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The Graduate School would like to assist you in developing ideas for the advanced recruitment of top gradaute students. Through our partnership with Marketing Communications, we have established a "brand" specific to our materials in order to foster name recognition. We invite you to work with us and University Publications to retain the branding that will increase the visibility of our university.
How to shape your Web site
- Do you provide a link from your site to the Graduate School?
- Does the Web site load quickly?
- Do popular search engines list your Web site when you provide key words in your field?
- Does your Web site have current and appropriate contact information?
- Do you update your Web site regularly?
- Is your Web site current with up-to-date deadlines and research projects?
- Does your Web site contain pictures of faculty and graduate students collaborating in a welcoming environment?
- Do you list highlights about faculty and graduate students including research efforts and recent publications?
- Do you identify what makes your program truly unique?
- Do you list facts such as the percentage of students holding assistantships and fellowships, time to degree and completion rates, job placement and career opportunities?
- Do you post your program's handbook with requirements, policies, and deadlines?
Various Media
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Booklets and related media, targeted mailers, displays, advertisements in college or target-area newspapers or professional journals, radio announcements, receptions at professional conferences
Identifying Prospects
- Ask for names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and postal addresses for top students.
- Purchase GRE names from the Educational Testing Service.
- Access lists from professional organizations, presentations, and conferences.
- Gain contacts through relationships established with other colleges/universities.
- Gain contacts through relationships with alumni.
- Offer a Recruitment Day to regional college/universities.
- Use regional and national databases to identify top underrepresented students in your discipline. These include McNair Scholars, Western and national Name Exchange, Project 1000 and/or others.
- Identify student presenters at professional conferences.
- Advertise your program to undergraduate students at WSU in related disciplines. Provide them with information as to how your program relates or hones focus to their background.
Important Notes
- Contact prospects within 24 hours of their request for information.
- Match the prospect with a faculty member who shares his or her interest.
- Ask prospects about educational and career goals and why they are interested in pursuing an advanced degree.
- Timely response and personal attention is crucial in establishing a strong relationship with the prospective student.
- Maintain a log of your recruitment process with each prospect through the Talisma database, just as the Graduate School will be doing with their prospective graduate students.
- As often as possible, incorporate your current graduate students and alumni in the recruitment process. They are invaluable to the process because they can use their own experience in relating information to prospective students.
Tips for successful recruiting
Be proactive.
Contact prospects and actively encourage them to submit all materials needed for a complete application.
Respond promptly.
Contact prospects within 24 hours of the first interaction.
Maintain good relations.
Develop and maintain a strong relationship with each prospect.
Be service-oriented.
Kindly assist the prospect with locating information from the campus, your office, and the Web site.
Be attentive.
Provide personal attention to the prospect including phone calls from world-class faculty, current graduate students and/or alumni. This truly makes a difference in helping someone feel welcome, and allows him or her to get a feel for the program.
Identify needs.
Take the time to understand the needs of the prospect and assist him or her in finding information, and getting help.
Communicate.
Maintain a communication log via Talisma. This helps everyone in the recruitment process know who has been contacted and when, what has been discussed, and what follow up may be needed.