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Editor's Notes

• #2: Thank you for joining us for “Great Expectations: Managing International Students’ Decisionmaking and Preparation.” I am CDB, head of USjournal.com and FundsV. USjournal has been online since 1996, recruiting international students in 16 different languages to a select group of U.S. campuses. FundsV is our funds verification initiative, empowering students and their sponsors to point their online banking data to the authority who requested it.
• #3: We’ll work a bit with red cards / yellow cards / green cards today. Green for true, yes, I believe in the statement; red for false / I disagree, and of course yellow for somewhere in between. First question, as it’s all about the outcome these days, right? True or false? It’s been statistically proven that everyone can benefit from a college education.
• #4: Trick question. At first glance, that assumption is true. http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/2013/college-return-on-investment-sawhill
• #5: In the big picture, that statement is actually false. The key phrase here is “on average.” http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/2013/college-return-on-investment-sawhill
• #6: We get that not every bachelor’s degree is a smart investment. We can all anticipate which majors will earn more than others. But how extreme is that earnings differential? http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/2013/college-return-on-investment-sawhill
• #7: True or false? The average lifetime earnings of an education or arts major working in the service sector are actually lower than the average lifetime earnings of a high school graduate.
• #8: This really hurts. But it’s true. Again, these statistics come from the Brookings Institute, a very well-respected source. http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/2013/college-return-on-investment-sawhill
• #9: Not surprisingly, more students start out in STEM,probably at the prodding of concerned parents.I can relate; the other day, my sixth-grade son started talking about existentialism. I’m embarrassed to say that I was absolutely mortified! I thought to myself, “No, no, no, young man; you will not pursue philosophy. You are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math. Got it?” I did not verbalize those concerns, though I am definitely keeping an eye on my son’s interests. Is that “encouragement” into STEM fields ultimately in the best interests of our students? Is that really wise? What’s the rate of persistence? True or False? Forty percent of students who begin as STEM majors leave that major within five years.
• #10: True. According to the research, actual interest in pursuing a science major among US domestic students has actually picked up in the last 10 years.The problem is the rates of persisting in STEM have not improved. Forty percent of students are still leaving the major within four, five years. Which means that tuition expenses can easily double if those students start another degree from scratch, or near scratch. It’s noteworthy that persistence rates among international STEM students are likely to be much higher, perhaps because of the level of home government sponsorship of those students, as well as other factors. Pamela? http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/19/stem-majors-opting-for-other-degrees/2828219/
• #11: There are a whole lot of “expectations” to consider when managing a prospective international student’s decision-making process. Let’s take a look at “Great Expectations” from the host institution’s perspective.
• #12: We all know that campuses particularly in the United States are under increasing pressure to perform. How severe is that pressure? True or False? More than 150 colleges and universities got failing scores on an annual test of their financial stability by the U.S. Department of Education in results that date from 2011.
• #13: True. U.S. colleges and universities face skeptical customers, declining enrollment, an antiquated financial model that is hemorrhaging money, and new kinds of low-cost competition.Their predicament has become so bad that financial analysts, regulators and bond-rating agencies are beginning to warn that many colleges and universities could close. According to Bain and Company, one-third of them have operating costs that are rising faster than revenues and investment returns can cover them.http://hechingerreport.org/content/higher-education-is-headed-for-a-shakeout-analysts-warn_12996/#!
• #14: It should come as no surprise, then, that increasingly, admissions directors are not meeting their enrollment goals. Exactly how desperate are they? True or false: In a recent “Inside Higher Ed” survey, 14 percent of admissions directors admitted that they recruited applicants even after theyhad committed to other colleges.
• #15: False. Unfortunately, that figure is twice as high. 29 percent of admissions directors admitted that they recruited applicants -- after May 1 -- who had committed to other colleges. The Statement of Principles of Good Practice of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (AKA NACAC) bans such efforts, yet clearly,some colleges have been violating that rule. It’s an unfortunate sign of the increasing pressures or “Great Expectations” of admissions offices to produce a class that will meet the academic and financial goals of colleges.http://www.insidehighered.com/news/survey/feeling-heat-2013-survey-college-and-university-admissions-directors#ixzz2fopmkSDo
• #16: That’s not good. Let’s look at the longer-rangepicture, to see if it gets any better. True or false: In 50 years, the traditional U.S. residential college campus will become obsolete. What do you honestly think?
