Marketing to universities isn’t just a marketing expert’s job anymore. A recent trend shows that students applying to selective universities are engaging in techniques more suited for billboards rather than academics. Students are turning to private coaches, specializing in “packaging” a particular student to create their own personal “brand.” The notion of a student trying to make themselves stand out from the rest of the applicant pool is being taken to the next level. So who is to blame?

The blame cannot be placed on a single party. Universities themselves spend much of their dollars to market themselves to students. Students are now responding in kind (some counseling services carry a price tag of $4,000). Admissions counselors have been drilling into students the idea of distinguishing themselves for years, especially if they want to get into highly selective institutions. And the myth that the only worthy options for students are a small group of selective schools has yet to be dispelled. Regardless of blame, the concern should be for the students. Many are engaging in activities that they may not be interested in or passionate about simply because it “looks good.” Job hunters are familiar with “punching up” their resumes. A 17-year-old in high school shouldn’t have to do the same.

Jonathan Lekstutis
November 28, 2007

Undergraduate students who are part of minority groups are more and more attending universities that are classified as “minority serving,” according to a U.S Education Department report released on Tuesday.

Jonathan Lekstutis
November 27, 2007

The University of California’s long standing guarantee of acceptance for students achieving minimum grades and standardized test scores is in jeopardy. A plan to eliminate the admission procedure is being debated Tuesday by UC San Diego’s faculty senate. The proposal would replace the guarantee with a pledge to look over each qualifying student’s entire application.

Jonathan Lekstutis
November 26, 2007

Facebook, the popular social networking site, is stepping in the college game and trying to help students pick the college that is best for them. To accomplish this task, Facebook has designed an application called SkoolPool.

Jonathan Lekstutis
November 21, 2007

Several elite academic institutions are considering expanding their enrollment. Admission deans at schools like Yale, Stanford, Princeton and Harvard are voicing regret over rejecting so many talented students. This movement is growing among the nations elite colleges and may lead to changes in the way these universities select their student body.

Jonathan Lekstutis
November 14, 2007

The 2006 State of the Industry Report by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) shows that U.S employers spend approximately $109 Billion annually on employee learning and development. Out of those dollars the report states that $29.5 billion is spent on outside sources such as consultants and university contract education programs.

With so much money being spent by companies to improve their workforce educational institutions are revamping their programs to try to attract corporate dollars. Schools are altering their programs and changing traditional college courses to meet the needs of these corporations. Leaving past practices behind, universities are partnering with companies. As a result they are trying to deliver solid tangible results that corporations can observe.

Submitted by Patrick Sutton on Thu, 2007-11-08 15:50. » read more | login or register to post comments