail. Scholarship information is also available online, making it even easier for students to find potential sources of money for college.

Beyond notification, admitted students are encouraged to contact current students online. Maryland, on March 9 and 10, held online chats for admitted students. Different programs throughout the university hosted chat rooms where high school seniors could ask questions of current students. It's a more casual way for students to have their questions answered.

Potential students also receive phone calls, emails and even texts from current students. Universities are getting more competitive when it comes to recruiting better students, and are using technology to literally inundate a prospective student with all the reasons why this university is the best.

Maryland has even talked about ceasing the process of sending letters of acceptance to save postal fees and paper. Maybe in 5 years, students will eagerly await that big, thick email in the Spring.