Why university reps should not be talking about their institutions to students
Students will take away far more from a university visit if reps talk about a specific subject or give practical advice on the application process
The challenge: today’s graduates and young people are faced with more higher-education information and options than ever, so how does a counsellor help students with this decision?
Answer: coach your university or higher-education partners to provide the most helpful type of presentations and content for your students.
Ideas for some topics might be a workshop from an academic on a semifocused subject area, such as mechanical engineering, earth sciences or business economics. Alternatively, they could provide a skills-development programme, looking at topics such as personal statements or building a strong CV or résumé.
The value of focused talks
Most university reps are judged on their admissions targets, so they have a natural tendency to talk about their institution. It then becomes a bit like a show-and-tell session, which doesn’t add a large amount of value for the students. They only learn about one institution, with perhaps a bit of information, when asked, about a particular programme.
Instead, you should instruct your visiting reps to provide a subject- or skills-focused lesson that helps students learn if they have a passion for a particular subject area.
This can assist students with their decision-making process. It also showcases institutions’ specific subject strengths and the impact that they have – remind students that there are many versions of the “best university in the world”.
Ideas and examples
What can you do to help implement and run these ideas?
Manage and build your network
Connect with other counsellors to gather ideas about universities that have delivered good sessions in the past.
Maintain a list of contacts and topics they can deliver. What is their institutional strength?
Coach your speakers in advance
When you are working with universities or higher-education institutions, ensure that you vet the topics that your speakers are covering in advance, and coach them to be subject- or skills-focused rather than focusing on the institution as a whole.
How do you convince a university representative to follow this brief? Remind them of the following:
- It’s their chance to showcase their university’s strengths.
- It’s their chance to interest a captive audience in a specific subject area.
- They are helping students discover their passions.
- It’s a form of brand marketing and a great chance to connect with students and the school.
Unlock your school’s potential
Does your school have any areas of specialism? Some of my current schools have centres of excellence in areas such as robotics, performing arts and sustainability. Use those specialisms to reach out to universities to set up opportunities that directly link to your cohort’s areas of interest.
Find out where your teaching staff and leadership studied. Do they have any academic passions or focus you could draw on? It’s always great to showcase the wide range of degrees and institutions your teachers studied at – they won’t all be Ivy Leagues or Oxbridge.
Gather feedback
Once a session is complete, ask your students and the institution for feedback. What worked, what was useful and what could be done better next time?
Need more help?
Feel free to reach out to me: Chris.goodbourn@gemseducation.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn.