With perks including slide show acceptance letters on the web, fly-free programs and personal acceptance calls from school officials, some national graduate schools have begun to move away from traditional recruiting techniques in the hopes the new tactics will sway prospective graduate students.
But at Boston University, graduate school administrators say their program admission departments are keeping with tradition.
Joan Horgan, admissions counselor for the School of Law, said the school does not participate in special recruiting techniques because the number of applications continues to increase from year to year.
“Other than traveling to fairs and forums, we do not recruit students,” Horgan said. “Each year the number of applications has significantly increased and we don’t feel it to be necessary to go beyond the normal means of the admissions process.”
While Horgan said she does not anticipate the need for increased recruitment by the School of Law, she said for other schools it might be a necessity.
“It is really up to each school to determine their recruitment strategy and the lengths to which they are willing to go,” Horgan said. “We are very fortunate that our program continues to have a wide appeal and has continued to expand.”
Rachel Kish, admissions counselor in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, said the school’s situation was very similar.
“We do not do any recruiting outside the traditional paperwork,” Kish said. “Like other programs within BU, we have seen an 11 percent increase in applications this year. This is due not only to the school’s location, but more importantly to the renowned faculty and staff that comprises the program.”
Glenn Amrine, a first-year student in the Graduate School of Management, said the BU faculty is an important factor in the final choice.
“The faculty and staff at Boston University is a major reason I chose this school over a better name school,” said Amrine. “They really go all the way when it comes to meeting the needs of their student[s].”
According to Paul Shafer, a first-year Graduate School of Fine Arts student, the faculty within his department also made BU appealing.
“BU did nothing to recruit me,” Shafer said. “Instead, I found myself pursuing the school after meeting my current voice teacher.”
Arthur Wong, a second-year GSM student, said he believes the state-of-the-art facilities, high-level professors and student-friendly admissions procedures helped him make his decision.
“When I was looking into GSM, the admissions people went for a real personal sell,” Wong said. “When you visit, they welcome you, spend time with you, and some people even get taken out for lunch. They really make an effort to try to establish a connection, whether in the form of a follow-up call or even letters sent by alumni.”
“Not only are the talented faculty beneficial, but the facilities are top-notch,” he said. “It’s really the all-around best package out there; you just have to give and take a little.”
Evelyn Tate, dean of admissions for the Graduate School of Management, explained the GSM does extensive traditional recruiting, but does not go beyond those limits.
“We do a lot of fairs and forums run by organizations,” Tate said. “We also maintain a website by which students can get in contact with us. We are also currently running advertisements within various national publications about programs being run throughout the school.
“In general we do not use perks in our recruiting process. We find ourselves in a competitive market and challenging economy in which people are taking the opportunity to upgrade their skills,” she said. “Within the GSM there are many rigorous programs and challenging courses taught by world-class faculty and that should be enough of a draw.”
Tate said she believes the selection of a graduate school should not be based on perks or free airfare, but should be about finding a good match.
“When we talk to students, we always try to make sure that they realize their decision should not be based on a name, but should be based on which school is the best match for them,” Tate said.
Nyryan Nolido, a first-year GSAS student, said using perks to recruit students seems completely immoral.
“I was not recruited by BU at all,” Nolido said. “I went here for my undergraduate studies, and felt secure in its competitive programs.
“It just seems unethical for schools to use perks to get students to choose their program,” Nolido said. “The choice should be based on the quality of the school and faculty, not what class they fly you on the plane ride over.”