news
Admissions
09 January 2025

How to Make the Most of your Meeting with an Admission Counsellor

Michal Sela, Head of the Admission Office and Deputy Head of Student Services at the Geneva Graduate Institute, shares her tips on making the most of a meeting with an admission counselor. 

Michal-Sela
Michal SELA
Deputy Head Student Services

You are booking an individual meeting, video or phone call with an admission counsellor: congratulations! You are taking a crucial step on the journey toward considering your education options, choosing where to apply, completing the application process, and deciding which admission offer to accept.

For our admission counsellors, these meetings are just as important: they are wonderful opportunities to get to know our prospective students, gain a deeper understanding of your concerns and information needs, help you locate resources, and provide reassurance in this often stressful process.

Here are some tips for getting maximum benefit from our limited meeting time:

  • Arrive prepared. 
    We work hard to keep our web pages updated; use them to gather basic information. Avoid asking us for information that is easily found on our web pages. Instead, use this time to clarify points that you found confusing, for which you could not find an answer, or that are unique to your personal circumstances.
    Here are the most useful web pages to read before the call: 
  • Write down your questions in advance, and keep them visible during the meeting. 
    First, this will clarify exactly what you need to get out of the discussion.
    Secondly, you won’t forget any important questions, even if you suddenly become nervous or distracted.
     
  • During our discussion, take notes: write down our answers. We don’t mind waiting! On the contrary, we’re happy that you are paying close attention, and that you will not forget what we just said. We do the same thing!
     
  • Double check which school you are contacting. Some students are doing extensive research and are calling a whole list of universities – and yes, sometimes they get us mixed up with other schools. We are all human… but save yourself (and us) this extra discomfort and time.
     
  • Check the identity of the person you’ll be speaking with, and their role. Match your questions to your contact’s expertise. Typically, professors will not answer questions about application account passwords, financial aid specialists will not know much about English proficiency scores, and admission counsellors may not know which faculty member is attending a conference in your town.
     
  • Before the end of the call, ensure that all your questions were answered and that you know what is your next step. If you were not able to cover everything, make sure to ask where and how to obtain additional details.
     
  • If you need to cancel the meeting or reschedule it, no problem! Just let us know by email, or by using our online calendars. Please don’t just skip the meeting: you’ll be blocking available time that other students might wish to use. If you realise that you missed the meeting, just write to us with a brief apology and a request to reschedule.

Remember, an information call is not an admission interview! We will not be assessing you. Our only goal is to answer your questions and support you with your application process.