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In my 25-plus
years as a consultant in higher education, and in the course of
innumerable recruitment studies conducted for colleges and universities
of every size, affiliation, and mission over the years, one finding has
remained constant: the campus visit is the single most influential
source of information for students in college choice. While web sites
now surpass publications as a source of influence over the college
decisions of prospective students, the campus visit stands in a category
all its own. Given the singular importance of the campus visit in
college choice, I am astounded by the attention and resources lavished
on printed materials and web sites while much of the campus visit is
left to chance and the whims of inadequately trained or humdrum tour
guides.
My disappointment with the general
conduct of campus visits and tours comes from first hand experience,
both as a parent of two sons who have now finished college and as a
consultant posing with my colleagues as parents on campus tours led
by student guides. Some examples: During one tour, the student guide
never bothered to take me to the school's beautiful new high-tech
education facility, even though I had explained before the tour began
that my fictional high-ability daughter had a strong interest in elementary
education. At another institution, an associate admissions director,
referring to the college's core curriculum in a pre-tour meeting with
me and other real parents and prospects, noted that "once
students got all that junk out of the way," they could focus on courses
in their major. So much for the liberal arts! Such examples are legion.
Clearly, with all that is at stake
in college admissions, institutions would be well advised to carefully
evaluate and refine various aspects of campus visit and tour programs,
particularly in light of the findings reported in this issue of
StudentPoll.
What we learned is that nearly all students — of every academic ability
and income level — are visiting college campuses (and most reported
visiting their first and second-choice schools). The findings reveal
that the hospitable nature of the community and the friendliness of the
people students encountered during these visits had a significant positive
impact on their interest in a school. Moreover, seeing facilities of
interest to them, talking to professors, and attending classes made
students more interested in the institution that ultimately became their
first-choice school.
While it's apparent that colleges can't do much about their size
(too large or small) or location (in a rural area, in or near a city),
they can take steps to ensure that the campus visit and tour consistently
provide the information, insights, and experiences that engage visiting
students and parents and compellingly communicate the true distinctions
and character of each institution.
Richard A. Hesel
Publisher, StudentPoll
Principal, Art & Science Group, LLC
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