Admit office begins earlier high-school outreach

The Office of Admissions has begun actively communicating with high school sophomores in an effort to broaden their knowledge of the University - a strategy higher education experts say has been developing at U.S. colleges over the past decade.

Earlier outreach to prospective students has proven more effective in admissions recruitment than increasing overall visits to high schools, according to Admissions Dean Eric Furda.

The current admissions cycle marks the University's strongest push to connect with sophomore and junior students through electronic and print mailings. The effort is focused primarily within the United States and includes lower-income areas.

"For those who are already thinking about college options, we want Penn up-front for consideration," Furda said in an e-mail. "For others, this may be an opportunity to help them think broadly about their preparation for college."

David Hawkins, director of public policy and research at the National Association for College Admission Counseling, said the trend of reaching out to younger students has progressed in recent years.

"[Admissions offices] have realized that communicating with students earlier can help build brand recognition," he said. "The earlier that you reach people, perhaps the more likely it is they will think of you near the top of their list."

The NACAC 2008 Admissions Trend Survey found that over 45 percent of colleges sent their first mailings to high school students when they are in their sophomore year. The survey's respondents included 320 public and private universities in the United States.

Hawkins said the early contact may help students form relationships with universities - but may also cause additional stress.

"There may be a point at which it is too early to start talking to students about applying to a specific college," he said. "This is not an entirely clear-cut issue."

Hawkins also noted that private high schools are more opposed to early recruitment because their students apply to higher-level colleges where the admission standards are more competitive.

Lloyd Thacker, executive director of the Education Conservancy, said reaching out to younger students is acceptable as long as self-promotion is not the college's only goal.

"[Admissions officers] should be more interested in the students' relationship to learning and how that develops in high school," he said.

He added that the communication strategy offers universities a new role in promoting high-school students' academic preparation for college.

"The better [the universities] are at serving educational goals in reaching out to kids, the more they will serve their own recruitment goals," he said.

In addition to early communication, the Admissions office is updating its visitors' guide to include a condensed Zagat Guide, translating some materials into Spanish and holding Spanish-language information sessions in Miami and Los Angeles.

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