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Finding the right college for you is sort of like matchmaking in the dating world. In order for things to work, you'll need to find a significant other with whom you're highly compatible - so it's OK to be picky. After all, no school is flawless, but you want to find one that has the qualities you will learn from, enjoy, and cherish for years to come. Sure, there will be occasional obstacles, or a bad day every now and again, but a healthy relationship with your college of choice is sure to yield a fun, memorable, and educational experience. In the college selection process, you'll have plenty of suitors, all vying for your attention, hoping for your application, and promising you their school is the right one for you. So how do you separate the prospects from the playas? By learning the ins and outs of college recruiting.

Chocolate and Flowers
Everybody likes an unexpected present - it makes us feel special and desirable, and think fondly of the gift--giver. Colleges are no stranger to this idea, and very often will attempt to attract potential students by offering them gifts or small tokens of their appreciation. Some colleges go so far as to offer extravagant, all--expenses--paid trips to nearby ski mountains and lakes. Others have been known to send prospective students deceptive letters indicating that their acceptance is guaranteed, just to ensure that they apply. The key is to appreciate anything a school might offer, but always remember the most important thing a college can offer you is a great college experience - not a recruitment gift or promise.

"We've never offered any outlandish trips like some schools do, but we'll send items to prospective students such as a college sweatshirt from the bookstore, a book by one of our professors, or in one case, a counselor sent a Lindsey Wilson teddy bear to a prospective student," explains Duane Bonifer of Lindsey Wilson College (Columbia, KY). "We'll also invite prospective students and their family members to meals in our dining center."

Sounds nice, right? A school's efforts to win your attention are often an indicator of their interest in you personally. " 

College recruitment

  efforts say a lot," explains Bonifer. "We do whatever is necessary to help students enroll in college - even if they don't wind up here.

That means meeting with a prospective family on a Saturday morning, talking to them on a Thursday night, or if necessary, going to visit them in their home. We like to think that our admissions process says a lot about how students are treated once they enroll at our college."

Draw the Line for Wining and Dining
It's OK to enjoy a school's attempt to court you, and to explore every opportunity presented to you, but be careful not to let those sway your final decision. "Every admissions office wants to increase applications, but we want to increase them from the appropriate students," says Haverly Erskine, an admissions officer at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (Geneva, NY). "Colleges are trying to be more creative as to how they present their information, in an attempt to get their school to catch a student's eye."

But Erskine warns against irrelevant or suspicious recruiting tactics. "To win someone over with a bribe, or entice someone with a bribe, defeats the purpose of what we do," she says. "What about offering an all--expenses--paid trip is going to indicate that a student would be a good fit at that school? Trying too hard is usually a sign of something [bad]."

Susan Sarisky, director of admissions at Lebanon Valley College (Annville, PA), agrees that offering extravagant gifts or opportunities as part of the recruitment process should raise a red flag. "Where does the school get the money to do such things?" she asks. "Tuition?"
"It's similar to paying a person's expenses for a few nights' stay at a resort, but then requiring that person to hear about the timeshare options," she continues. "Is that what the college recruitment process should be about? I don't think so."

That's why the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) has issued guidelines designed to counter any unethical recruiting practices. Among some of the rules:
colleges are forbidden from doing things like disparaging other institutions, relying on unprofessional recruitment tactics, and paying individuals or agencies to solicit student interest.

Despite NACAC warnings, which also state that colleges should provide potential students with the most accurate information possible, there are plenty of colleges that bend - and break - the rules. Use your own judgment. In most cases, you won't need a rulebook to make the right decision - your instincts will be the judge.

Grab College Recruitment By the Reigns - Or the Mouse
The good news is, though you'll be fielding plenty of snazzy brochures and college freebies, there are new ways for you to get proactive about finding your education soulmate. Think of it as online dating - you can explore your options from the comfort of your computer. "Instant messaging has become a quick and easy forum for students to ask questions and get answers immediately," says Andrew Morris, associate director of admissions at Binghamton University (Binghamton, NY). "Rather than being a fad, it has become an important part of online communication, and it allows us to share information and build the kind of relationship we can each benefit from - we get to know prospective students and vice versa."

In addition to IM--ing, most schools host online forums where you can post questions that admissions officers will answer, and also chat with current students. There's no better source for information than a student who is already living the experience.

Reality Recruitment
What do some of your peers have to say about what to look for when colleges are clamoring for your attention? "I feel that the most important thing a college can do to recruit students is to make their university known," says Christopher Mark Hale, a student at West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV). "Most colleges give out free T--shirts, water bottles, frisbees, and other university products. However, I don't feel that these freebies are that important, as it is the university's quality of education that should be the selling point."

For Jennifer Sprague (pictured left), scholarship money certainly helped woo her to Susquehanna University (Selinsgrove, PA). "When a college offers an 18--year--old a lot of money, it makes you think, 'Wow, they really want me,'" she says. "When I arrived my freshman year, I realized that almost all of my friends received a similar monetary amount. It makes students feel intelligent to receive such an award, and it seems that a large percentage of [my school's student body] was attracted this way."

Ultimately, these students figured out that the best rule of thumb when it comes to recruiting is that you should feel like your potential school is truly interested in you. Remember that when the college mail starts pouring in, because gimmicks and gifts can't replace what the best college experiences are made of - the right fit.



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Paul D. Rosevear is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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