Applicant Info Event
From AFSWiki
Contents |
What can you do at an Applicant Info Event?
One of the main purposes of an Applicant Info Event is to help the prospective participants feel supported and motivated through their application process. Applicants may be applying from several different areas or high schools within your community and to a variety of programs (Summer, Year, 18+, etc) and may be unaware of the other Applicants in your area. A combination of a social and information event is suggested for (New) Applicant events, as the social aspect will help build connections for the students, while reminders of deadlines and answering questions regarding their applications will be essential for them in completing their application. Inviting returnees and hosted students, as well as inviting the New Applicants to the events of the hosted students/returnees, is a great way for New Applicants to hear how about the AFS experience from their peers. Inviting the parents of the New Applicants, as well as host/natural parents, is also a great way for the New Applicant parents to connect with AFS.
Check out this section for ideas on social events with a cultural theme!
Content to Cover for a New Applicant/Applicant Event
Reminders and Questions and Answer Section of Event
The New Applicants that attend your event may be in a variety of stages of their application process. Students that have not begun working much on their applications may just need encouragement to get started, while other students may have in depth questions on certain pages of the application. (TIP: Review the power point from the AFS Pathway Call to be up to date on the application forms, and commonly FAQ’s.)
Reminders to Give:
- Reminder of application deadlines and though their deadline may not be for several weeks, there could be several other candidates also filling out their applications for those spots
- Reminder that students will need an in-home interview, and how long it usually takes to schedule and conduct the interview
- Scholarship deadlines
Sample Questions to ask:
- How is your application coming along?
- Have you checked out AFS on our Ask an AFSer Facebook Page?
- Have you looked at the AFS Blog?
- Has anyone started Fundraising? If so, what have you done?
- Have you joined the AFS Pathway Online Information Session, or the Fundraising Workshop?
- What are the things you most look forward to in studying abroad?
- What do you have the most questions about on the application or the experience?
- Have you talked to your school counselors about transferring credit?
Resources for an Information Event for New Applicants, Sending
(ALSO SEE INFORMATION EVENT FOR BASIC RESOURCES AND MATERIALS LIST)
Resources
- A Volunteer's Guide to the AFS Pathway PowerPoint
- Retrieving New Applicants in Global Link
- Talking points for calls to new applicants
- New Applicants
Materials for Applicants
See also
- Information Event
- New Applicants
- New Lead Info Event
- Lead-generating activities
- Supporting Students Newly Interested in AFS
- Contact your Regional Service Center for specific step by step instructions.
