EM:Chronicles
EM Chronicles are stories inspired by real conversations I've had with admission and marketing professionals over the past three decades. The situations are real. The names and schools are fictional. Sometimes the solutions came from the people who lived it. Sometimes they came from me. Either way, these stories exist because someone was brave enough to say, 'I'm dealing with this and I don't know what to do.' If you or “your friend” has been in a situation like the one in this episode — or you're in one right now — you're not alone. Drop a 'That's interesting!' in the comments. No further explanation is needed.
Episodes
6 episodes
Episode 6: The Silent No:Hearing the Objections Families Never Say Out Loud
The Silent No — The most dangerous objection is the one you never hear. When a dean of enrollment realizes most families who walk away never tell her why, she and her team stop guessing and start listening — surfacing parents' real conce...
Episode 5: The Linchpin — Why the Dean of Enrollment Decides Your School's Future.
The friendly admissions office that throws a nice open house is a relic. Today the person running enrollment is a strategic thinker, a revenue generator, and the school's loudest advocate for its mission — or should be. In this episode, a Head ...
Episode 4: The Summer Strategy: From Crickets to Connection
The Summer Strategy: From Crickets to Connection explores how independent schools can transform the quiet summer months into a powerful enrollment and engagement opportunity. Through a fictional dialogue, based on a true story, between c...
Episode 2: Making Your College Placement List Shine
Most schools slap a college list on their website and hope for the best. But when families scan it and don't see enough big names, they walk. A Dean of Enrollment and a college counselor realize they've been letting other schools define the gam...
Episode 3: The Power of Testimonials
Your school's website probably has testimonials. But do they make prospective parents feel something — or just fill space? When a Dean of Enrollment compares his school's generic quotes to a competitor's gut-punch storytelling, he and a coll...
Episode 1: Faculty as Frontline Recruiters
Your most powerful enrollment tool might already be on your payroll. When a Director of Enrollment realizes that prospective families keep choosing competitors — not because of programs, but because they never had a real conversation with a tea...