• #17: Of course no one knows for sure. This particular article, from “The American Interest” predicts that in fifty years, if not sooner, half of the roughly 4,500 colleges and universities now operating in the United States will have ceased to exist. The technology driving this change is already at work, and nothing can stop it. The future looks like this: Access to college-level education will be free for everyone; the residential college campus will become largely obsolete; tens of thousands of professors will lose their jobs; the bachelor’s degree will become increasingly irrelevant; and ten years from now Harvard will enroll ten million students. http://www.the-american-interest.com/article.cfm?piece=1352
• #18: Clearly, there’s cause for concern from every angle. The problem stems from a mis-alignment of expectations. Who’s fault is it? There’s plenty of blame to go around. The paradox of today’s international student recruitment, is that there’s more information available (call it “Big Data”) to prospective students – and recruitment counselors -- than ever before. Like it or not, each party has become much more calculating (?) in their decisions, with far less mystery embedded in the process (than say, when I studied abroad) – thanks to all the available metrics online.http://monitor.icef.com/2013/03/could-you-improve-your-recruitment-results-and-student-services-through-data-mining/
• #19: Why are we getting it so hopelessly wrong, and what can we do about it? Frankly, I think we’ve lost our focus; we’re acting just like the oh-so-easily distracted students we’re trying to recruit. And in a very real way, social media is to blame. Many of us are casting our promotional net so wide, that we’re wasting a lot of time. Forbes' research recently revealed that marketers try too hard to engage with consumers via social media, generally pushing out too much information, making people more likely to change their minds about a product or service. This article concluded that the only reason consumers tend to “like” a brand on Facebook or elsewhere, is so that they can get a discount – not because they’re fiercely loyal. The key to positively impacting purchase decisions and brand loyalty is to simplify the purchasing process.http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickspenner/2012/07/02/marketers-have-it-wrong-forget-engagement-consumers-want-simplicity/
• #20: Why do we need to simplify?In the U.S. alone, the average ratio of applications per admission officer nearly doubled from 2005 to 2011. Some would say, that’s great! We’re reaching out to a broader audience. I’d argue that we need to consider the currently-complicated operations end of the equation, before it’s too late.
• #21: Here’s another question for you. How many visa interviews does one U.S. Consular Officer perform in an eight-hour shift? Green card for about 100, yellow card for about 150, or red card for 200 or so.
• #22: Yellow cards win: 150 interviews in eight hours, which works out to about three minutes per interview. I would guess the student’s “expectation” of that interview process should be that it’s going to be fair. Expectations of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State are that the process will be thorough. Is that realistic, given the current format of the visa interview?
• #23: We desperately need to take advantage of technology to streamline the operations of every element within International Enrollment Management. Look, it’s increasingly difficult for campuses to differentiate themselves. And with the transparent nature of the marketing environment, prospective students must make their admissions decisions based on other factors. Like a simple admissions process. I would even go so far as to say that *process* will surpass *promotion* in terms of importance in advancing global student mobility. I think we’ll get to the point, very soon, where student applicants will judge a campus (at least partially) based on the admissions process – the actual operations end. For example, how can you possibly boast about your innovative classes, when you’re still demanding that I send you paper documents?
• #24: Let’s focus on the earliest part of the admissions process, where of course you have two primary admissibility indicators: Is this student prepared from an academic perspective? And also, can the student prove sufficient funds, to meet the requirements of the federal government? If we can efficiently address those two very basic “expectations,” then we, as admissions counselors, can devote more of our limited time and resources to the more nuanced segments of admissions, and actually communicate with prospective students most likely to enroll.
• #25: How does that happen? Let’s look specifically at the funds verification component. Here are some projections related to eCommerce growth, which of course run parallel with online banking. You’ll recognize a few of these countries, of course, as top sending countries of international students. http://mediam1.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/global-ecommerce-markets-what-opportunities-exist-for-online-retailers_51da7beb959b5.jpeg
• #26: Technology currently exists to empower prospective international students, and their sponsors, to point their online banking data to the authority who requested it. Here’s an example of one campus who has embedded this technology to significantly improve international student admissions yield or conversion from a generic student inquiry to a qualified applicant and eventual enrollee -- boosting the efficiency and integrity of the funds verification process.
• #27: It’s all about “Great Expectations.” Students expect this type of convenience and immediate gratification. Our target demographic demands this functionality. It’s no surprise that our prospective students quickly get frustrated by slow and outdated approaches. “Gen Y’s aptitude for electronic communication augments rather than replaces face-to-face interaction.” http://www.forbes.com/sites/lyndagratton/2013/06/06/the-three-paradoxes-of-generation-y/
• #28: In addition to maximizing efficiencies with proven technologies, I think we also need to approach International Enrollment Management from the fresh perspective of mitigating strategic risk. Strategic risk as it relates to IEM is a relatively new way to “frame” the complicated challenges we face as international educators. http://monitor.icef.com/2013/09/goodbye-university-revolution-vs-evolution-of-the-current-education-model/
• #29: I found it very instructive to consider strategic risk in IEM within this framework.
• #30: Maybe you believe there is only a small chance of… the traditional U.S. residential college campus becoming obsolete. Or China’s economy tanking, and drastically disrupting your flow of students. Or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pulling the plug on its scholarship program. Or whatever. But can you afford to be wrong? Is it time to hedge your bets? What are YOUR “Great Expectations”?The bottom line: Look for ways to fundamentally streamline your operations, and communicate effectively to better manage the “Great Expectations” of everyone involved, from prospective students to senior administration.http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/7319.html
• #31: For more information about understanding strategic risk in international enrollment management, contact Pamela at BartonCarlyle.com. For details about targeted multi-lingual, online international student recruitment, or funds verification for international students, contact me, Cheryl DarrupBoychuck. We also have our handout online, which is a list of resources cited in this session, so please contact us if you’d like a copy. Thank you!