This document provides tips for colleges and universities to keep incoming students engaged over the summer months in order to set them up for success in the fall. It recommends leveraging students' existing momentum by providing next steps for tasks like applying for scholarships or registering for orientation. It also stresses the importance of being responsive to students, especially when they reach out proactively, as well as understanding that students will be busy over the summer and making it easy for them to complete tasks around their schedules. The overall goal is to deepen student commitment and motivation to attend in the fall semester.

1. Quick Tips for Connecting with
Incoming Students During Summer
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2. Keeping students engaged through the summer is critical
for a strong start
The caps have been thrown, college
decisions and deposits made, and
your incoming class is now in
summer vacation mode. But this is
still an important part of the student
experience with the potential to lay
the foundation for their success on
campus. These tips will help you
keep students engaged while
cultivating the behaviors and attitudes
for long-term success.
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3. Leverage the student’s own momentum
An object in motion stays in motion.
The same is true for 18 year old high
school graduates. When students
engage with you, make sure that next
steps (e.g., applying for scholarships,
submitting health and housing forms,
or registering for summer orientation)
are available so they can “strike while
the iron is hot.” This will not only
deepen their commitment and
motivation to attend but it will
positively reinforce proactive student
behavior.
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4. Be really responsive, especially when students are proactive
You want your students to be proactive,
so reinforce this behavior early and often
with quality and timely service. A negative
experience may discourage them from
being proactive in the future, or they may
share their frustration via social media
and discourage other students from
reaching out for help. Today’s “traditional”
students are technology natives who
expect 24/7 support. A combination of
self-service online resources and enough
live staff through the summer is
increasingly important.
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5. Understand that students really are busy
Even the most responsible, top-performing
student will occasionally
ignore a phone call, neglect to respond
to e-mail, or procrastinate. They’re
genuinely busy and distracted, and
summer vacation is supposed to be a
time to forget about academics for
awhile. The transactional nature of most
interactions through the summer can
stunt their enthusiasm, especially if they
feel judged or condescended to for not
making school paperwork their top
priority.
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6. Make it easy for students to act when their schedule allows
The most organized students often
focus on their next steps toward
college when they know they have a
little extra room in their schedule and
this will vary for each individual. Work,
summer school, vacations, and family
obligations can keep them just as busy
as they are during the school year.
Provide resources that allow students
to be as productive as possible when
they can devote time and attention to
preparing for college.
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7. This is a unique time in the parent-child
relationship. Students may be
experimenting with independence
and may or may not be
communicating regularly with a
parent or guardian during the
months and weeks leading up to
the start of classes. Understand
the objectives and perspective of
each party, help bridge the
communication gap where it exists
while respecting boundaries, and
create a safe environment for
students to express a dissenting
opinion without undermining
anyone involved.
Respect the student and the parents
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8. Strong customer service, starting immediately, is critical
Students who are unable to get clear
answers, feel passed around, or get
lost in an automated phone system are
not only dissatisfied, but also far less
likely to reach out again. An
outstanding early customer service
experience can establish an enduring
positive first impression, making it less
likely that the normal bumps and
bruises of adjusting to college life will
lead them to doubt the entire value of
the institution or the pursuit of a
degree.
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9. Treat incoming students like adults
Don’t give the “if you want to be treated
like an adult, act like one” speech or
incessantly remind students “you’re an
adult now, you should…” Simply respect
them the same way you would a busy,
working professional. Refrain from
judgment and respond to their requests
the way you would those of a colleague
and always use a “decidedly non-parental”
tone when communicating about next
steps to enrollment. When a university
takes the lead in modeling an attitude of
respect, responsive communication, and
trust, students are more likely to
reciprocate.
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10. Don’t assume students know what they need to know about
higher education
Knowledge
Even children of the most educated
parents may not understand the
basics of higher education and may
be too intimidated to ask, even long
after the start of classes. Summer is
a great time to listen for clues that
reveal potential “gaps” in their
understanding and provide clear and
relevant explanations, without
judgment. For example, students may
have never had anyone break down
the types of degrees available – AA,
BA, BS, MBA. PhD, etc. Once they
have, they find it empowering.
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11. Don’t let melt prevention become the enemy of retention and
completion
Preventing Summer “melt” should not
come at the expense of ensuring that
every student who starts is as prepared
as possible to finish. Make sure that
students fully understand the
expectations and have opportunities to
test their skills prior to enrollment. Any
student relying heavily on financial aid
must have an in-person conversation
with an expert. If an unforeseeable event
causes a student to delay start, refrain
from judgment. A positive experience in
their darkest hour will make them more
likely to come back when the dust
settles.
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12. Connect success with students’ intentions
Summer is also a great opportunity to
understand each student’s intentions
and define success accordingly. An
increasing number of students enroll
with the intention to transfer, but these
students seldom reveal their intentions
for fear of being judged or pressured to
change their mind. A university that
supports a student in transitioning to
college, bringing their grades up, and
gaining admission to their dream school
should consider itself successful. Having
an accurate read on students’ intentions
also aids in institutional planning and
gap analysis.
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13. Recognize the existence of “a là carte” education
Today’s students are increasingly influenced
by the ever-growing options to piece their
education together with prior learning
assessment, dual enrollment, competency-based
programs and online education.
Recognize that you do not operate in a
vacuum. Facilitate candid conversations, free
of judgment, to unearth students’ true
intentions. Recognize that such options can
even enhance student learning and
engagement by making study abroad and
internships more feasible without delaying
graduation, then develop a strategy to
communicate your unique value proposition
in the context of a changing landscape.
a là carte
education
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14. Leverage the student’s motivations to build commitment
Summer is the ideal time to connect with
students on a deeper, individual level,
taking the decision to attend your
university from “it just makes sense
financially / geographically / socially” to
something more compelling that will
motivate them through the challenges
ahead. It demonstrates that you respect
and value their motives and helps
connect them to the resources they’ll
need once classes begin. It also deepens
commitment to the university and can
help them feel more welcome and
comfortable once they arrive on campus.
Motivation
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15. Articulate value in a way that students can understand
The residential campus experience is
relevant because it connects textbook
and community and remains one of the
most effective, widely accepted means
of transforming oneself into an
educated adult ready to take on the
world, but this is a rather lofty goal with
little immediate relevance to a student’s
daily concerns. Connect them to
tangible, immediately relevant value
whenever possible and they will be
more likely to remain connected to this
value and better able to articulate it to
others.
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