Test 2

Okay, so here's the deal gang... people are mean.

Alright - not everyone. But lately, it seems that everyone who calls the Undergraduate Admissions Office here at Penn State is just straight-up unpleasant.

This is the time of the year when we put out thousands of admission decisions. Literally. In the month of January alone, we released over 15,000 admission decisions. That's a lot. And as you can imagine, not every applicant is getting the decision that they want from us. Some students get admitted, others denied, and yet others are invited to our waitlist.

And then come the phone calls. And the emails. And the in-person appointments. Yes, we actually have families that get into a car and drive several hours to our office to talk about the "mistake" that we have made in their child's admission decision.

Please don't get me wrong: I don't mind that people who call and want to talk to us about their application, and the opportunities that they have at Penn State. What I do mind is the folks who call/email/show up and yell at our staff. Berate our staff. Call us "crazy". Tell us that we're "horrible".

I have no patience for the rude, obnoxious, and offensive phone calls and emails. And yet, we have to have patience because it is our job to work with students and families to help them find the best fit for the students' higher education.

This leads me to ask a seemingly dumb question: why is it that people who want something from us think that they will get what they want if they are aggressive and downright mean?

Let me give you an example.

Let's say that you think that you're awesome at your job. You would go to your boss and say, "I'm awesome at my job, could you please consider me for a promotion?", right? The way that many of these callers treat our staff is akin to throwing open your boss's door and screaming, "Hey there chief! I want more money. I think that you're an idiot for not already considering me for a raise. I'm going to go visit the president of the company and tell them how stupid you are, and demand more money in my paycheck."

Sounds crazy, right? This is what we deal with everyday, but even moreso this time of the year.

I think that there are a couple of issues at play here:

1. A lack of understanding. First and foremost, I don't think that people realize the volume of applications that we receive at Penn State. If we get 60 thousand applications and only enroll eight thousand students (at the University Park campus), then there will be a lot of very talented students that we are not able to admit. It's not an applicant problem, it's a space issue at our campus. Having moved to the Common Application this year has only exacerbated this situation (because we have seen a dramatic increase in applications). And it should be noted that none of this isn't unique to Penn State. 
2. A sense of entitlement. Many students and families think that if they have attended every home football game for the past ten years, they are entitled to being admitted to Penn State. This rationale is especially bad with applicants who have alumni in their family or who "know someone" (e.g. a local congress-person). Alumni will usually play the 'donor card' and say that they gave money to Penn State for their education, and then argue that this fact should essentially guarantee their son or daughter a place on campus. 
3. A mis-perception of what "customer service" is. One of the things that our operation prides itself on is working with students and families to provide good service. Personally, I don't even like to refer to what we do as "customer service" (I'd rather refer to it as "student service" or "building relationships"). But, in essence, that's what it is. The problem is that many callers treat our staff like they are talking to Verizon, and when they don't get what they want they think that they can talk to someone else who will oblige them. I hear stories every day about the father on the phone who isn't getting what he wants and says to one of our team, "I'd like to speak to someone higher up than you are." This is especially aggravating because the "higher up" person is going to tell that father the exact same thing that he's just heard. And then the cycle repeats itself. 

So, what is this rant all about? What am I asking YOU to do? Simple: be nice.

The Golden Rule applies everywhere you go folks, and that includes working with admissions staff at colleges and universities. When a caller has waited on hold for 35 minutes (because we get thousands of calls each month), and finally gets through to one of our staff, the conversation usually goes in one of two directions:

• "Wow! You guys must be super busy!" 

...or...

• "It is completely unacceptable that I have waited that long. I deserve (insert ridiculous demand here) for my time that you have wasted."

Needless to say, we prefer the former. AND, our staff is going to be much more accommodating and likely to help you if you are understanding and compassionate.

That quote is an old one and has been uttered in many different ways by many different people, but most of the attribution that I have found goes to American businessman John Templeton. However, for the purposes of this writing, and the argument that I'm making, the source is irrelevant.

What does matter is the notion that above all else you should treat people how you'd like to be treated. While you may have been waiting on hold for 27 minutes, the person that just picked up your call was likely getting screamed at by the previous caller. If you start into that person as well, then they are likely going to shut down and not be as likely to go the extra mile to help you.

Think of it this way: if you want to get help in resolving your issue, be nice. No matter how frustrated you are. Because the odds are that the individual that you get to help is more frustrated.

Bottom line: just be nice.