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If there’s one thing we can all agree on it’s that education is important. That’s why history remembers quotes such as…
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” – Malcolm X
“Let us pick up our books and our pens, they are the most powerful weapons.” - Malala Yousafzai
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” - Benjamin Franklin
As admissions teams, faculty, and student service professionals, you are responsible for honing, guiding, and teaching the next generation of leaders, inventors, and educators.
No pressure, right?
According to the Education Data Initiative, 10.4% of American adults are currently enrolled in college as part-time or full-time students. That’s a 195% increase from 1970 when only 3.5% of the population were college students.
That means you have more and more responsibilities on your plate every year, including taking care of hundreds (possibly even thousands) of students, all of whom require a bit of your time.
Between admissions interviews, information sessions, campus tours, office hours, and advising, it can sometimes seem like all you are doing is scheduling meetings.
Let’s make sure you can focus on what’s truly important: leading to student success.
Read on to see how you can use higher education scheduling software to impress prospective students and keep current ones happy while saving hassle, stress, and a lot of time.
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YouCanBook.me is an education scheduling software that saves you time and hassle by automating your scheduling. Test it out and see the impact it has on the education team’s productivity, efficiency, and targets. |
Each student’s higher ed journey starts with you.
Your role has a dual purpose. The first one is to attract students and convince them your school is amazing.
At the same time, you have to sort through thousands of applications to find the ones that are the best fit for your university.
It’s a lot to handle, so let’s start at the very beginning - telling your prospective students a bit more about your school.
What’s your university all about? What majors do you offer? How are the sports teams? What about the Greek life? What percentage of students live on campus?
If you work in admissions, these are questions you most likely hear every day. We’re guessing you can even recite the answers in your sleep.
Prospective students have a lot to learn about your university, and you’re the one who has to teach it to them. Where do you start?
A calendar scheduling tool makes it easy for you to organize information sessions, and simple for prospective students to sign up for them.
All you have to do is create a dedicated booking page and give students a link to it. Your booking page automatically syncs with your Google or Microsoft calendar, so the students will only see the times you are available to meet.
You can:
No matter how a student finds out about your university, they can easily book a meeting with you to learn more.
Once the student visits the booking page, all they have to do is click and reserve a time to meet. With YouCanBook.me, you can adjust your booking page so you can take up to 50 bookings per time slot, which makes it ideal for group sessions. Plus, you can add padding between sessions so you have time to prepare for the next one.
Students will appreciate how seamless the process was and will start to rank your university higher than ones still using manual, outdated, and tedious booking systems.
The next step is confirming the meeting so that your prospective students know when to show up where.
Luckily, by using one of the best scheduling tools for university teams, you can automate meeting confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups so they always send automatically.
We recommend including the following in your confirmation email:
Below is an email template you can use. Everything included in these brackets { } are shorthand codes, which will populate automatically with the necessary information.
“Subject: Your information session with {BOOKING-PAGE-TITLE}
Hi {FNAME},
We’re delighted you are interested in learning more about [university]. Your information session is booked for {START}.
Please choose one of the options below:
It will take place at [address]. OR
It will take place on Google Meet via this link: {GOOGLEMEET} OR
It will take place on Microsoft Teams via this link: {MSTEAMS} OR
It will take place on Zoom via this link: {ZOOM}
Passcode: {ZOOM-PASSWORD}
We’re looking forward to telling you a bit about what [university] has to offer. The meeting will last approximately {DURATION} and will focus on [talking points/agenda].
In the meantime, feel free to learn more about [university] by visiting the following links: Academics
Life at [university]
Admissions
To view our brochure, visit: [link]
Best,
[your name]
[your position]”
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💡 Pro-tip: feel free to replace {BOOKING-PAGE-TITLE} with your name or with {TEAM-NAME}. For more advanced options, see our article about conditional statements. |
As you probably noticed from the template above, YouCanBook.me integrates with popular meeting platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. By inputting the corresponding shorthand code, a unique meeting link will automatically be generated for each booking.
Your university is most likely not the only one your students are interested in. They might get all their info sessions, tours, and interviews mixed up. They could even completely forget.
That’s why it’s vital for you to send a reminder. We recommend sending it the day before or the morning of an in-person session. For virtual, it’s best to send it the morning of or an hour before, depending on the time of the meeting.
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In your reminder, add your contact information in case of any last-minute questions as well as the time and place of the meeting, including a link to the session if it’s online. That way a prospective student won’t have to go digging through old emails to find it.
This reduces no-shows for you while making prospective students’ lives a bit easier.
So the info session is over, your job is totally done!
Obviously, that’s not true.
You want to send the prospective student one more message to say thanks and give them all the info they will need going forward. Let them know where they can find details about deadlines, requirements, and next steps. A well-crafted follow-up email is a great way to get this information across.
Include your contact info again to let them know that even though the info session is over, you are still ready and able to answer their questions and help them out.
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💡 Pro-tip: Include a link to a booking page for campus tours in your follow-up email. If students are interested in seeing your school, they can book right away. |
Create separate pages for information sessions, campus tours, admissions interviews, and anything else you need. This ensures all meetings, notifications, and settings will always match the meeting type.
