There are more than 600 college fairs each year that the 16 counselors of the Office of Admission want to attend. Amazingly, they do get to more than 400. But that means about a third have no TCU presence, right?

Wrong.

TCU alumni to the rescue: Last year TCU tables at 60 of the fairs were staffed by exceptionally enthusiastic members of the Alumni Student Recruitment Council (ASRC), a group organized by Admission to help its already stretched staff identify potential Horned Frogs.

Still, about 140 fairs were sans Horned Frogs, says Wes Waggoner, associate dean of admission, and that’s a situation he’d like to change. “We’d love to have someone at every fair, so we hope more alumni and parents will volunteer.”

The ASRC volunteers attend college fairs, hand out materials and answer myriad questions that future students and their parents want to know about TCU.

”Much of the success we’ve had in enrollment recently has been word of mouth,” say Waggoner,  “So the alumni council is the perfect word of mouth. It’s a great way to get alumni experiences in front of students. And it’s fun. It feels authentic, genuine and sincere.”
Laura Vaillard ’05
International communications for Techint Engineering and Construction
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Volunteer for four years

What do visitors want to know about TCU?

The students in Argentina are primarily interested in the experience abroad; they want to hear about my experience, what it is like to live in Texas and in the U.S., how the academic programs in Argentina differ from the ones in the United States. Considering the economic situation in Argentina, most students and parents also ask about scholarship opportunities since it is very hard to study in the United States without financial assistance.

Have you noticed any trends?

In 2006, people practically didn’t even stop by the TCU table because they were not familiar with the university. Today, people seem more eager to learn about TCU and what it has to offer. I think the reputation of the Neeley School of Business and the campus renovations have helped to make people more interested in the university.

Have you encountered anything unexpected?

One time a Baylor alumnus and I were both representing our universities. When he learned I was from TCU, he arranged his stand next to mine. Whenever someone would stop by to learn about universities in Texas, each of us would try to convince parents and students that OUR university was better. It was funny. It was like cheering for our universities in a football game, only in academic terms.

What is the strangest question you’ve gotten?

Sometimes you are surprised at how honest people can be. However, I think the strangest was: “I want to get married, but my girlfriend lives in Houston. Do you think a long distance relationship from Fort Worth would work?”

Angie Tabat ’96 and Maj. Steve Tabat ’96
Homemaker and U.S. Army infantry officer
San Diego, Calif.
Volunteers for four years

What has changed in the past four years?

There are a lot more who look for the TCU table than before. LT [Ladainian Tomlinson] totally sold us here. I told Betsey Hayes, the admission counselor for California, that we need a life-size cutout of him.

What do parents want to know?

They ask a lot of questions about finances, but the questions have changed. Now they are figuring out the value of things. When they hear about our flat rate, they  say, “Oh, wow, that’s a good deal.” They realize that they can get more, and that it can be very valuable, financially.

What do students want to know?

They realize their whole life will be impacted by TCU, not just their education, so they want to know what life will be like in this place far from home. They wonder if they are going to be engaged and participating in a community of friends and mentors, so they ask about the faculty/staff ratio and if they will get to know their professors. I get a lot of questions about where they might get a job, and if they will be able to walk to it. One asked if there are stables where they can go riding. Some ask how far it is to the beach, which is sort of difficult to answer for TCU.

Are people concerned about religious practices at TCU?

There are a lot of questions about the Christian aspect. There is a flyer we have that addresses the church connection, when it officially separated and why we retain the name. My suite mate my senior year was Muslim, so I’m a good one to answer that. I learned all sorts of stuff my senior year because of who my suite mate was.

Are these answers well-received?

Mostly their attitude seems to be, “That’s exactly what I want.” They are looking for that underlying basis of tradition, feeling that respect for morals and values.  Parents in particular find that reassuring, they are glad to know that though it’s not a church school, it’s still set in morals, contributing to societal attitudes.

Walt Smith
Retired U.S. Navy officer and TCU parent
Waipahu, Hawaii
Volunteer for two years

Are students in Hawaii familiar with TCU?

Most of the people are in two categories, they either know about TCU and have an understanding that’s it’s a good university, or they don’t know it exists. Some do come looking for us. They say they heard we had a great year in football. We’re definitely one of the most well-visited tables.

Have you noticed any trends?

Only that we keep getting more popular. There was a couple of people who stopped me as I was leaving and said they had tried to get to the table, but there were too many people there already. So more people have heard about TCU. If more TCU people would like to come out and share the good news with me, that would be great! I’ve also noticed that kids who come with their parents seem to be better versed in the search process, and I’m glad to see that. And the other trend is that kids in middle school, 7th and 8th graders, are coming out more and more, getting indoctrinated about the college process. They are usually accompanied by teachers, and some schools release kids for a portion of a day to attend the fairs.

Why do you do this? You’re not even an alumnus.

My daughter, Cara, is a rising senior at TCU, and my son, who is 15, is very interested in coming to TCU. It’s a very good university. Cara was accepted by three Ivies, but after she visited TCU she told me, “Dad, this is the place.”  It’s been so positive to see the growth in her and other kids. When there’s something I believe in and I think it’s right, I want to be an instrument in helping.

Delight Roach Justice ’91, MS ’94
Vice president of Ann Gibson Insurance Agency and director of the Center for Western Cross Timbers Studies
Burleson
Volunteer for four years

What kind of questions do you get?

First and foremost, people want to know about academics. But while they initially want to know about academics, the questions quickly turn to things students will be doing outside of class. I get questions about things like lacrosse, the equestrian team, soccer, volleyball, the Showgirls. Some students want to know how they can be SuperFrog because they know it is an honor. Basically they want to know, “Am I going to enjoy my life there?”

Do people have realistic expectations about TCU?

They do have some preconceived ideas that aren’t really accurate, such as TCU being an elite private school or that it’s too expensive. But I always encourage them to not think that way. They don’t know what the variables are.

Have you seen an increase in interest about TCU?

Yes, especially last year. The football component is a unifying element, both to the campus community and to surrounding communities. It definitely opens the door to other types of attention.

Have questions changed over the years?

One of the trends I’ve seen is that many students now have multiple academic interests, and they want to know about interdisciplinary study and if they can have more than one major.  There are also a lot more questions about study abroad. I think that’s why I see the trend of worrying about multiple disciplines — they think that going down one track isn’t smart anymore, that they need to broaden their experiences.

To volunteer:
www.admissions.tcu.edu/asrc or email Carla Mass at c.mass@tcu.edu or call 817.257.7490.

On the Web:
Admission’s website – www.admissions.tcu.edu
Gallery of photos of the Mary Wright Admission Center
TCU is hot and getting hotter – a Q&A with dean Ray Brown
New Mary Wright Admission Center gives TCU a new front door
Volunteers help TCU recruit students around the globe