Disappointed with MU tonight

[ChicosBailBonds]

Went to a college fair at Huntington Beach High School.  Not that I expect MU to be at all of these things, but it was a big fair.  I did congratulate the Iowa rep for beating Wisconsin this past weekend.

Other Midwest, Plains or East coast schools were there, but MU nowhere to be found.

Butler
DePaul
Monmouth
Drexel
LaSalle
Creighton
Notre Dame
Ohio State
Iowa
Nebraska
Indiana
Kansas
Missouri
Rutgers
Michigan State
Florida
TCU
Alabama
Arkansas
South Carolina
Naval Academy
West Point

Obviously just about every school under the sun in the Mtn or Pacific time zones.

[Galway Eagle]

Went to a college fair at Huntington Beach High School.  Not that I expect MU to be at all of these things, but it was a big fair.  I did congratulate the Iowa rep for beating Wisconsin this past weekend.

Other Midwest, Plains or East coast schools were there, but MU nowhere to be found.

Butler
DePaul
Monmouth
Drexel
LaSalle
Creighton
Notre Dame
Ohio State
Iowa
Nebraska
Indiana
Kansas
Missouri
Rutgers
Michigan State
Florida
TCU
Alabama
Arkansas
South Carolina
Naval Academy
West Point

Obviously just about every school under the sun in the Mtn or Pacific time zones.

Rightfully dissapointed. Though aren't the alumni associations and parent associations in charge of getting local volunteers out those fairs? Possible the associations aren't that strong out there?   

[warriorchick]

Chico's, call the admissions office.

They will get you all set up for you to do it next year.

[StillAWarrior]

I've done these before here in Cleveland.  My favorite story was talking with a girl and her mother for 10-15 minutes.  The mother was really interested because a family member had attended and loved it.  The daughter was politely playing along.  The daughter was mortified when the mother said something about loving that part of Michigan.  Ummmm...Marquette isn't in Marquette, Michigan.  Wrong school.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Chico,
I have a similar issue on this coast.  I've been doing college fairs for Marquette since graduation in 1991.  After we joined the Big East, they started sending out the paid people from the Admissions Office and relied less on alumni.  Then 3-4 years ago for some reason, they seemed like they disappeared.  The paid alumni were coming out, no where near as often and simultaneously they weren't asking for alumni help.  I've inquired with admissions, letting them know if they need help with fairs in the autumn to let me know and if I can't do I can find some other area alumni volunteers who I know will gladly help.  I did a show in the spring at my kids high school but only after I said send me material there's a show in my town. 
I get the feeling there has been a lot of turnover in the office the last 5 years and the office-alumni connections previously made got lost in the shuffle.

[GGGG]

Or admissions could be pulling back from using college fairs as a recruiting method.  Many schools are re-evaluating where to direct their resources for student recruitment, not only the method of recruiting but geographic location.  It looks like this change could be dated from the time they started working with the Zizzo group on their marketing.

http://zizzogroup.com/casestudies/marquette-university-increased-brand-awareness-leads-increased-enrollment

[mu03eng]

The admissions office has changed it's approach and fairs are not the go too method for recruiting any more.  Similarly, a lot of employers have reduced or stopped going to college fairs to recruit students for internships/jobs.

Marquette is also modifying the profile of the students that they are looking for so where/how they get those students is less about mass marketing and more about targeted marketing.

It's about cost benefit and quite frankly they must be doing something right because the only time applications were higher than they are now was the year after the final four.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chico's, call the admissions office.

They will get you all set up for you to do it next year.

I suspect that is an option, but most of the reps I spoke to this was their full time job.  They had a region (i.e. west coast) and went from fair to fair, etc.  Yes, there were a few that I spoke to (Butler, Rutgers) where it was an alum giving their time.

[ChicosBailBonds]

The admissions office has changed it's approach and fairs are not the go too method for recruiting any more.  Similarly, a lot of employers have reduced or stopped going to college fairs to recruit students for internships/jobs.

Marquette is also modifying the profile of the students that they are looking for so where/how they get those students is less about mass marketing and more about targeted marketing.

It's about cost benefit and quite frankly they must be doing something right because the only time applications were higher than they are now was the year after the final four.

Sultan, MUEng

Appreciate the additional information.  Good to know.  Still like to have MU's brand out there especially in light of seeing some of the other schools we are lumped in with, but appreciate it.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Or admissions could be pulling back from using college fairs as a recruiting method.  Many schools are re-evaluating where to direct their resources for student recruitment, not only the method of recruiting but geographic location.  It looks like this change could be dated from the time they started working with the Zizzo group on their marketing.

http://zizzogroup.com/casestudies/marquette-university-increased-brand-awareness-leads-increased-enrollment

I couldn't find the case study on The Gold...

[Eldon]

Or admissions could be pulling back from using college fairs as a recruiting method.  Many schools are re-evaluating where to direct their resources for student recruitment, not only the method of recruiting but geographic location.  It looks like this change could be dated from the time they started working with the Zizzo group on their marketing.

http://zizzogroup.com/casestudies/marquette-university-increased-brand-awareness-leads-increased-enrollment

How recent is this that schools hire marketing/ad firms?  This strikes me as a relatively new phenomenon.

