High School Visits 

While traveling, Admissions Counselors often visit local high schools to connect with prospective students. Each high school visit (HSV) should be customized for your specific audience. Some will be better served by a large scale presentation (like an MSU Basics presentation), while others will be more conversational (like a 1-on-1 or small group counselor meeting). Some schools may even have you table during lunch. High school visits typically last 30-60 minutes. 

Montana HSVs

We visit every high school in Montana. In-state high school visits are separated by region (ex: Bozeman area, Flathead area, Eastern Hi-Line area, etc...) . Visiting each region typically takes place over a 1-week period throughout the fall travel season.

Selecting MT Travel Dates: 

• You have the flexibility to choose your dates for in-state travel, but should work around your out-of-state travel schedule when deciding. Keep in mind factors like winter weather, MT teacher workshop days, district-wide late starts/early releases, holidays, and state testing when selecting your travel dates. 

• Tip:  Many small schools in Montana do not have school on Fridays, so plan accordingly.

Building a Schedule:

• The filing cabinet in Anders’s office holds folders that include schedules and travel information from previous trips. In most cases, your Montana HSV schedule will be very similar to those of years past as these routes and schedules are already tried and tested. 

• A travel schedule (example below) template can be found in the S: Drive. Download the template, and create your own tentative schedule (again, this will likely be very similar to previous years).  Update this document as you schedule and confirm visits until you have a finished product. 

• Depending on your region, you will likely have to cover a large amount of area in a short amount of time. Give yourself adequate time to travel between schools and leave allowances for extenuating circumstances such as poor road conditions, weather, parking, etc... 

Scheduling Visits:  With most Montana schools, you will reach out to the school guidance counselor, college/career counselor, or secretary directly to schedule. If you are unsure, you can always call the front office and ask to be put in touch with who ever does their college visit scheduling. 

• For in state high school information, use the MPSEOC high school counselor directory.  The counselor directory can be found at www.montanacolleges.com. You can also look at previous trips (previous trip schedules found in the filing cabinet in Anders's office) and utilize contact information from the past year if this is more up to date. 

• Montana Counselor Directory: A database listing Montana high school counselors and their contact information, found at: www.montanacolleges.com

Out of State HSVs

Determining which out-of-state high schools to visit is somewhat your decision.  With out-of-state high schools you have more flexibility, but should prioritize schools with a high level of demonstrated interest. Ideally, counselors should aim to schedule 4-5 visits per day, though this number will fluctuate depending on the trip. 

Using a Tally Sheet

• Highlight schools on the tally sheet that display high levels of interest. You should primarily consider the number of applicants and number enrolled. 

  • • Tip: A high number of "prospects" does not necessarily mean a high level of student interest. If a school has a very high number of prospects, but little to no applications, it likely means that we purchased a list of that school's students from EAB as opposed to all of those students themselves "opting in" and indicating interest.

• Use a map to look up where your high priority schools are located. Look for groups of schools that are near each other to form an idea of schools that may be easy to visit on the same day and/or an order in which to visit. 

  • • Websites like Google Maps can be helpful to help visualize new schools and their proximity to one another. To create a custom map:  mymaps.google.com 

    • Additionally, using a service like Google Maps to determine the distance and travel time between destinations is recommended. Utilize the "arrive by" and "depart by" features to determine expected travel times based on local area traffic trends for the specific time of day of your visits. 

Scheduling:  

• Once you determine which schools to visit on your trip, begin working on your schedule. Some find it helpful to create a tentative "ideal" schedule before actually contacting schools, so there is some form of structure to work off of (though keep in mind you first tentative schedule will almost always change). 

• Many out-of-state high schools utilize online scheduling platforms like RepVisits and Scoir to book visits to their school. These handy websites list member schools, and a digital sign-up sheet for their available visit dates and times.

• If schools do not utilize an online scheduling platform, you should contact the school directly. This may be done via either phone or email. Some counselors are more (or less) responsive than others, so I recommend starting with a call for efficiency, then also following up with an email if you have to leave a voicemail.

