From the Applicant Home Page, applicants can easily review and manage application-related activities with the most relevant information being prioritized for display.
The Applicant Home Page is part of today's applicant experience in Terra Dotta and is referred to as the Applicant Home Page throughout this article. Any references to legacy features are noted as classic applicant functionality.
This article covers the following topics related to the Applicant Home Page:
- Navigating the Applicant Home Page
- Applications Tab
- Profile Tab
- Message Center Tab
- Application Updates & Notifications
- Administrative Tools
Important Note: The Applicant Experience must be enabled on your site in order for applicants to access the Applicant Home Page. It is highly recommended that admins review the following Knowledgebase (KB) articles for a comprehensive overview of the Applicant Experience:
- The Applicant Experience: This article outlines important considerations to keep in mind before enabling this feature.
- The Application Page
- Text Interface Fields for the Applicant Experience
Navigating the Applicant Home Page
The Applicant Home Page consists of three primary tabs:
- Applications
- Profile
- Message Center
These tabs appear at the top of the Applicant Home Page in a navigation bar to the right of the applicant's profile photo.
When an applicant logs into their site, they will land on the "Applications" tab by default.
Applications Tab
From the "Applications" tab, an applicant will view and manage all activities related to locating a program application and taking action to complete that application.
Application Update Alerts
If an update occurs to an application after an applicant has last viewed that application, then an alert will appear at the top of the Applicant Home Page. This means that the alerts are based on when an applicant has last viewed their application and not when the application was last updated. The alert will remain on the Applicant Home Page until the applicant views the application, after which time the alert will be removed from the home page.
In the example image below, the applicant has three alerts for actions that have occurred related to her applications. The alerts will continue to appear at the top of the Applicant Home Page until the applicant views the respective applications.
Applicant Home Page Instructions
Admins have the ability to customize instructions to display on the Applicant Home Page under the main Settings > System Features > Interface Settings menu. If instructions have been configured to appear, they will display immediately below the navigation bar on the "Applications" tab.
See the Administrative Tools section of this article for more configuration details.
No Applications to Display
If the applicant does not have any active applications, then Program Discovery will appear on the "Applications" tab until an application has been created. This allows an applicant to search for a program directly from the Applicant Home Page.
Active Applications
When an applicant has at least one active application for a program, that application will display on the "Applications" tab. This list of active applications is sorted by term/year.
Each program application displays the following information as applicable:
- Program name and relevant dates and program location(s).
- The program's hero image.
- A progress wheel to indicate the number of application requirements that need to be completed.
- A "withdraw application" button.
Past Applications
An application will be moved to the "Show past applications" section when one of the following conditions is met:
- The application status is "withdrawn". OR
- The application status is not "advising" AND either the itinerary end date is in a year in a past year - or if there is no itinerary end date, the app cycle year is in a past year.
Important Note:
- Any past or withdrawn applications will be hidden by default and can be accessed by clicking the "Show past applications" link.
- Applicants are unable to reinstate an application after they have withdrawn the application, even if the application deadline has not yet been reached. Applicants should contact their program administrator for assistance.
Saved Programs
If an applicant clicks on the "Save this Program" icon from the program listing, this program will appear under a "Saved Programs" section at the bottom of the Applicant Home Page. However, the applicant must have at least one active application in order for the "Saved Programs" section to appear.
Offices are encouraged to consider using the Advising Program, which allows applicants to maintain a list of programs of interest.
Update Ranking
When there are at least two program applications in the same app cycle, the "Update Ranking" button will appear on the Application Home Page. This feature allows an applicant the ability to order the placement of the applications so that their first choice appears as number one, their second choice appears as number two, and so on.
When an applicant clicks on this button, the modal that appears will only populate with those applications that are of the following program types: Outgoing, Outgoing with Side Trips, and Program Enrollment.
