Data is Your Friend The evolution of Admissions’ strategies The profession of Admissions has evolved significantly over the last 25 years. For many years, Admissions Directors were former teachers or parent volunteers who had a warm and welcoming demeanor and knew the school well. To be sure, these traits are an important characteristic for an Admissions professional, but it is no longer enough. Private schools are businesses and in the majority of schools tuition accounts for most of the operating revenue. Therefore, to do our jobs well, school leaders and Admissions professionals need to think like business people. The Admissions Director is one of the very few people who needs to be equally conversant in both the education and business aspects of the school. The acknowledgement that we are businesses, at least internally, is an important first step. The second step is to be aware of, and embrace, business practices, particularly in the ways we collect and use data. A popular phrase I like to use is, “In God we trust, all others bring data.” Without the effective use of data, we are guessing, and none of us have the resources for this hit or miss approach. Because the history of the Admissions professional prioritised verbal and relational skills and not analytical skills, I often meet Admissions Directors who admit they either don’t have an aptitude for data or don’t use it well. To those people I say, “dip your toe in the water.” I am not a believer in collecting data for the sake of having it. Who has time for that? So data does the following for me: 1. Helps me answer questions 2. Helps me understand what questions I should be asking 3. Allows me to make the case for needed resources 4. Helps me establish myself as the “expert”, especially in the eyes of my Head of School and Board 5. Helps me use available resources strategically I promise you that you do not need to be an expert in data analysis, nor do you always need to spend a great deal of time collecting data, for it to be useful. Let me share an illustration that worked for me, but has also been very effective for others, many of whom were not initially comfortable with data. This example falls under #3 above, “Make the case for needed resources.” In most markets, logistics plays a much larger role in school choice than we realise or acknowledge. Since one of our major roles in Admissions is to lower or remove barriers to enrolment, 4 4