Marquette seeks to expand geographic student diversity

[JWags85]

I'd like to know the efforts and efficacy of "college recruiting."

Above, it's been written that MU is "expanding its geographic diversity," or "has deliberately shifted focus to Iowa at the expense of Indiana and Ohio for recruiting students."

The past two years, I think my family could be considered ground zero for "college recruiting."  Got an 18 and 20 year old.

Both kids are/were very attractive candidates for pretty much most universities, not to mention having "full pay" type parents.  (The eldest, waitlisted at MIT.)

For us, "recruitment" has been primarily getting sent postcards and emails from random colleges, 99% of which our kids had zero interest in.  The HS itself hosts plenty of colleges, although my sons report low attendance "unless you wanted to skip class."  The HS counsellors were very hands-off unless you asked for help.  I'm sure some do.

I think my point is:  There has been no "recruitment" beyond some trashcan-bound postcards and spam emails.  College selection has been entirely self-directed, using online resources and internet searches.  College selection has been us parents suggesting "hey, add XYZ to the list."

In short, I find it entirely confusing that Marquette has "recruiting efforts" in a state that moves any needle.  If the answer is "well, they send mailers and spam" or "They visit high schools" .. good luck with that.

What am I missing?

Is there some recruitment avenue that we (and nearly every kid at our HS) have so far escaped?

I would imagine its still a lot of legacy recruiting methods, tactics, and strategic/mindsets.  But like Sultan said, direct mail/email is fairly inexpensive, and targeted digital advertising, social media or otherwise, isn't exactly cheap.

I think a lot of it has changed in the last 20-25 years clearly.  Not just with the internet, but especially with social media, the avenues and opportunities to see, learn, and be exposed to a wide variety of schools is so completely different.  When I was applying in the early 2000s, outside of knowing hundreds of D-1 schools based on sports, I was exposed to most of the smaller or regional schools based on the random mail I would get after my standardized test scores, or the clunky college databases you could use at school or sometimes the internet.

All I really knew of Miami when I applied there was that I remember thinking "Miami in Ohio" was stupid as hell and made no sense as a younger teen and a cool uniform they had a few years prior when Travis Prentice was breaking rushing records.  But a friend of mine was OBSESSED with the school, wore multiple Miami shirts regularly, so I thought sure, I'd look into it and apply (yet she actually ended up going to UW  ).  After I got in and visited, I fell in love and was sold.  These days, a HS junior in my position could watch hours of campus life/college experience videos as soon as they had interest.

I imagine the "traditional" older recruiting methods still have value on getting a college/university name in front of someone, even briefly, and maybe spurring them to self-direct research further.  But certainly not as pivotal or impactful in increasing or creating awareness as before.

Especially if the recruiter has a good relationship with the counselor.

Going back to my anecdotes about the regional targeting, thats what a lot of the aim is with alumni chapters and whatnot for the recruiters.  Cultivating awareness/interest in the children of the social/professional networks of the alumni chapter leads and strengthening relationships with the counselors so its not just empty visits or inefficient recruiting.

This was basically my experience over 25 years ago as well.  Unless you went to a state school.

And for some reason Tulane was hot for me, but I'd never heard of it and didn't even know where it was... or how good of a school it was.  If I had, I may have gone.

Must have been a push for Tulane around the time period in Wisconsin suburbs, cause I remember the same. Tulane and Emory both contacted me a bunch, didn't finish either application (pre explosion of the common application online) cause I came to realize I wasn't ready to go that far from the Midwest for school.  Definitely wouldn't have gotten into Emory either    Also got TONS of attention, mail, contact from all the Midwest liberal arts schools in Iowa/Minnesota  (Grinnell, Carleton, etc..) but I couldn't have had less interest in those schools.

[MU82]

Putting this here rather than starting a new thread ...

America's Colleges Are Hurtling Toward an Enrollment Cliff

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/college-admissions-demographic-cliff-16dec51f?

Higher education is hitting a demographic cliff. After years of growth, the pipeline of 18-year-olds is dwindling—a result of lower birthrates.

The largest number of Americans born in a single year arrived on campus in the autumn of 2025, and now a falloff is looming. College enrollments are forecast to drop 13% by 2041, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. In some parts of the country—especially the Midwest and the Northeast—the declines have already begun.

You would think a shrinking pool of students would automatically make it easier to get into college. But that won't necessarily be true everywhere, especially at the most competitive schools, higher-education analysts say.

It is impossible to precisely predict colleges' admission rates in the future as those numbers depend on a lot of things, including the reputations of campus culture, sports team wins and even the weather. But the demographic cliff is hitting just as another phenomenon is coming into play: a flight-to-quality, where the most sought-after schools are attracting an ever-growing number of applicants, while less-attractive schools draw fewer.

Part of the reason is rising skepticism about the value of a college degree. More families reason that if they are going to spend tens of thousands of dollars, the diploma better pay off with a good job—otherwise why bother?

This dynamic has been playing out in the Ivy League, for instance, where admission rates have fallen over the past decade-plus.

Not sure how this "cliff" will affect Marquette, if at all.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Not sure how this "cliff" will affect Marquette, if at all.

There's a reason Marquette seeks to expand geographic student diversity.

But Marquette will be fine. A lot smaller private colleges/universities will go the way of Cardinal Stritch in the coming decade.

