After more than two decades in enrollment management, Dr. Molly Smith has helped thousands of students get to college. Then she sent her own son. In this episode, host Keith Ramsdell welcomes Molly, Associate Vice President of Undergraduate Admissions at Biola University and until recently a member of the NACCAP team, to talk about what changed when she moved from the professional's side of the desk to the parent's side. Her son, Jackson, is now a college freshman. The paperwork and portals weren't what surprised her most. The emotion was. "Why do I feel like this college is stealing my child?" she remembers asking herself as move-in day approached.
From there, Molly gives families practical advice. Parents should lean on admissions counselors, who are there to help. On campus visits, she says to look past facilities and program lists and pay attention to the people and to student life. She also recommends visiting top choices more than once, so you see an ordinary day and not just a polished preview event. She argues that students should be free to ask the "what if" questions parents often dread, such as what happens if they change majors or don't get along with a roommate. She is also candid about her own profession, calling out templated mailings and the assumption that students pass information along to their parents.
The conversation ends with what Molly would do differently. Families should agree early on how college will be paid for and how often parents will hear from their student. Parents should also figure out their own role in a process their student should lead. Her one word for families just starting out is "options." Keith and Molly close on prayer, and on why Molly wanted Jackson surrounded by mentors, friends, and a community where she knew God would be with him.
Key Takeaways
● Use the admissions team. Molly encourages families to reach out with questions, reminding them: "There are people in place, you're not bothering them. This is their job."
● Look past the facilities. Notice whether faculty and staff take an interest in your student personally, and watch how students connect with each other. For Jackson, a worship night and conversations with students mattered more than food options or housing.
● Visit your top choices twice. Preview days and scholarship weekends are a show. A second visit on an ordinary day shows what nights, weekends, the cafeteria, and chapel are really like. Molly took Jackson to each of his top three schools twice.
● Let students ask the "what if" questions. Changing majors, getting injured, and roommate trouble are real possibilities. Choose a school that has a clear way to handle change.
● Settle expectations before move-in. Talk early about finances, scholarships, jobs, and who pays for what. Also set a regular time to connect once your student is on campus.
● Start with options and prayer. Explore a wide range of schools, check your own assumptions, and keep the search in prayer from the start.
Connect
● Higher Ed, Higher Purpose Podcast: https://www.naccap.org
● NACCAP: https://www.naccap.org
● Find Your Christian College: https://www.findyourchristiancollege.com
● Keith Ramsdell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-ramsdell-06784945/
● Dr. Molly Smith, Biola University, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-smith-dsl/
#NACCAP #ChristianHigherEd #FaithIntegration #HigherEdHigherPurpose #ChristianCollege #BiolaUniversity #CollegeSearch #CollegeAdmissions #ParentingThroughCollege #EnrollmentManagement
