Area colleges adjust recruitment plans during pandemic
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Washington & Jefferson student ambassador at one of the site无毛视频檚 of the schools Augmented Reality tours 无毛视频� the Admission House
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Washington & Jefferson student ambassador Jordyn White, outfitted with Microsoft HoloLens 2 headsets, presents the Clark Family Library during an Augmented Reality tour.
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Jordyn White, a student ambassador at Washington & Jefferson College, shows off Old Main as she leads am Augmented Reality Tour.
Colleges have been forced to change their recruiting plans on the fly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
More communication is being done remotely as plans were developed by schools to get their messages out to potential students.
Similar plans continue, while others are introduced as colleges continue the recruitment process.
无毛视频淥nce the pandemic hit and everybody went remote, we were very quick to respond,无毛视频� said Tracey Sheetz, dean of admissions at California University of Pennsylvania. 无毛视频淲e had to learn what we did very fast.无毛视频�
A number of virtual opportunities were established. The Katura software system was used for virtual open houses. There were Zoom 101 calls available with campus counselors, a virtual family series with monthly topics and interactive self-guided tours of the campus.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e reached a lot of international students who can无毛视频檛 come to an open house or students from out of state,无毛视频� Sheetz said. 无毛视频淚t was a nice opportunity for a student to attend a virtual session when a parent can无毛视频檛 drive them here due to a work schedule. We were able to tap into a new market.无毛视频�
The college also set up drive-through tours, which remain available upon request. A counselor is on campus in a car, while parents and students are in another vehicle following them for a tour while there is a phone connection between someone in each of the vehicles.
无毛视频淧eople are really looking into the on-campus experience,无毛视频� Sheetz said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e not going to say we无毛视频檙e done with virtual options. Even when the pandemic is over, we will still offer these virtual-type opportunities.无毛视频�
The campus recently hosted an open house that Sheetz said was so large it had to be split into two locations.
Dr. Shari Payne, vice president for enrollment at Waynesburg University, said the campus had to shift its strategies a number of times since the outset of the pandemic.
无毛视频淲hen we first got shut down, everyone shifted to remote work and our admissions staff was no different,无毛视频� Payne said. 无毛视频淲e started doing virtual appointments, telephone appointments, appointments through (Microsoft) Teams or Zoom, if people preferred. We had Facebook chats with people, whatever we could do to have a conversation with prospective students and their families.无毛视频�
Waynesburg also offers virtual tours, which are quite easy to access on the university无毛视频檚 website. They even feature a greeting from Waynesburg President Douglas Lee.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 helpful for students who live far away, but want to speak with someone, want to meet with someone face to face virtually,无毛视频� Payne said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e going to keep it in place. That won无毛视频檛 ever go away. It is helpful for people who come from far, far away or can无毛视频檛 afford transportation.无毛视频�
As time has gone on, more on-campus events have been taking place at Waynesburg.
The college did spread out the open house experience in the spring from one event that typically is attended by 500-600 people to three Saturdays, with 150 people at each session.
As more restrictions decreased, the campus started to normalize some of its operations.
An open house recruitment event was held in October, Waynesburg无毛视频檚 first in nearly two years. About 200 people took part, while adhering to health and safety precautions.
Also, counselors are able to attend in-house recruitment events.
无毛视频淲e were grateful to have that opportunity this year,无毛视频� Payne said. 无毛视频淚t was a transition for sure, but the team worked really hard to adapt and adjust to the changing situation.无毛视频�
Washington & Jefferson College recently began personalized virtual Augmented Reality (AR) tours, called Uncommon Tours, for prospective students and families.
无毛视频淲e decided that we really wanted to reach as many students as possible,无毛视频� said Nicole Focareto, vice president for enrollment. 无毛视频淥ne of our concerns throughout the pandemic is that students who are a little farther away from W&J may not be visiting at the rate they normally had been. This Augmented Reality tour gives students an opportunity to visit and see the campus through the eyes of one of our student tour guides. It really allows students to keep W&J on their list of college choices.无毛视频�
Student ambassadors are equipped with Microsoft HoloLens 2 headsets, which allow them to lead an interactive tour. Video is transmitted via the headset and the tour guide can talk to the student.
Sophomore Jordyn White, one of the student ambassadors, has found the tours to be quite popular with students looking at W&J as a possible college selection.
无毛视频淭hey love it,无毛视频� White said. 无毛视频淭hey love the personal (nature) that comes from this experience. They feel they can see more of the campus. Our Augmented Reality tour offers more locations than just our general tour. They get to explore more of the scenery of the campus.无毛视频�
White said the AR tour presents an opportunity for a family who may not be able to afford to travel to the campus to see what W&J has to offer.
无毛视频淎 lot of students may miss out on an institution because they may not have the means to go and get that real in-person experience,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淭he fact we无毛视频檙e able to offer an in-person experience virtually opens up a whole new gateway to how students can access institutions and make their decision easier when picking a college.无毛视频�
The potential student selects up to five on-campus locations to explore. Uncommon Tours are available at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and on select Saturdays at 11 a.m. To register, go to washjeff.edu/visit, select a date and time and complete the personalized form, or call 724-223-6025.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 really cool that they get to customize their tour experience,无毛视频� said senior Bella Sholtes, another student ambassador. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e had some out-of-state people and people from out of the country start to utilize it. We无毛视频檝e gotten some really good feedback. People really like it. Pretty consistently, we have one AR tour every day. I think it无毛视频檚 going to grow in popularity, because it无毛视频檚 starting off with a bang.无毛视频