Choosing the 'right' college

Thirty years of working in marketing didn’t prepare me for a recent Sunday morning in which my family was feted in the grand style of “Accepted Students Day” at a local private university. 

The intensity of the effort the college put forth to explain its vision to its target audience, the class of 2016, had all the appropriate components of a well oiled integrated marketing communications program. There were university spokespeople, satisfied parents and alumni testimonials, promotional specialties and brochures and campus representatives providing customer service for both parents and their influencers - the prospective student body. Everywhere we turned there was a real sense of “we know who we are” and “we need you, we want you” among the gracious and smiling employees.  The guests of honors are left with one thought: this is the school that has all the potential to make you (and thus your parents) happy.

In these days of branding, packaging, pleasing the public,and spinning the message in every corner of the world, academia is no exception. It appears that every avenue of higher learning is doing everything it can to reach out for enrollment from the best and brightest pool of students who are no doubt examining all alternatives to get a degree in tough economic times. 

Watching the experience from outside my body that day, I felt a little like a movie director.  If you watch someone else’s film, do you automatically edit the lighting, camera angles and actors’ performances? My takeaway was on the smarts and sincerity of the university personnel whose accessibility and one-on-one conversations with my family were exceptional without benefit of balloons and free knapsacks. As we made our way through the festivities all I hoped for on that Sunday was the sense of belonging to remove the worried wrinkles on my tired daughter’s face. After all she had asked of the university, and they of her, what was left was her instinct on this life-altering decision.

Did she want the opportunity this university offered? Was this the right fit? She nods, the young woman who asks for very little and works very hard.  Her chance is now and it is what she is meant to do. I close my eyes, take a deep breath and ask what department I make the deposit check to.