Recruiting Intelligence

To better recruit Japanese students it helps to have a deeper understanding of the higher education landscape in Japan. In this post we will introduce some factors that affect Japanese students’ interest and ability to study abroad.

“It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” as Yogi Berra is famously quoted as saying.

In general, it seems much more fun to make long-term predictions, since nobody will check back whether we are right or wrong. And yet, with this blog coinciding with Election Day, there are plenty of pundits making all kinds of near term predicitions as we write this blog. At least half of them are going to be wrong. Will any of us go back and take them to task?

So why all this talk about predictions? The British Council published their 2024 forecast for postgraduate mobility trends. ICEF was kind enough to post the full report. 

• Continued strong growth in post-graduate mobility 
• The U.S. is projected to grow 4% per year and host 407,000 graduate students (Good news since the graduate school deans were worried about their enrollment figures.)
• India will be a driving force and Chinese graduate students are expected to increase despite a decline of 30 million students in China
• Useful summary of demographic trends for higher education 
• The status quo is projected forward without any impact from technological, policy or attitudinal changes

The authors state clearly that they rely on trends, "for which there is data available, and do not take into account other variables that may affect international student mobility in the future."

We'll be honest with you, we are really struggling with this last line. Making predictions about the future without considering other variables for which you have no data? Hmmmm.

If you are actively recruiting in China and/or have many Chinese international students on your campus, it might be time for your institution to get on the WeChat bandwagon. This is Part II of a two part series about using WeChat for international student recruitment and marketing. Click here to review Part I, WeChat 101: Maximize Your SNS in China and Beyond.

In our ongoing effort to share the latest in social media marketing we begin this two part series on WeChat. We are eager to share this exciting Chinese social media platform that is quickly becoming popular throughout the world. And yes, you can create posts in Chinese and English.

This past summer, the Chinese student organizations of the Big Ten universities  hosted meet-ups in Beijing and Shanghai. During the events, 600 interested Chinese students and parents went to the Shanghai Kempinski Hotel and the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. Learn more about these events and how you can use Meet Ups for your university.

Energizing, educating and motivating your recruiting network around the world is an important function for admissions offices. But what are the best ways to encourage your recruiting network? How can you motivate your network to be productive?

Attention loyal readers-- we have some exciting news to share. Big changes are coming to our blog. Update: Same caliber of information, delivered weekly. 

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

Itinerary. Check. Tickets. Check. Hotel confirmations. Check. Passport. Check. Seems like you're all ready for your fall international student recruitment travel. But are you? What is your strategy for building and maintaining connections with the prospective students and parents you meet on the road? What's the point of traveling, the financial and time commitment, if you aren't going to effectively leverage your contacts?

Graeme Menzies, Director of Marketing Communications & Social Media at The University of British Columbia, joins Michael Waxman-Lenz, Intead CEO and co-founder, to share his vast knowledge of marketing and social media in the higher education realm. Higher education professionals seeking to improve their marketing, communications and social media strategies will gain a great deal of insight through Mr. Menzies discussion.