A new admissions program, through which international students talk to prospective students at their local high schools abroad about the University, will be expanded following its success during the recent Winter Break.
During the fall semester, first-year College student Karissa Nanetta established and organized the initiative, U.Va. Global Publicity, which is modeled after a domestic ambassador program. The participating students, who Nanetta said numbered around 20, spoke at high schools in countries including China, Kuwait and France during the winter vacation. Designed to increase the name recognition of the University and attract prospective international students, speakers concentrated on explaining “what a U.S. education is like,” specifically describing the student academic experience and general life at the University, Nanetta said.
Associate Dean of Admissions Greg Roberts said the students are discouraged from discussing admissions requirements such as which SAT Subject Tests to take because these students do not make admissions decisions and are “not qualified” to discuss the admissions process.
“We’re much more interested in them representing the University and encouraging students to look at U.Va. rather than saying ‘You sound like a good candidate,’” said Parke Muth, senior assistant dean and director of international admission.
Although the organization is student-led and not formally funded, participants are given resources such as brochures, pamphlets and a PowerPoint presentation in training sessions to take back to their home countries, Muth said. These materials, along with the students’ presentations, could help to make both international students and employers aware of the University’s reputation; while the University holds a high place in U.S. rankings, many people abroad consider rankings released from countries such as China and the U.K., in which the University is not so highly rated.
“We can’t assume that everybody is looking at U.S. rankings,” Muth said.
By increasing awareness of the University’s reputation among global employers, Nanetta said the program also hopes to ease the job search process for graduates looking to work overseas.
These efforts to reach out to both employers and students have gained more relevance and importance with recent budget cuts that limit the amount admissions officers can travel, Roberts noted.
Furthermore, Roberts said, high school students are “far more likely to want to speak to current students and get the true authentic story rather than a sales pitch or what sounds like a company line.”
Although it is too early to gauge the concrete success of the program, the admissions office expects it to be at least as successful as the domestic student-led program, which Muth said has been running for several years.
“As far as we can tell, those visits are going to be a huge plus in terms of getting the word out,” he said.
The response from participants so far has also been very positive, Muth said. In an evaluation, participant Yanyan Lin, a College student, said the “information interaction” went both ways; participants not only gave information to prospective students but also reflected on their University experience in a new light. Nanetta added that one student has already contacted 10 additional schools to visit during the summer vacation.
Nanetta said the program will include many more high schools during the longer summer vacation as the organization reaches out to more international students and University organizations this semester. She said future plans include setting up an international blog where current students can post entries about student life at the University as well as a Facebook group to facilitate two-way communication. The program also wants to expand to involve alumni and faculty to serve as resources and contact points for prospective students at conferences and education fairs, Muth said.
“[Any] communication between an interested student and someone [from] U.Va. can help,” Roberts said. “We believe it’s important to give a personal feel.”
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