The Interfolio Blog

The National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP) held their 2011 Annual Conference just up the road from Interfolio at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in D.C.  Several hundred attendees - Deans, Directors of Admission, and other graduate professionals - descended upon the District for several days of networking, learning and sharing their best practices. 

As a bronze-level sponsor and an exhibitor at the conference, Interfolio was there too, not only to talk about our services, but also to continue to learn about the graduate admissions world we serve. We sent Interfolio CEO Steve Goldenberg to the conference, along with Elwin Leslie and Jack Gaynor from the University sales team. We had an action-packed three days catching up with old faces, becoming acquainted with new ones and checking out a few sessions. 

A few trends emerged through our conversations with other attendees and the presentations we heard.  First, when we asked people about the pains their office experiences during the admissions process. One answer was mentioned more than any other: transcripts. Even the schools using more robust online application tools lack a good solution for collecting incoming transcripts, many of which come through on paper. Not only is there a need to process transcripts to evaluate applicants, but in many cases another round must be processed for the applicants who end up enrolling. Many institutions spend a decent amount of time and money on the staffing resources required to get transcripts to the right place, either physically or digitally. 

The processing of international transcripts and credentials present their own unique challenges. In addition to having to open, scan, or otherwise process them, admissions professionals also need to answer questions about content and validity. With international applicants submitting materials from so many different institutions of varying legitimacy, evaluating transcripts can be nearly a full-time job in itself. 

Another topic we heard mentioned frequently was the evaluation process and the issues that arise when it comes to rendering admission decisions. Many professionals mentioned that the current set of tools they use don't offer a complete solution for admissions staff and faculty members to evaluate the credentials of individual candidates. Even offices that currently use some sort of technology solution face the daunting task of acquiring faculty buy-in. Other professionals mentioned they don’t have a good handle on how faculty and departmental contacts are making decisions on who to accept and who to reject. The lack of a clear evaluation process is interesting given all of the different companies and products in this space. 

All in all, the NAGAP Conference was a great experience for Interfolio - we're already looking forward to next year's conference in Austin, TX.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth last week.

If any of our readers work in graduate admissions, let us know: are transcripts and evaluating candidates your biggest challenges too?  If not, what are they?  Any tips for how to ease these pains?