I was thinking today about how often the recruiting job is like detective work. I find this applies especially to any dealings we have with prospective students these days. How many conversations have we had with students where we've had to ask the right questions to draw out a response and get them to think seriously whether they are interested in our schools.
There's a ton of reasons for this I know but I find a lot of students are reluctant to commit until the last possible moment these days. How many applications do we all see come in June, July and even August? Students have been fed so much information from their guidance counselors and their peers in their grade 12 year that it almost seems like some freeze up when they are asked to make a decision as to where they want to continue their education.
We need to realize that when we don't get a clear commitment from prospective students we sometimes need to put on our detective hat and start asking them questions to steer them in the right direction and get them to come to a decision. Here's a few ideas that I throw out to students who are caught in the decision loop.
1. What are they good at? What classes did they enjoy in high school?
2. What are they passionate about? This especially applies for students who are interested in studying something outside of normal academics they'd cover in High School.
3. What are their goals? Where would they like to see themselves in 5 years? 10 years?
4. Set a date to make a decision. Get the student to set a date where they have to make a decision. Sometimes committing to that can make the difference.
5. Get them to write things down. Sometimes when they are on paper they can become real.
6. Make sure they're talking. If they haven't talked about things enough with their parents, pastor, teacher, etc. Make sure they do. Getting the opinions of trusted ones can be encouraging and helps a student realize they're not alone.
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2 comments:
Great info Tim... your opening thoughts remind me of a strategy I heard about from a U.S. institution recently: They send applications to strong prospects with the fields pre-populated with the student's contact information, major, and any other information they may have on their database to make it less time-consuming to complete and return. High tech? mmm, doable I think.
That's smart when you think about it. I've sent applications to students to "spur them on" but never with information filled out. It's a gutsy move but it might work in the right situation.
Kind of forces the students hand doesn't it?
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