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
Ed