And don’t worry - all booking pages are linked so you won’t ever be double booked.
Now comes the fun part - the campus tour. This is your chance to truly show off all the things that make your university stand out.
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Once again, you want to make sure the booking page for campus tours is easily accessible and that the prospective student can find a date and time that works for them without any trouble.
As campus tours are dependent upon weather and season, having a tour schedule you can easily adjust is key.
For campus tours, we recommend setting up a customized booking form so you can tailor and allocate tour groups according to interest.
When the prospective student clicks on a slot they want to book, they will be taken to this form to input their info, and you can include questions such as what major, sports, or extracurriculars they are most interested in learning about.
| 💡Pro-tip: To be fully accessible to all students, make sure you offer both in-person and virtual tours. |
For in-person tours, make sure you add all necessary information, such as:
Here is an email template you can use for in-person tours:
“Subject: Your [university] campus tour
Hi {FNAME},
We’re delighted you are interested in visiting [university]. Your campus tour is booked for {START}.
Our university is located at [address]. We will be meeting at the [building]. For a campus map, directions, hotels, and points of interest in the area, please see our visitor’s guide: [link].
Your tour will be led by [name].
We’re looking forward to showing you what [university] has to offer. The tour will last approximately {DURATION} and will cover [agenda].
In the meantime, feel free to learn more about [university] by visiting the following links: Academics
Life at [university]
Admissions
To view our brochure, visit: [link]
Best,
[your name]
[your position]”
For virtual tours, include a link to the meeting platform and omit the address and visitors guide. See below for an email template.
“Subject: Your virtual [university] campus tour
Hi {FNAME},
We’re delighted you are interested in [university]. Your virtual campus tour is booked for {START}.
Please choose one of the options below:
It will take place on Google Meet via this link: {GOOGLEMEET} OR
It will take place on Microsoft Teams via this link: {MSTEAMS} OR
It will take place on Zoom via this link: {ZOOM}
Passcode: {ZOOM-PASSWORD}
It will be led by [name].
We’re looking forward to showing you what [university] has to offer. The tour will last approximately {DURATION} and will cover [agenda].
In the meantime, feel free to learn more about [university] by visiting the following links: Academics
Life at [university]
Admissions
To view our brochure, visit: [link]
Best,
[your name]
[your position]”
As usual, make sure to send a reminder including the address and visitor’s guide if it’s an in-person tour or a meeting link if it’s virtual. Don’t forget to add your contact info so that prospective students can reach out with any last-minute questions or issues.
The follow-up is your chance to thank students for their time and interest. Make sure to include a link to your admissions site or other material where they can find more information about deadlines, requirements, and next steps.
Now that the students have toured and learned everything they can about your school - it’s time for the actual application process. What does that entail?
Yep, you guessed it - even more scheduling! It’s time for the admissions interview.
By using an online scheduling tool, you and your interviewee will quickly find a time to meet. Even if they are across the country or abroad, YouCanBook.me automatically detects and adjusts to show the correct time zone, which is one less thing you have to worry about.
Additionally, thanks to YouCanBook.me’s integration with Zapier, you can automatically send prospective student information to your CRM. Didn’t we tell you this was the best scheduling tool for university teams?
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💡 Pro-tip: To keep true to your branding, customize your booking pages with your university colors and logos. |
First up is the handy confirmation email.
For admissions interviews, make sure to include the usual important points: time, date, address or meeting link, duration, talking points, and links to additional information about your university.
Here is an email template:
“Subject: Your interview with {BOOKING-PAGE-TITLE}
Hi {FNAME},
We’re so happy you are interested in joining the class of [year] at [university]. Your admissions interview is booked for {START}.
Please choose one of the options below:
It will take place at [address]. OR
It will take place on Google Meet via this link: {GOOGLEMEET} OR
It will take place on Microsoft Teams via this link: {MSTEAMS} OR
It will take place on Zoom via this link: {ZOOM}
Passcode: {ZOOM-PASSWORD}
We’re looking forward to getting to know you. The interview will last approximately {DURATION} and will focus on [talking points/agenda].
In the meantime, feel free to learn more about [university] by visiting: [university URL].
If you have any additional questions, you can reply to this email or reach me at [phone number].
Best,
[your name]
[your position]”
As always, don’t forget to send a reminder and follow-up email as well. In the follow-up email, make sure to include a timeline for when they should hear back about any important next steps or decisions. Knowing when to expect a reply will lessen your prospective students' stress.
Students have a lot to keep track of. Between classes, extracurricular activities, and part-time jobs, it can be hard for them to find a time to meet.
Additionally, the standard college demographic is shifting. Nontraditional students make up almost 75% of the nearly 20 million students currently enrolled in post-secondary education. That includes students who are older than the typical college student, have full-time jobs, or have children.
These nontraditional students might only have time to contact you long after office hours are over. If you take appointments solely by phone, they won’t be able to reach you at all.
If you take appointments by email, you are in for a long game of email tag, where each person will have to wait quite a while for the other to reply.
