Adapting to Change

How JBCN International School’s Virtual Admissions Process Has Reshaped the Enrolment Experience

It was March 2020, and our regular one-on-one information sessions with prospective families were underway. Our team was confident that we would achieve our admissions target in the current cycle. By the end of the month came the announcement that no one could have anticipated – national lockdown, schools closed and learning disrupted for the foreseeable future.

The impact of the lockdown was going to be significant. Due to travel restrictions, many families who had planned to relocate to India postponed their decision indefinitely. With uncertainty regarding the resumption of in-person schooling, several families requested more time to make a final decision. Financial instability due to job loss or pay cuts was an additional challenge. We were asked why fees were not being reduced since the facilities were lying vacant. A number of families deferred admissions to the school since there was so much uncertainty about the form and manner of schooling. Besides, the greatest priority at the time was getting the school functioning in some form or other.

Everyone was focused on getting a virtual school on track, and admissions for the next cycle were far from everyone’s minds. The implications and challenges of this momentous decision were far-reaching. And, as we would see among the longest school lockdowns in the world in India, no one could have anticipated just how much we would all have to pivot.

Overall, COVID-19 and the lockdowns presented a range of challenges. The biggest challenge the admissions team faced was to devise a concise and informative process that would not have a detrimental impact on families’ admissions experiences. Fortunately, the decision we made at the time of COVID to move counseling sessions from “in-person” to “virtual” proved to be a blessing and has continued to yield excellent results, not just for us but also for our entire network of schools.

Despite these challenges, we recognized the importance of providing a seamless admissions experience for prospective students and their families. Traditionally, we believed that an in-person visit to the school was necessary to instill confidence in parents. However, with no in-person visits possible, we decided to move the entire admissions process to a virtual platform.

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