Open Day Reflections [Blogpost 95]

Open Day is one of those yearly or biannual events on the admissions calendar. Open Day is, as defined by Collins English Dictionary, “... a day on which members of the public are encouraged to visit a particular school, university, or other institution to see what it is like.”

At M’KIS, we hold our Open Days in mid October and in April.

Having been part of a number of Open Days over the last few years, I feel that I am now in a stronger position to analyze the Open Day experience. My initial experience was prior to becoming Head of Admissions and I was on the periphery. Since becoming Head of Admissions in July 2017, I have been very much involved in planning, executing, and reviewing each Open Day.

On reflection, we have a strong process in place in terms of planning so as to ensure smooth execution and includes the following:

• We (the Admin Team) finalize the date of our Open Day. While we are aware that the event will always be held in October, the final date is dependent on various factors, some of which are beyond our control. [This is done approximately six to eight weeks ahead]. With the significant haze in SE Asia in September and early October, we were mindful that this year there was - despite all the preparation - the chance we might have had to postpone the event.

• I secure the services of our interpreters (Mandarin and Korean, in particular) for Open Day. [This is done as soon as we finalize the date of our Open Day].

• Our Head of Marketing oversees the advertising through social media platforms [in particular Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram].

• Our admissions secretaries via email/by phone liaise directly with individual families who register to attend our Open Day. [This involves practicalities of finding out how many people will be attending and if an interpreter is necessary].

• Our admissions secretaries send confirmation emails to all families indicating date and time of the appointment as well as directions for accessing campus in terms of ID to bring and parking facilities on campus [This is sent upon confirmation of attendance].

• I schedule a tour of the school with members of our Admin Council who will assist admissions staff in giving tours on the day. The purpose of this is to refresh them of suggested tour routes, remind them of our practice (visitors may not take photos of students, but only of facilities), reiterate key factors to highlight regarding our school community (M'KIS is a boutique and uniquely diverse international school community) and academic programme (including, but not limited to the fact that we are celebrating our 25th year, we are a well established school in KL, we have offered the IB Diploma Programme since 2001, we have recently received authorization for the PYP and we are in the final stages of the authorization process for the MYP) and answer specific questions. [Approximately a week in advance of the Open Day].

• We liaise with our catering department to provide drinks and snacks in our admissions office throughout the day for visitors. [Approximately a week in advance of the Open Day].

• Our admissions secretaries send reminder emails indicating date/time of the appointment and directions for accessing campus in terms of ID to bring and parking facilities on campus. [This is sent a day or two in advance of the Open Day].

• I will, in conjunction with our admissions secretaries, assign members of our Admin Council team to our visitors. Mindful that we are diverse in terms of cultural background, linguistic proficiency and educational expertise we assign accordingly. For example, our IB DP coordinator and MS/HS Principal will predominantly be meeting only HS/DP candidates while other members are more comfortable with giving tours to families applying for Elementary School based on their teaching experience and/or the fact they have more experience as their children are in the lower grades. In addition, we assign according to familiarity with particular languages/cultures.

• Our admissions team members meet with families and answer questions pertaining to the admissions process and answer questions/connect families to the appropriate individual within our school community with regards to specific inquiries. [Throughout the day].

• We analyze the statistics in terms of numbers of visitors, proposed start date [The day after the Open Day].

• We send follow up emails to our Open Day visitors thanking them for visiting and referencing next steps in the admissions process [Within two weeks of the Open Day]

While previously I felt frustration with translating Open Day visits to applications submitted and subsequent enrollment, I now see Open Days through the following lens:

• Open Day enables those in our immediate community and beyond to have a palpable sense of our school and that for which we stand.

• Open Day enables families here in KL to visit and whilst they may not submit an application, we would hope that they enjoy the experience and will speak highly of our school community and education programmes in place.

• The fact that we waive the application fee for applications submitted (via email or in person) on the day attracts many. For families who visited a few weeks prior and are interested to enrol for the following academic year, the application fee waiver is an incentive.

What are your thoughts with regards to the practice of Open Day? Is there a specific practice which you appreciate and see that it translates to school settings around the world?