[mu_hilltopper]

So .. if recruiting only moves the needle with infrequently successful postal and spam mail, I don't see how it matters much when MU is "seeking to expand geographic diversity.."  .. Understood that it can't hurt, but getting to an Elite 8 every 5 years helps 10x that of spam.

I think that also puts to rest the concept that MU's acceptance is so high because "they only target the right students." 

[The Sultan]

Not sure how this "cliff" will affect Marquette, if at all.

I am glad you are putting "cliff" in quotes because a 13% drop in enrollments over a 15 year period is definitely not that.

But Marquette will be fine. A lot smaller private colleges/universities will go the way of Cardinal Stritch in the coming decade.

As someone I heard frame it, there is a "rush to quality" among students and families. Larger public universities, well endowed national universities and colleges, etc. are where that quality exists. Marquette absolutely fits in that category.

But I could name a half dozen schools in Wisconsin that if they announced they were going to close in the next five years, it wouldn't surprise me. (I am not predicting that a half dozen schools will close, but they are generally going to be private, with endowments of less than $100M, and recent enrollment decreases.)

[The Sultan]

So .. if recruiting only moves the needle with infrequently successful postal and spam mail, I don't see how it matters much when MU is "seeking to expand geographic diversity.."  .. Understood that it can't hurt, but getting to an Elite 8 every 5 years helps 10x that of spam.

One thing that I think you aren't factoring in here is that your kids attend a relatively wealthy high school with many parents who have attended college before. That profile usually means that families are more "self-directed" with their approach to colleges than those with a less wealthy, less "experienced" profile.

I think that also puts to rest the concept that MU's acceptance is so high because "they only target the right students." 

Obsession with acceptance rate is just strange. It just doesn't mean anything.

[SoCalEagle]

I'd love to believe that.  I have a HS senior who is applying to Minnesota, UW, Purdue, and .. Marquette.  I'd peg him as a top 20% type student.

It would not shock me if he was rejected from all but Marquette.

Very large public, state funded, schools are very different from a medium sized, private, Catholic school.  Almost not comparable.  Are both categories of schools really on his list?  I have found that kids tend to focus on one or there other, especially after the acceptances start rolling in. 

[Billy Hoyle]

Putting this here rather than starting a new thread ...
?

This dynamic has been playing out in the Ivy League, for instance, where admission rates have fallen over the past decade-plus.[/i]

Not sure how this "cliff" will affect Marquette, if at all.

Ivy rates are falling thanks to the Common App and sketchy recruiting tactics. It's easier for kids to apply to all of them now with the Common App. Also, they manipulate acceptance rates convincing kids to apply when they have no chance of getting in. For example, niece got a "you should apply you never know unless you do" letter from Harvard and Princeton. Those schools have been doing that for years.

MU is almost certainly not sending mailings to kids with a 2.8 or 20 ACT and saying "here's your code for a discounted application fee, you never know unless you apply (wink, wink).

[SoCalEagle]

I'd like to know the efforts and efficacy of "college recruiting."

Above, it's been written that MU is "expanding its geographic diversity," or "has deliberately shifted focus to Iowa at the expense of Indiana and Ohio for recruiting students."

The past two years, I think my family could be considered ground zero for "college recruiting."  Got an 18 and 20 year old.

Both kids are/were very attractive candidates for pretty much most universities, not to mention having "full pay" type parents.  (The eldest, waitlisted at MIT.)

For us, "recruitment" has been primarily getting sent postcards and emails from random colleges, 99% of which our kids had zero interest in.  The HS itself hosts plenty of colleges, although my sons report low attendance "unless you wanted to skip class."  The HS counsellors were very hands-off unless you asked for help.  I'm sure some do.

I think my point is:  There has been no "recruitment" beyond some trashcan-bound postcards and spam emails.  College selection has been entirely self-directed, using online resources and internet searches.  College selection has been us parents suggesting "hey, add XYZ to the list."

In short, I find it entirely confusing that Marquette has "recruiting efforts" in a state that moves any needle.  If the answer is "well, they send mailers and spam" or "They visit high schools" .. good luck with that.

What am I missing?

Is there some recruitment avenue that we (and nearly every kid at our HS) have so far escaped?

My daughter starts at Marquette next week (that sounds great, doesn't it) and her experience was 180 degrees different from your son's.  Once acceptances started rolling in, she was contacted by multiple schools and invited to admitted students luncheons near us (in CA).  Marquette made a big push, but so did multiple schools, especially Gonzaga, Creighton, and Loyola Chicago.  So, what made the difference?  Our family participated in Marquette's fly in program.  All of my daughter's travel arrangements were handled by Marquette, including booking her air travel and hotel (all paid for by Marquette).  My wife and I both went with her (paying for our own airfare).  To say the admitted students day that we attended was fantastic is not doing it justice.  It was a full day of activity where my daughter met with multiple professors in her field(s) of interest, had lunch in one of the dining halls (shout out to the staff at Cobeen), and toured the dorms.  Marquette also charted a bus tour of downtown MKE and the lakefront, and ended with a nice reception where parents hung out with other parents, and students hung out with other students.  Overall, Marquette knocked it out of the park.  On our flight home my daughter leaned over and said "Dad, they know I can't dunk a basketball, right?" 

[Hards Alumni]

Honestly, that is pretty impressive.  I got a walking tour in a sleet storm of like 4 buildings in February lol.