Return to Winter

After spending the last 6 days in sunny Florida (Miami and Naples) it seems a bit cool back here in Worcester....even with 50 degree temps today!!

I was lucky enough to spend this time my my wife and son in Florida, even though part of the trip was admissions related. Last Sunday I was in Miami at the National College Fair. Even though I was far from home the fair was quite busy for WPI and I spoke to over 50 prospective students and their families. One might call this fair college recruitment of the future. I had the opportunity to rent a bar scanner before the fair, and being a technological university I of course thought it was an intriguing idea. So one might wonder what would I do with a bar scanner at a college fair? Scan students of course!! Students were encouraged to register their information on-line before the fair, or to do so upon arrival...instead of filling out inquiry cards for all the colleges to receive information from all the colleges, each student had a bar code that I would scan when they came up to the table.

I'll admit I was a bit skeptical at first and reached out to see what other experienced scanners at other schools thought...I heard good things and now I am a convert!! Instead of lots of wasted time for both students and admissions representatives, a quick scan allowed for much more conversation and allowed students to have the opportunity to check out more colleges and universities.

I know that NACAC is not providing this option at all locations yet, but hopefully in the near future this will be standard practice!!

So what else did I do in Florida? In addition to attending the college fair I also had an opportunity to connect with some of our applicants in the Miami area before heading to the Gulf Coast to spend some time with family. Had a chance to take in a Red Sox spring training game, spend some time on the swings with my son (his new favorite activity!!) and spend a little time by the pool. Before I knew it I was on the plane answering e-mails and breaking out the sweatshirt and jacket for my ride home.

Admissions Committee begins in a week!!

Ed