University admissions officers are dedicated folks, committed to recruiting, admitting and enrolling the most qualified, diverse and interesting student body, while balancing the institution's financial needs. They work hard, travelling and interacting with hundreds of prospective students domestically and internationally.
In China we have noticed two signficant, and very different, recruiting blindspots: social media and parents. Let's start with the latter. Parents are a key factor in all countries for their children's educational choices -- in particular for the undergraduate population. In China parents have culturally and financially an even greater voice in the education choice.
Nevertheless, our academic institutions neglect in their printed, digital and interpersonal activities the role of parents. Providing relevant, culturally appropriate and translated informational materials is critical. Secondly, the direct contact with parents can be daunting and time consuming, but ways must be found to build credibility. We understand why paid college couselors play such a dominant role in the Chinese process of finding an appropriate international college. We don't make it easy for Chinese parents.
Furthermore social media in China is enormous, influencing both interpersonal and business activity. It's a source of information for everybody. Our universities are largely oblivious to the information shared about them in the rich, deep social media eco-system of China.
Both blindspots contribute to wasted resources and time and lower yield for most of our university recruiting efforts. As all other student enrollment tasks, it requires work, dedication, skill and resources. There isn't a silver bullet for student enrollment at home or abroad. Be on the lookout for our future research to help you and your team with this issue.