[GGGG]

How recent is this that schools hire marketing/ad firms?  This strikes me as a relatively new phenomenon.

Private schools have been using them for years.  The public university I work for has used two over the past 15 years or so.  Mostly we work with them on branding issues.  (How does the marketplace view your institution?  How do your constituents describe your institution?)  They don't produce any product for us or have them work on segmenting a target market for students - we handle all that internally.

[Celtic Truth]

Marquette always has recruited heavily at my highschool (Boston College High) because it's a highly regarded Jesuit school. And they always sent their east coast person from the admissions office. He was phenomenal and 7 kids in my grade at bchigh ended up at marquette. However, he was offered a job to be the director of admissions at john Carroll so he obviously took it. I don't know who replaced him but I have heard they are not that good, and they have got Only 1 bchigh kid over the past 2 years to come to mu. But I strongly agree that we need to build our brand as much as possible all over the country. A deep run in the tourney this year should help.....

[SoCalEagle]

Meh, lots of fairs on the west coast every year. So MU missed one. No big. I've hosted a bunch of these over the years. Usually have a great time talking about MU / MKE, but MU can't cover them all unless they get a lot of help from volunteers. Chicos you should sign up - I'm sure you would enjoy the experience.

[GooooMarquette]

Anybody have a sense about what percentage of new students decided to apply to a school because of a college fair, and ended up going to the school?

I just ask because both of my kids went to a couple of local college fairs...but neither of them applied to a single school they encountered at any of them.  Instead, their college choices were based on word of mouth, rankings (Princeton Review, US News) and ultimately, financial aid and experiences on campus visits.

I'm sure there are some students who make their decisions based on college fairs, but I'd be kind of surprised if it's a huge number.

[keefe]

My wife and I were involved with recruiting for our various alma maters over the years (including Marquette.) The one difference I have seen between Marquette and the Ivies is that the Ivies aggressively involve their alumni, not in meat market college fairs, but in selective screening meetings with prospective students. And the Admission Offices place a very heavy weight on alumni input from these meetings.

College Fairs lack the intimacy, candor, and focus of dinner with an alum. I know that Ivy Admission Offices actively involve alumni in the selection process. What I also appreciate is that they provide feedback on a candidate's application. Remember, these kids are in our communities.

 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Anybody have a sense about what percentage of new students decided to apply to a school because of a college fair, and ended up going to the school?

I just ask because both of my kids went to a couple of local college fairs...but neither of them applied to a single school they encountered at any of them.  Instead, their college choices were based on word of mouth, rankings (Princeton Review, US News) and ultimately, financial aid and experiences on campus visits.

I'm sure there are some students who make their decisions based on college fairs, but I'd be kind of surprised if it's a huge number.

Impossible to know, but let's not forget that there is a reason why glossy brochures are printed, fairs happen.  It is branding, a chance to put materials into a kids hand.  There is absolutely no way to tie it back to the ultimate selection, but does it do enough to get a kid interested in further pursuit of that school?

I will say for some, absolutely.  No question in my mind because I've seen it in my family, friends families, etc.  They have their set schools they want to apply to, but they are suddenly interested in 5 to 10 others they heard about, saw something about, etc, and wish to find out more.

I agree with Keefe about the meat market approach and one on one, but it's similar to a media buying plan.  You have to do some mass marketing as well.  The marketing mix entails a bit of everything, and college fairs are just one of the many pieces.  I can virtually guarantee there will be at least one if not two additional schools my son will apply to because of an interest gained from something he saw at a college fair.  It has pushed him to say, I want to learn a bit more about Rice, a bit more about Tufts, a bit more about Lafayette, Bucknell, Lehigh, and even some bigger schools like UNC, South Carolina and Florida.

[Jay Bee]

Went to a college fair at Huntington Beach High School.  Not that I expect MU to be at all of these things, but it was a big fair.  I did congratulate the Iowa rep for beating Wisconsin this past weekend.

There are some California alumns that make MU feel squirmy... decided to pass on the fair.

[ChicosBailBonds]

There are some California alumns that make MU feel squirmy... decided to pass on the fair.

I have no doubt...the ones that don't like academic freedoms of professors, employ a Just Win Baby attitude with hoops while looking the other way, etc.  No doubt at all.

[keefe]

Marquette always has recruited heavily at my highschool (Boston College High) because it's a highly regarded Jesuit school.

I understand it is the second best Jesuit prep school on the east coast...

[4everwarriors]

College ain't where it's at these days. Kids can find out everythin' there is to know on the net, ai na?

[Jay Bee]

College ain't where it's at these days. Kids can find out everythin' there is to know on the net, ai na?

Life ain't nuthin but birches & money, a'inal?

[MU82]

Marquette wasn't on my radar one iota until I went to a college fair in a nearby town early in my senior year of high school.

[4everwarriors]

Things were different back in 1978. Ya coulda written for a college catalogue, ai na?

[GGGG]

Chicos. Glossy brochures are 90% about the parents. Students don't pay much attention at all. Our brochures here are designed with parents in mind.

Look there are very logical reasons why Marquette may be deemohasizing fairs. Cost/benefit...not a geographic priority...better use of other vehicles. Don't just through the "brand" word out there as if Marquette hasn't thought of it.