July 19, 2017, by Jessica Watson

Hello from Alexandra in Postgraduate Social Sciences

In this post, Alexandra James, Decision Maker in the Postgraduate Social Sciences team, writes about her role and the impact Campus Solutions will have on her.

How I Work Now

On a typical day, I do a daily download online which creates an Excel spreadsheet of pending applications. I can create a specific query to find the applications I’m looking for, whether they are pending or completed.

I can then download an application. This will appear as a PDF file, sometimes with documents attached. Applicants can also send their additional documents through to us – these appear on our shared drive system.

I complete a decision sheet. The sheets were created to guide us through every stage of the application. I save all of the documents for each applicant together in a folder.

For the next stage of the application, I will input information into the Postgraduate Applications System. This can be either a decision or an action that was taken. Examples include asking an applicant for more information or passing an application to the academic school as a recommendation. Currently we work on many different platforms: PDF files, Excel spreadsheets and an online system.

Changes Ahead

I’ve had experience using the new system when I worked as a Decision Maker in the Undergraduate Social Sciences team. Therefore, I’ve experienced the many benefits of the system and how it makes our work easier.

Based on my knowledge of the Undergraduate system, I can say that the new system will vary the way Decision Makers work, but the initial components of what we do will still remain.

On the new system, on a typical day, I will be able to do a daily download of pending applications. This will create an Excel spreadsheet of pending applications. I can create a specific query for the applications I am looking for whether they are pending or completed.

I will then be able to look at an application online and see any attached files the applicant has sent (which would have been attached to the application by our Applicant Support Team).

However, instead of completing an Excel decision sheet, I’ll be able to input my decision directly onto the system. This will be very beneficial because it will take less time than filling out a decision sheet.

On the new system, there are procedures, such as coding notes and sending notifications, when I would wish to send a recommendation or query to an Admissions Tutor. This allows us to complete different functions within one system whereas we currently work on multiple platforms. Also, this keeps all of our records and notes within the one platform.

Getting Started

Overall, because of my experience, I’m feeling positive about the changes ahead and I’m looking forward to starting the training.

I have attended one training session so far which involved creating an application and applicant profile to use in future training sessions. This allowed me to see what the application system would be like to prospective applicants. It looked clear and easy to follow.

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