  • • • Tip: Though more often than not, you will schedule a visit with a college/career counselor, every school is a little different. To ensure you are attempting to connect with the correct person, call the schools main office, introduce yourself, and ask to be connected with whomever schedules their school's college rep visits. 

• A travel schedule (example below) template can be found in the S: Drive. Download the template, and create your own tentative schedule.  Update this document as you schedule and confirm visits until you have a finished product. 

• Typically, one should aim to schedule 4-5 high school visits per day. (This number may fluctuate due to factors such as college fairs/receptions schedule or distance between schools).

College Fairs 

A college fair is an event where reps from various colleges and universities come together at a large venue to provide information and resources to prospective students all at once. These events often include booths for each college or university, where counselors distribute brochures, answer questions, and engage with students and their families to help them make informed decisions about their higher education options. 

Planning the college fair: 

The Office of Admissions receives announcements and invitations to fairs around the country.  The fairs we choose to attend are based upon our tallies and areas of interest.  We have certain fairs which we attend annually, but we also examine our records to determine new fair areas.

• Anders will take care of college fair registration.  Counselors will receive their travel assignments for fall fairs during the summer months, and for spring fairs during the fall/winter. 

• Depending on the fair schedule, the Admissions Counselors  may or may not combine high school visits with fairs. Because fair dates and times are set in stone, the rest of your travel schedule such as high school visits and receptions  should be built around the fair(s).

• The filing cabinet in Anders’s office has the file folders for every trip taken in the past few years. The files contain information on the success of the visits and the travel itinerary. These records will help as you are packing for the college fairs in determining how many posters to bring. 

 Receptions 

Receptions (formerly known as "pizza parties") are larger events hosted at a more neutral venue such a restaurant or conference room (as opposed to a specific high school) with an open invitation to all students and families in the area to come have dinner and learn more about the university. The representative arranges the reception while planning area travel. Any number of guests can attend, from 0 to 50 or more. 

Planning the Reception: 

Determining where to host a Reception is your decision. Receptions are held mostly out-of-state and occasionally in-state. The location/time are up to your discretion.

Selecting a Date/Time

• Receptions should be hosted Monday-Thursday, and not on a weekend. Plan for the event to last approximately two hours (roughly 6-8pm, give or take 30-or-so minutes). This allows enough time for guests to arrive, to eat, to go over information, and for you to clean up.

Selecting a location

• A good rule of thumb when determining location, is to reference your tally sheet and look for areas with a high number of interested students, but where there are not as many high school visits scheduled.

  • • • Tip: Aim near high interest schools that you were unable to schedule visits to, or in urban areas with many schools with interested students, but not a significant number of students at one school in particular. 

Selecting a Venue

• The filing cabinet in Anders’s office holds information on past receptions. These documents may provide some insight into selecting a venue based off of previous successful (or not so successful...) locations.  

• If seeking a new location, use Google or a similar search tool (Trip Advisor, etc...) to explore restaurants (or similar venues) in the area.  You might also consider asking local high school counselors or hotel staff for recommendations. Whenever possible, choose a local location, rather than a chain. It makes the experience much more personable. (If the only location that can accommodate an event like this, a chain is still fine).

  • • • Tip: Whenever possible, choose a location with a private/party room. It is MUCH easier to present to an undistracted audience when you yourself are undistracted.

• Contact the desired venue/restaurant directly to schedule the reception. Because we will provide dinner and refreshments to the attendees, try to find a free venue. 

Inviting Prospects

• Reception information and a registration link should be included in your initial travel announcement email (includes any receptions, college fairs, and a link to the full high school visit schedule).

• Invite students from local high schools that are NOT being visited during the trip. Send the school/Counselor a reception poster (example below). You may also consider including a list of prospective students from their school.

• If sending announcement posters to area high schools, add these high schools to the end of your schedule in a separate section titled “Schools Just to Receive Reception Posters”.  This should also include the schools' addresses, so that Rachel knows where they should be sent.