I am re-publishing this article as it hits it right on the head.
The admissions representative must have said this three, possibly four, times during a recent college information session my daughter and I attended. And each time she said it she followed up with a unique fact that made Big City University seem even more appealing. Was the rep deliberately using reverse psychology? Or did she really want to help those in attendance possibly rule out her university?
The economy is down, the overall number of students graduating high school is in decline, and yet, when it comes to institutes of higher learning, it is still a seller’s market.
And selling is exactly what the schools are doing.
Need proof? Flip through a school’s glossy brochure, attend a college fair, tour a campus. The proof is everywhere. But it seems that parents and prospective students, perhaps out of desperation, don’t always recognize the sales tactics.
I am fairly savvy and it took me a day or two to realize that I willingly, and without question, drank Big City University’s marketing Kool-Aid. Gulped it down in fact. It was easy to do.
Our tour guides, a freshman and a senior, were fantastic. They clearly knew and loved their university. And I have no doubt the feelings and stories they shared were genuine. But they have been selected to represent the school for a reason—they give good tour! Surely not every student, or even the majority, is having the same experience. Or are they?
As is the case with much of the college admissions process, this aspect can be confusing. That it is why it is important to put the information that the colleges and universities dole out through the smell test.
How to do that, though?
Dave Berry, founder of college admissions information juggernaut College Confidential and a contributor to the website College View, offered the following:
“By far, the truth about a college's soul lies with its students. I'm a big advocate of the random survey approach. Just walk right up to a student and say, ‘Dude [or Dudette], can you give me the true scoop on this place? Gotta minute or two?’ You'd be surprised at the revelations that tact can elicit.”
And ...
“Wander off the official tour path alone and explore things like dumpsters and bathrooms. You can tell a lot about the true nature of a college by seeing the kinds of things that show up in the trash.”
Valencia Hamman has more than 20 years experience in the field of college admissions. She has worked on the college side (for Beloit, UC San Diego and Cornell) and, for the past four years, as a director of college counseling at La Jolla Country Day School. Additionally, Hamman is co-chairwoman of the San Diego National College Fair, which will be held in the San Diego Convention Center on March 24.
Hamman says that many kids think they know everything they need to about a school because they have watched videos about it online or have read student written reviews on sites such as College Confidential and College Prowler. Hamman thinks those venues are fine sources for supplemental information but believes the best way to learn about a school is to visit it in person.
“Nothing replaces physically putting yourself on that campus and interacting with what is there to get a sense that this is a place where you see yourself,” she said.
Hamman suggests visiting the campus bookstore and looking at textbooks that are assigned for classes the student is interesting in taking. She also recommends reading the campus newspaper, checking out bulletin boards and, if possible, sitting in on a class.
She notes that when all is said and done, no matter how much money schools put toward marketing, sometimes it all comes down to the applicant’s “gut.”
I’ll admit to liking that bit of advice the best. There is something about encouraging my daughter, and when it’s his turn, my son, to use their intuition to guide them. That feels empowering.
And when it comes to the college admissions process, I am all for a shift in power.
