What can a ROO see?

As an applicant, sometimes this process must seem hard to understand.  Some applicants receive a ton of coaching and feedback and others seem to be in the dark, always wondering where they stand and what the next step is.  So to shine a light on the subject…All ROOs aren’t the same. Some are more tech savy and some less. Some are capable of doing querys and extracting lists from our system, and some aren’t. Some are willing to help and some are at schools where they can sit back and let the prospects come to them (I’m looking at you SMCs).

The one thing we do all have in common is our main tool. The system we use is called the Cadet Command Information Management Module

Here is what we can see and what we might do with it:

We have access to a screen called the high school applicant contact list. It gives us a name, mailing address, phone number, and status. There are 5 statuses an applicant can be in Disqualified, Ineligible, Interviewee, Offer, and Alt Offer. What a ROO could do with this list is extract all the applicants into a spreadsheet and do a mail merge. Unless they wanted to spam the whole list they could filter out the disqualified or maybe the ones who already have offers. I’m hoping there aren’t any ROOs who would try to poach someone who already has an offer.  If the school is a regional draw they might want to use the contact information for a certain state or group of states.  I personally take this list and filter it for New York.  I’ll then look at that list and see if I see local applicants, or applicants from the Fort Drum region.  Then I might look up their information and offer my help.

We also have a screen called the high school applicant list. This screen shows us everyone who has applied, has one of our schools, and is in at least interviewee status. To be in interviewee status you have to at least submit transcripts and SAT/ACT test grades. This is the list I rely on. Each name is linked to their application, so if I need to see more I just click on their name. I use this information to determine where Clarkson ranks, how competitive they will be, and the screen allows me to give some feedback on things like the essay or an applicants list of extra curricular activities.  I’ll also print this off for my PMS when he does an interview with an applicant.

I can also get my Brigade to run a query of all applicants with one of my schools on their list, but I had to know to ask for it. About a month ago I asked Cadet Command for access to the applicant records in the data base, so I could run my own querys.  They told me I couldn’t have access to to those records, but my Brigade could provide the list. This list allows me see the applicants still in ineligible or qualified status. This allows me to reach out to them and let them know what they are still missing or what they need to do to be competitive. This list and the applicant list can be what sets a helpful ROO apart from the ROO that just sits back and hopes for the best. It also sets the helpful ROO apart from the ROO who just spams 1200 applicants.

I wanted to share this information, so you all know that if ROOs are creative they can see alot. Just because you got an email from ECU or Wentworth or any other school doesn’t mean your chances just went up or down. You are still on the list, you still may be competitive, and still need to have a backup plan.