CAAAN:The Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network

1. CAAAN:The Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network Contact Meetings and Contact Reports August 2011

2. CAAAN Contact Meetings: Overview • Contact Meetings help personalize the admissions process for Cornell applicants • Positive, informal, and informative meetings -- not evaluative interviews to assess worthiness of candidates for admission • Opportunities for applicants to learn more about the Cornell Experience and for Cornell to learn a bit more about its applicants, too

3. CAAAN Contact Meetings: Arranging the Contact Meeting • Pay careful attention to CAAAN deadlines • Goal is to meet in person whenever possible (considering geography and time limitations) • First contact should only be to arrange the meeting • If calling the applicant, please be sure to call at an appropriate time of day – not too early in the morning or late in the evening • Arrange the meeting for a neutral location – one on one meetings in your home are not permitted • If no response, allow at least 2-3 days before attempting to contact the applicant again

4. CAAAN Contact Meetings: Arranging the Contact Meeting • Meetings are optional for the applicant, if he/she is not interested in meeting just submit a contact report indicating that the applicant declined the meeting • If you are not able to make contact after the first attempt, try one more attempt via a different communication method and wait a few more days • If no response after two attempted contacts, submit a contact report indicating that he/she did not respond after two attempts

5. CAAAN Contact Meetings: Conducting the Contact Meeting • Arrive on time (or call on time if a phone meeting) • Set the applicant at ease and remind him/her that this is an informational meeting, not an interview • Ask open-ended questions to promote conversation • Share a favorite Cornell memory with the applicant • Don’t take notes during the meeting, but do write up a few words soon after

6. CAAAN Contacts – Alternate Approaches • Sometimes geography or applicant volume makes a face-to-face meeting unrealistic -- Consider: • phone contacts • small group meetings • a personal email introducing yourself and offering to answer any questions and/or share some information about your CU experience

7. CAAAN Contact Reports • Intended to add additional information and perspective to the student’s application, not to evaluate whether or not he/she should be admitted • File your report within a few days of your meeting and before the deadline • Include examples of what was discussed during your meeting • Admissions committees report that timely, well-written reports can aid in their decision-making process

8. CAAAN Contact Reports • Remember to include any new information that the applicant asked you to share with the admissions committee • Don’t report any physical characteristics (height, weight, level of attractiveness) • Remember that there is a limit to the length of the report, don’t use space to repeat information that is already in the student’s application

9. Thank You For Volunteering Your Time Through CAAAN!