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06/09/2007
Recruitment and admissions:improving the experience of our international students
Dr Jane SherwoodDirector of Graduate Admissions and Funding
University of Oxford
UKCGE, University of Edinburgh, 19th April 2012
Overview
• Opening questions• Where to look for help on what to do• Making the most of the web• Communication
– How?
– By whom?
– About what?
• Fair assessment• Smooth transition
Opening questions
• The ‘assumption of homogeneity’ trap
• What distinctive needs can we identify?
• Separation or integration?
• Doing some research ...
Asking our applicants
• Focus groups with current students
• Graduate Admissions and Funding surveys– Offer-holders– Those who turn down their offer– Surveys of those who attend events we organise (Open Days, events
overseas)
• Student Barometer – your own results – UK Higher Education International Unit report March 2010
www.international.ac.uk/home/index.cfm
Asking our applicants
Taking professional advice
• QAA – Quality Code for HE Research Degrees (draft January 2012,
indicators 5, 6, 7, and Quality Code B2 – admissions (www.qaa.ac.uk)
– “International students – studying in the UK” January 2012, pp. 6 – 14 covering marketing and recruitment and admissions (http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/International-students.pdf)
• British Council – new structure to services• UKCISA – UK Council for International Student
Affairs• SPA – Supporting Professionalism in Admissions
Getting some personal experience
• Oxford’s recruitment events in 2011-12 - China, India, Germany, US, Australia ... and Manchester
Other approaches
• Overseas offices
• Overseas campuses
• Agents
Working the web• Graduate admissions is Oxford’s third most popular
site after home page and lead story, over 2M visits pa
• Focus on web, re-envisioning
the paper prospectus
• A regional approachwww.graduate.ox.ac.uk/india www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/china
•www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/vod
• Humanities Open Day filmswww.graduate.ox.ac.uk/humanities
• Student video competition
• Student photo competition for prospectus
• Podcasts – lectures online
Remote access to reality?
Others’ good ideas
• Live online chat – At Liverpool with their International Team for an hour a week
– Royal Holloway has live chat available 10-4 Monday-Friday www.rhul.ac.uk/international/home.aspx
• St Andrew’s free app of prospectus and individual subject leafletswww.st-andrews.ac.uk/admissions/pg/prospectus/2012Entry
• Imperial’s interactive campus map www3.imperial.ac.uk/interactivemap
• Brunel’s International Students newsletter x3 pa www.brunel.ac.uk/international/applying-to-brunel/applied-and-waiting/newsletter
How to stay awake when you’re asleep...
• Web-based enquiry-management
• 365/24/7 availability – no timezone or public holiday concerns
• Takes away any fear of spokenEnglish
• Reduces repetitive tasks for staff
• Analytics allow you to focus on improving the information you provide
Moving paper processes online – how far can you get?
• Online applications –99% online at Oxford in 5 years
• References – 85-90%online at Oxford
• Applicant portal
• But paper still counts – transcripts, visa applications
Tailored communications
• Alongside the applicant, from enquiry to entry
• Customer relationship management software
• Event & web signs ups
• Remote vs in person ‘conversion’ activities – not all international students are overseas!
Student to student
• Our most effective tool?
• Regional and faithstudent societies
• Student ambassadors
• Bringing the student perspective in to all our activities
Applicants and alumni – common cause?
• Alumni as living examples ofcareer services and career routes
• Alumni ambassador schemes(before, during, after application?)
• Joint alumni and recruitmentevents – an experiment atPresidency University, Kolkata
Fees and funding – don’t forget the obvious
• Foreground scholarship information
• Be clear about costs – fees and living expenses
• Oxford’s new Fees, Funding & Scholarship Search tool (www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/fundingsearch)
A fair assessment
• International qualifications - understanding what you’re seeing
• NARIC – or local equivalence indices like Manchester’s information for International Students by country with qualifications & English language scores? www.manchester.ac.uk/international/country
• Helping applicants to understand what makes a competitive application e.g.– state GPA equivalents to ‘first’, ‘2i’– indicate clearly if GMAT/GRE are required
• English language qualifications• The role of interviews
Smooth transitions
• From applicant to registered students • Visa advice• English language support incl. pre-sessional courses• Upfront information about course content and delivery –
bridging the gap from existing educational experience• Many British Council offices have a pre-departure day for
students travelling to overseas universities• Alumni and scholarship funders pre-departure events• Academic skills development – early intervention,
individualised, in discipline
Discussion points
• What can we do at a national level?• What can we do at an institutional level?• Do you know of
– impressive examples? – areas of weakness?