As we all know, international student enrollment has increased significantly during the past several years, especially among Chinese students. The total percentage increase is 29%, which is almost 237,700 students per year. (Open Doors Data) Therefore, recruiters of American universities need to read nearly 500,000 more applications during the application period. Also, due to unfamiliarity with local language, the great distances between American universities and Chinese applicants, and an unfamiliarity with the local education system, universities have faced increased challenges in maintaining the authenticity of application documents.
We need to see changes to improve the screening of prospective Chinese students. Of course we have some ideas as to how that could be done.
Creating Better Connection is the Key!
Image courtesy: Open Doors Data
We've often stressed the importance of building creative connections and considering alternative means of engaging international students. This is essential in the prospect stage but is also critically important once a student moves through the enrollment funnel and becomes an applicant.
1. Alumni Interview
In Chinese middle school and high school students take academic exams once a week, which allows Chinese students to improve their ability for exam taking. Therefore, a student's test score or grades is not enough for screening a Chinese applicant. For a better understanding of a student's English ability and academic potential, face-to-face conversations are necessary. Alumni interviews can be an effective means of conducting interviews.
Alumni can build up a good connection between an institution and applicants. The conversation with a university graduate provides candidates the opportunity to present themselves in person, while, at the same time, allows the institution to assess the student's language and communication skills. Furthermore, alumni can help identify students who fit with the school's culture. This is a great time to develop a team of alumni interviewers in China. [We have stressed the importance of building a strong alumni network in previous blog posts. Please refer to these articles for more information: International Alumni Relations-- The Four Pillars of Engagement and Beyond Our Borders-- International Student Recruiting-- Alumni Ambassadors.]
Image courtesy: www.isionline.org
2. Make Long-term Connections with Chinese High Schools
International high schools have become a big trend in today’s Chinese education system. Students in these schools are planning to go abroad for college-- they may even be considering attending high school abroad. They prepare for the SAT and AP exams, and the students' English skills are outstanding among the greater pool of candidates. However, due to the unique Internet restrictions in China, as well as geographic limitations, American colleges and Chinese students lack information about each other.
Therefore, as the reprsentative of an American institution it would be beneficial to cooperate with local Chinese high schools to better reach the students. College staff can do presentations or hold information sessions at the schools. Recruiters can gain direct feedback from candidates' schoolteachers, which eliminates exam or documentation fraud. Cooperating with local high school providers allows a two-way channel between institutions and candidates.
3. Third Party Digital Admission
- Test the social and language skills of applicants
- Maximize efficiency and better reporting
- Gain control of the growing Chinese applicant base
- Avoid application fraud
Three advanced third party digital management providers you could consider include:
To listen to our podcast with Chris Boehner, the Executive Director of Vericant, click here: The U.S. College Application Process is Not the International Norm.
For more information on fraud detection and credential evaluation services download these two Intead podcasts: Fraud Detection in International Education and How Credential Evaluators Can Ease International Student Recruitment.
To improve the selection of Chinese applicants, an improved connection and deeper engagement is becoming more significant.
Do you agree? Share your thoughts about how to improve the screening of Chinese applicants in the comments section below.
