Email/Text Procedures

The expectation in the office is that we respond to emails within 24-48 hours. If you are waiting on information in order to reply to the student, reach out to let them know this so they do not think they're being ignored. It is good practice to try to get through student emails each day.

Sample Email:

This may be the most common type of email you will receive. These are often responses from students to emails that EAB has sent them regarding various steps in the Admissions Process.

You may also get forwarded emails in response to outreach from Mike, or direct emails from students.

Step 1 - Delete:

You always want to make sure that you delete this portion of the email (circled in red). You should delete the forwarded portion from Mike, as well as the forward from EAB to Mike.

Make sure to keep the original email from the student, including their email address.

Reference before responding:

Often you will want to make sure that you have the most accurate information for students before responding. There are multiple ways to look the student up:

Search their name or email in the "Contacts" section in Reach
Search Banner using their email (GUISRCH)
Search Banner using the students first & last name (SRAQUIK)
Search MyMSU with parent email (MyMSU - Administrative Tools - Manage Parent Contact Information, insert the parent email which will give you the student's GID).

You may want to find out where the students are in the college search process:

Banner (SRAQUIK for general information, SOATEST for test scores, SAAADMS for application and admissions information).
MyMSU (Admissions Checklist - personalized list of next steps that tracks progress)

Step 2 - Respond

Introduce yourself
Answer the question in depth (referencing webpages is extremely helpful)
Close out and offer help in the future

Tips and Tricks:

Reference the FAQ and/or Tough Questions PDF for common responses to send to students/parents.
Creating different folders can help when you start receiving repetitive questions (for example - folders for responses to sports questions, fee waivers, etc.). Some counselors like to keep a working document of their own common responses while other like to write each email from scratch.
NEVER send a student's GID and full name over email. This should always be sent as either the full name and last four of the GID, or the full GID with students initials.
Be Mindful: If you're copying and pasting from email templates, make sure to change names, answer specific questions, and reference what the student would like to know. One size does not fit all for emails.
Always double check that you've answered each question the student asked/gave them the correct link/contact for all questions before you press submit.

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