Six tips for optimizing yield season

By the end of May, more than 1,000 newly admitted students and their families will visit campus with the same general question in mind: “Why choose Lewis & Clark?”

As the volume of prospective-student visitors is enormous, the CAS Office of Admissions refers to this time of year as the “season of yield.”

Here are six tips to keep in mind as we enter the busiest visiting period of the year:

1. If you see anybody on campus who looks like a visitor, don’t be shy! Say hello and ask if you can answer any questions they might have.
2. Wear your gold name tag. It’s an easy way to instantly become more accessible.
3. Even if you don’t have a chance to reach out to any would-be Pioneers, try to cultivate a welcoming presence through good old-fashioned friendliness.  Smiley people are certainly not uncommon here, and we want visitors to see that and feel it too.
4. If your office doesn’t have any campus maps, print out a stack to have on hand just in case. Before you dash off to that meeting, grab one and take it along. Even if you know the campus well, nothing is easier for a visitor to understand than “X marks the spot.”
5. Make sure information on your department webpage is current and correct.
6. Keep yourself up-to-date on campus events and the available resources for visitors. Let prospective students know about the exhibitions, concerts, and other opportunities happening here every day—and be able to show them where to go.

New students are, unsurprisingly, very important to the successful continuation of Lewis & Clark, so let’s treat them accordingly, and give all our visitors a friendly community experience.