It is not possible to rank other program types. This means that if an app cycle contained two Outgoing program applications and one Scholarship application, the applicant would not be able to rank the Scholarship application as it would not appear in the "Update Ranking" modal. If the app cycle contained two Scholarship applications, then the "Update Ranking" button would appear, yet nothing would populate in the modal as you can't rank applications for Scholarship programs.
Admins can view application ranking data by selecting the dynamic column option of "Rank" in Application Finder.
Profile Tab
An applicant's profile information is organized within the "Profile" tab of the Applicant Home Page. From this tab, an applicant can quickly view and edit (as applicable) their personal information from one page, including contact details, applicant parameters, addresses, and profile image.
Important Note: The applicant parameter glossary is not supported in this feature.
The page is organized into four areas of information.
Appearing first is contact and biographical information. This includes the applicant's profile photo.
Second, applicant parameters are displayed. An applicant can edit parameters that are not mapped through your Student Information System (SIS) integration. The first twelve applicant parameters will display. The applicant is directed to click "Show All" to view any additional applicant parameters that might exist.
Third, a "Language Skills" section allows an applicant to provide information on a specific language proficiency level based on one of the following language frameworks: Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR). To use this section, an applicant should take the following actions:
- Use the "Language" drop-down menu to select the desired language.
- Use the "Language Level" drop-down menu to select the applicable proficiency level.
- Click the "+" icon to generate a line of language skills content.
- Click "Update" to preserve the changes.
Important Note: This section of the "Profile" tab will appear to all applicants if enabled by an admin under Staff > Department Management > Settings. The contents of each drop-down menu is currently hard-coded and cannot be amended.
Finally, the applicant can access an "Addresses" section from which they can view and edit any applicable addresses based on your address type settings.
Message Center Tab
The "Message Center" tab serves as a communication hub from which an applicant can access and continue to reference the following:
- Emails received. These are messages sent to an applicant through Terra Dotta.
- Information requests.
- Appointments.
From the "Actions" column, an applicant can click on the "eye" icon to view messages and information requests. They’ll also be able to view or cancel an upcoming appointment and add it to their calendar.
Application Updates & Notifications
After an admin makes a change to an application, this action will prompt the appearance of a notification to appear on the Applicant Home Page. Notifications appear to alert an applicant that a decision has been reached on an application, that a recommendation has been submitted, or that the start date/end date of a program has arrived for a program to which the applicant has an accepted application.
By clicking on the hyperlinked notification, the applicant is directed to the corresponding notification information, such as a decision letter. This is yet another way that the Applicant Home Page ensures that applicants have important information available to them at a glance.
See the Post-Submission Experience section of the Application Page article for detailed information on how an applicant navigates updates to an application's status.
Administrative Tools
When the Applicant Experience is enabled, admins can use tools from a site's "Settings" menu to customize instructions and messages on the Applicant Home Page.
Note: An overview of how to enable the Applicant Experience can be found in the Applicant Experience KB article.
To get started, navigate to Settings > System Features > Interface Settings.
Applicant Home Page Instructions
With the Applicant Home Page Instructions tool, admins can create instructions that display at the top the Applicant Home Page and appear to all applicants. Share details with applicants on how you'd like them to navigate the home page or provide them with important, timely messaging.
A WYSIWYG editor provides a large text field and customization options which include HTML via source code.
Once the instructions have been configured, simply click "Update" to preserve your changes and deploy the instructions to appear on all applicants' Applicant Home Page.
Applicant Home Page Loading Messages
Admins can add another custom touch to their site by customizing the loading messages that appear during the several seconds that it takes to pre-load the Applicant Home Page. These messages can be used to provide useful reminders, helpful hints, or a humorous message.
To add a message, click the "+" icon located to the right of the "add new loading message" bar. Enter your desired text and click "Update" to preserve your changes.
To delete a message, click the "x" icon located to the right of the applicable message bar. Click "Update" to preserve your changes.
If more than one message has been saved, then one will be chosen at random each time an applicant navigates to the Applicant Home Page.
If you choose not to set any custom loading messages, a default "Loading" message will be displayed.