I was told I would become an astronaut !
I was told I would become an astronaut and that by the time I finished these courses I would have built my own personal spacecraft that I could keep! This is a statement similar to what I have heard from some students. The subject matter has been changed to protect the innocent. When you hear something like this though, you have to wonder, did somebody really tell them something like this or did they concoct a perception in their own mind of where this training would take them? I know that admissions reps are charged with the responsibility of recruiting a certain number of students and that they are typically going to paint the most attractive picture they can, but how do I know if a student is exaggerating or if a rep really did cross the line? In most cases, my feeling is that it is most likely a little of both. What I have seen though is that all it takes is for one student to make a statement like that, aloud in class, and there is a visible negative impact on many of the other students. If the student really was told he would become an astronaut, it is difficult to convince him that greasing the axles on the shuttle transport vehicle is an acceptable substitute. I sometimes use an analogy something like this: Attending the finest music school in the world can not guarantee that you will be a rock star, but it certainly won't hamper your efforts to get there. In addition to that, there are quite a few "astronauts" who graduated from this school.
You ask some very important questions, Robert, and if your admissions department is selling astronauts and personal spacecraft that's something that has to be addressed. It would seem that several simple questions with the right people involved will get the answers you need.
What's your next step?
Wow I'm not sure I could say it any better myself Rob. I don't know what the answer is, but perhaps a brief written outline of the schools promises or intentions with a few important, relevant % #'s would keep the recruiters from overpromising. If it was mandatory to give out during recruiting. It must be brief and clear, no lawyer talk.
... and best written by the faculty?
It would appear that asking some people questions would be next. I would never assume that the admissions reps were telling them the things I've heard from some of the the students, but it would be nice to know the origin of them.
That may be the answer Andre. It's hard to over-deliver if the over-promising has gone too far.
The recruiters at our school have been brought in line, as to the "promises" they convey to the students, as this has been a problem in the past.I suspect that the potential student can get overwhelmed with all the information required to start at a college, coupled with the fact that it is human nature to hear what you want ot hear. It takes a great deal of effort to train yourself to listen well! A written outline is a great idea coupled with a signature line at the bottom of the document.I believe our institution actually lists some things which they will NOT accomplish as well to alleviate unrealistic expectations.
Having students acknowledge what they will not accomplish is a great idea. Hopefully, it eliminates some confusion early on, but perhaps more importantly it sends a strong message to faculty.
I am glad but also saddened to hear this is a problem at other schools. We constantly have issues with students being told..or perhaps "hearing" untrue expectations from our admissions team. This is a culture that if changed I am certain would help in our attrition rates.
Mr. Whyte I am with 100% on this astronaut thing. Some students paths I have crossed has seem to have an extroardinary concept of being or becoming something they are not. I try to always tell my students nothing is handed in life. Granted sometimes you will always have that lucky one that was in the right place at the right time. But we all know for the most part. You work hard you get rewarded. RIGHT???????
I feel that it is best to be very up front with the entire class at the very begining about what they can realisticly expect to take away from my class. And most importantly, what there level of expertise they will own.
Is having grand expectations a problem? While I agree that very few of those with inflated expections will achieve the goals they have when they enroll, isn't it our role to help them understand what it takes to get there and help them identify viable alternatives?
Our school has gone to such great lengths to avoid situations like this. We have developed prospective student interviewing scripts and most interviews, both face-to-face and over the phone, are recorded. Yet, we still have an occasional student who claims they were "promised" something that we can't deliver. I believe this stems from student misinterpretations of comments or answers to questions somewhere along the line in the interviewing or enrollment process. It's just like the fact that I now have to accompany my 76 year old mother to doctor's appointments. She isn't senile or anything, it's just that she will hear one particular comment the doctor makes, focus only on it, and tune out the rest. She used to come away with a great deal of misinformation. Now that I go with her and ask questions and take notes, we have been able to alleviate the problem. So, how can we further alleviate this problem with prospective or newly enrolled students? Use as much written materials as possible--words on a page are much less likely to be misinterpreted. Make sure our marketing materials are a true reflection of our programs, courses, and services. Provide definitions for commonly used terminology--every business sector has its own terminology and higher ed is no exception. We must make sure that what we are saying is what they are understanding it to mean.
I think it should be academically driven. Our school went through a major culture shift several years ago, where the faculty and academic affairs began working collaboratively with the admissions and marketing teams to ensure that we were not promising the students they could become astronouts or rocket scientists. Retention has improved as more care is taken at the very beginning of the admissions process. Prior to changing our processes and procedures many of our students were very unhappy. As I heard on an NPR education program, "Education is the only commodity you pay for, but don't necessarily get." A lot is up to the student, but we need to ensure they know what to expect and that we are here to support them as they "earn" their degrees.
Well said, Sandy. Sounds like you have developed a very positive, outcome centered environment.
We have similar situations at our school. The people recruiting the students tell them about all the certifications they will have when they graduate. We had a team meeting with our team leader and he took it to admissions. For the most part this problem has been solved except for the few who will still tell the recruits what they want to hear to get them in.
It's reassuring to hear that communication between departments works. What can be done about the remaining few who didn't get the message?
I think that an unfair amount of pressure is put on Admissions to get in the numbers, then when things begin to fall apart, it's everyone else's responsibility to keep the student. Working together to portray an accurate picture of what to expect is the key to retention.
Cross training between departments would be the first step to this. Faculty would spend time with admissions, admissions would spend time with financial aid, etc... Everyone where I work (a culinary school) loved this idea when strategies were discussed, but somehow none of it has come to pass. It would GREATLY improve morale among the staff and that would no doubt have an effect on student attitudes.
At least you got to the discussion phase. What were the barriers to implementation? Was there a champion for the initiative?
I expect you got some resistence based on time, but the results should clearly outweigh the temporary time pressures.
I feel that there is some truth in this. Most adult private institutions solict students and make promises to them. Some institutions have entire departments devoted to soliciting new students. Many of the promises made are unrealistic. Ultimately, the instructors have to pay the price for this.
