Open Houses or Individual Visits: Which is the Way to go?

1. A Presentation by Amy Stornello, Assistant Director of Admissions & Visitation Open Houses or Individual Visits: Which is the Way to go?

2. Introductions… • What do I do? • Coordinate Open Houses for NTID • Liaison to Undergraduate Admissions office for other Open House programs • Coordinate individual visits for students and other visitors • Only for Deaf/Hard of hearing students, hearing students interested in a BS in ASL/Interpreting Education, and Master’s of Deaf Education program • Admissions review for Winter/Spring Quarters • Supervise one student assistant • Teach Freshman Seminar, special projects, etc…

3. What do YOU Focus on? • Name, College and position/job title? • Do you work at a community college or 4-year college? • Open House or Individual Visits? • What do YOU prefer? • What works better? • WHY???

4. What isNational Technical Institute for the Deaf? • One of 8 colleges at Rochester Institute of Technology • 15,000 hearing students/1,200 Deaf/Hard of hearing students • Associate all the way through PhD degrees

5. College Profile & Admissions Requirements • http://www.rit.edu/upub/pdfs/Prospectus.pdf • Note ACT/SAT test score ranges – key tool to identify whether a prospective student is Associate or Bachelor degree bound…

6. Admissions Overview… Associate degree-bound Student Bachelor degree-bound Student • 669 deaf/hoh students • Faculty who use various communication methods in the classroom • May start here and eventually transfer into a BS degree program if English skills are strong enough • 572 deaf/hoh students • Has support services: interpreters, notetakers, cprint, tutoring • Campus community AWARE of large deaf presence so faculty have some knowledge on interacting with our students

7. Comparing Visit Programs… • RIT • http://rit.edu/ • Visitation Website: http://www.rit.edu/emcs/admissions/ • NTID • http://www.ntid.rit.edu/ • Visitation Website: http://www.ntid.rit.edu/prospective/visiting.php

8. Differences in OH/IV experiences? Undergraduate Admissions office NTID Admissions Office • Focus on ability to handle quantity of students – not intentional but done due to amount of visitors to campus • Individual Visits are done in an Information Session format • Open Houses: • 4 Fall, 2 Accepted, 2 Transfer, Spring Preview Day • Focus on quality of visit • Able to ask how we can customize their visit experience • Individual Visits • Spring Open Houses: • 2 Spring Events

9. Open House versus Individual Visits Open Houses Individual Visits • Labor Intensive • Orchestrating, planning, coordinating, etc • Costs! • Lump people together • One set schedule of presentations to try to accommodate differing educational backgrounds, etc. • One on one • Tailor visits to suit their needs • People involved know the specific background of each visitor • Provide specialized attention to fit what THEY want to do while visiting

10. Who is your audience that you’re trying to attract? • NTID Admissions needs to take into consideration the following: • Communication preferences • Speak orally? Use Sign Language? • We pair our tour guides to communication preferences (sign or voice) • Request interpreter for dorm tour/faculty appointments, if warranted • Services for hearing aids/cochlear implants – a popular request to schedule this appointment to see labs, meet people, etc.

11. (continued…) • Audiological requirements • If they do not qualify, then they need to be referred to UAO • We explain that they MUST benefit from NTID’s services (interpreting, cprint, tutoring, notetakers, etc) and we may ask for an IEP if they do not qualify • Tuition rates for 2009-2010: • RIT: $28,866 • NTID: $10,233

12. (continued…) • Educational ability/level: Associate or Bachelor degree bound? • School for the Deaf? • Mainstreamed school? • ACT/SAT test scores, HS GPA, AP/Honors courses? • Extracurricular activities or any other appointments they’d like… • Sports • http://www.ntid.rit.edu/sports/riticprogram/deafathletes.html

13. Potential concerns… • “I do not want to be around other “Deaf” people because I do not sign.” • (if they have a tour guide that signs in ASL or sits in on a class with an interpreter (when they prefer cprint)) • “I do not belong here – I’m smarter than them – this place is NOT a good fit for me.” • (if they meet with Associate-level faculty or observe an Associate-level class) • “It’s too hard, I’m scared that I won’t fit in here…” • (if an Associate bound person sits in on a Bachelor-level class). • Open House may be too “generic” – not able to address specific concerns/questions • Confusion about tuition rates or which office to go to… • Deaf person shows up at the UAO office, expecting communication access, knowledge about classes, support services, etc…

14. Generation X, Y, Z? • Gen Y • High maintenance, high performers, high expectations/demanding of themselves • Helicopter parents, closer parental involvement • Millennial generation • Email, Facebook, Twitter, technology! • instant communication/gratification • Open, smart, eager, responsive • http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/GenY.htm

15. How do we tailor the visit? • http://www.ntid.rit.edu/prospective/campusvisitform.php • Registration is received • Information updated in our database (cross-referenced) • Confirmation packet mailed/emailed out • If questions remain, we follow up for clarification • Contacts are made and appointments scheduled

18. Thank you! • Feel free to chat with me during the conference or connect via email: • Amy.Stornello@rit.edu • 1-800-704-1514 work phone