Rep Newsletters: Making the Best of Two Sides of the Same Coin - International Admissions and International Services

International Admission (IA) and International Student Services (ISS), or whatever your institution’s
name for each is, are two sides of the same coin – the international experience and support at an
institution. IA recruits international students and brings them in, then ISS supports the students
throughout their academic journey. Each traditionally operates separately in their assigned roles, but
are there ways they can better collaborate to support their students? Not only is there a key transition
period between when a student is admitted until they become a fully enrolled and attending student,
but there are ways throughout the entire process of admission and enrollment that the two offices can
support each other and collaborate. As an international professional that has worked in both areas
(separately and at the same time), I have been afforded a unique vantage point that has helped me
identify key areas in which they can. The following is anecdotal based on over a decade of experience to
provide my reflections and tips that I hope can help you and your offices at your institution.
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First and foremost, have office structures and staffing that meet the needs of your institution and its
goals, and understand the structures you have, the overlap, and the transition period. This is essential to
ensure a comprehensive and actionable workflow for staff and experience for students, and structures
and staffing naturally vary from institution to institution. In some institutions an admission DSO issues all
incoming F-1 and J-1 documents, but in others it’s an ISS DSO. In others it might be a staff member that
reports to both offices – someone that essentially is the transition point for students. Other factors
when setting up your structure and flow are to consider are: which team follows-up regarding next steps
(both academic and status related), which handles arrival and orientation, and who are a student’s
contact points and for what. Knowing, understanding, and enacting the answers to these questions is
essential for smooth operations and transition for the student.

Once the structure, staffing, and responsibilities of both offices is understood, ask where shared
responsibility and collaboration can be helpful. Usually, collaboration between IA and ISS naturally
occurs during the transition period when a student has been admitted and moves on to the immigration
pieces, so finding ways to team up within this period can be most beneficial for students. For example,
hosting pre-arrival webinars and processes together can make sure all elements of the student
experience are successfully met (and helps to prevent melt). Working together to facilitate arrival can be
beneficial (and necessary) based on staffing needs and teaming up to provide orientation is a fun way
for students to see the team they’ve worked with and the team they’ll be working with meeting their
needs together. Plus, many students maintain relationships with their admission staff and ISS staff, so a
collaborative relationship is a natural fit. Also, working together is a great way to provide the coverage
and services we are tasked with in a field where being understaffed and overworked is common.

There are, of course, ways for IA and ISS to better partner together from the recruitment period up until
the student starts their classes (and beyond). Here are three tips based on my and my peers’
experiences:

1. Understand each other’s roles. When I began on the ISS side, I did not know what IA did – the
extent of international recruitment trips (high school visits, agent visits, dinners, etc.), the
partnerships, etc. Understanding what each office is responsible for and does helps not only to
understand the hard work that each staff does, but also the enhances the student experience
and helps with retention. It also helps identify areas of collaboration, such as could it make
sense to have an ISS staff go on a recruitment trip or participate in agent meetings or could an IA staff member meet with current students to figure out trends in recruitment for target
countries? These opportunities will only come to light when staff truly understand the roles of
each office and how they can best work together.

2. Everyone needs to have a basic understanding of regulations. IA recruiters need to understand
enough to be able to answer basic student questions about the next steps (I-20/DS-2019, visa
process, change of status, reinstatement, etc.) to avoid providing inaccurate or confusing
information. This includes knowing your students’ required financial amounts for immigration
documents vs. direct cost of attendance. On both sides I’ve seen miscommunication cause
students to become confused or angry, as well as melt or not retain as a result. Knowing enough
to be helpful and informative, as well as when to refer onward, is essential to recruit and retain
students.

3. Tap into each other’s knowledge base. Recruiters tend to have a big picture understanding of
countries in which they recruit, whereas international student advisors tend to know a lot about
on-the-ground situations based on interactions with current students. Use both vantage points
to have discussions about strategic recruitment and retention planning.

Each institution is unique in its set-up, staffing, and mission as it relates to global engagement and
internationalizing its campus. Its important to understand yours to meet the needs of your students,
find measurable success, and retain your sanity. Utilizing some of the above information and tips just
might help you do all the above. Most important is to keep your students first and foremost as the
center of your structure and processes, so always remember to develop and enact what makes the most
sense to do so.

Tony Marotta
Admissions and Enrollment Rep