Get rid of these issues by letting students book appointments with zero hassle.
How? With a calendar scheduling tool, of course! This gives students the freedom to immediately select a time that works for them with just a few clicks.
If you have multiple advisors, counselors, or team members, you can set up a team booking page, where students can learn a bit more about each of your colleagues and select who they want to meet with.
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As YouCanBook.me is highly customizable, you will also easily be able to set different meeting types and lengths for career services, student advising, health services, and everything in between.
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After they book an appointment, make sure to send students a confirmation email, so that they have all the information they need in one place.
Include the time and date, address or link to the virtual meeting, duration, and agenda in your email. If there is any form or item the student should bring, such as a financial aid form, resume, or career survey, remind them to have it ready.
Here is an email template you can use:
“Subject: Your meeting with {BOOKING-PAGE-TITLE}
Hi {FNAME},
Your meeting with {BOOKING-PAGE-TITLE} is booked for {START}.
Please choose one of the options below:
It will take place at [address]. OR
It will take place on Google Meet via this link: {GOOGLEMEET} OR
It will take place on Microsoft Teams via this link: {MSTEAMS} OR
It will take place on Zoom via this link: {ZOOM}
Passcode: {ZOOM-PASSWORD}
The meeting will last approximately {DURATION} and will focus on [talking points/agenda].
To best prepare, please remember to have your [insert item here: i.e. financial aid form, resume, career survey] ready.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to reply to this email or reach me at [phone number].
Best,
[your name]
[your position]”
But what if the student needs to cancel or reschedule?
Don’t worry, those two are just as easy as booking the appointments. YouCanBook.me includes two handy links in confirmation emails, one to cancel and one to reschedule. If something pops up and a student needs to reschedule, they can click the corresponding button and are immediately brought back to your booking page to pick a new time.
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All calendar invites, confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups will be sent to match the new meeting date with no extra work for you or the student.
As always, don’t forget to send a reminder and follow-up email. In your follow-up email, include a link to your booking page in case the student wants to book another meeting.
Have we mentioned that YouCanBook.me collects your booking data for you?
The data provides insights on which of your team members are booking the most appointments and the times and dates that students prefer to meet. Depending on the questions you ask in your booking form, it can also help you gauge their major, year of study, and popular discussion topics.
This allows you to tailor your services to fit students’ needs, which lets you do your job in the best way you can.
Are you tired of hanging around during your office hours not knowing when (or if) students will visit?
Is your first hour and a half free and then suddenly 5 students show up during the last 30 minutes?
We feel your pain.
Let your students easily schedule a time to meet with you by using calendar scheduling software. It’ll save you the headache of not knowing who will show up when, while ensuring you give each of your students the attention they deserve.
You can use the booking form to ask important questions that can help you prepare for the meeting, including what they want to discuss. You can also create a separate booking page for each of your classes so you never get your students mixed up.
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Do you feel like your students are constantly on their phones?
Maybe they’re picking a time to meet with you! YouCanBook.me is mobile friendly so rest assured your students can book on whatever device they prefer.
After the meeting is booked, it’s time to send a confirmation email. Include the:
Here is an email template you can use:
“Subject: Your meeting with {BOOKING-PAGE-TITLE}
Hi {FNAME},
Your meeting with {BOOKING-PAGE-TITLE} is booked for {START}.
Please choose one of the options below:
It will take place at [address]. OR
It will take place on Google Meet via this link: {GOOGLEMEET} OR
It will take place on Microsoft Teams via this link: {MSTEAMS} OR
It will take place on Zoom via this link: {ZOOM}
Passcode: {ZOOM-PASSWORD}
Our meeting will last approximately {DURATION} and will focus on [talking points/agenda/course name].
To best prepare, please remember to have any materials such as tests, essays, and assignments that you would like to discuss ready and at hand.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to reply to this email.
Best,
[your name]
[your position]”
As always, don’t forget to send them a reminder and a follow-up. In the follow-up, make sure to include a link to your booking page so they can book another meeting with ease.
Do you know other teams that could use some help managing their schedule? Check out The Booking Handbook: How a Scheduling Tool Can Help Your Team for advice on how HR, sales, customer success, UX, and recruitment teams can use online scheduling software to their advantage.
As higher ed employees, your students turn to you for advice, knowledge, and guidance. Make sure you have the time, energy, and mental space to deliver all that and more.
By using an online scheduling tool, you can save yourself and your students countless hours wasted on scheduling, rearranging, and organizing meetings. Because the honest truth is both of you just have way better things to do.
Let a scheduling software for higher education like YouCanBook.me focus on the scheduling so you can get back to molding a better future for your students.
When we moved to YouCanBook.me, it was a breath of fresh air to be booking people within minutes.
Advising and Career Services Department creates equity for non-traditional students by enabling friction-free booking for busy people. They save 5 hours a week for every team member.
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Written by
Gabriela is an (everything bagel) seasoned copywriter who has been banging out copy for brands both big and small since 2016. In her free time, you can find her buying Halloween decorations, reading, and trying to force her cat to love her.
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