A recent Globe and Mail article revealed that university recruitment methods have become much more aggressive than in the recent past. It used to be that students were often forced to wait until as late as April to hear from the universities they had applied to. Now, according to the article, acceptances— often along with hefty scholarships—are handed out as early as October to exceptional students universities are seeking to recruit. Some schools are even giving conditional offers based on a student’s grade 11 marks.
While it is good to see universities reaching out to students, it has also added to the pressure of the decision-making process for students. Ontario has seen a complete overhaul of its curriculum and the elimination of OAC. With universities courting bright students so soon after their applications are sent, or even before their applications are sent, they leave less time for students to consider their options. Competition is high for universities to secure top students. As Carleton’s associate vice-president of student and academic services Ann Tierney said, “like everything, university issions is something that is a competitive industry.” York University has even taken to making house calls. The Globe and Mail reported that “David Huckvale, the associate director of recruiting said that along with mailing offers to A students, a small subset of that group with 95 per cent averages and higher will be paid home visits by recruiters, who will hand deliver offers.” According to Angie Saweczko, manager of Canadian recruitment at York, prospective students meeting a certain GPA “are called and congratulated for receiving ission to York. At that time, students are asked if representatives from York can personally deliver the letter of acceptance. However, it is not mandated how the letter is delivered, whether representatives come to their houses or schools, some students choose to pick the letter up at York.” While students will arguably be able to see beyond the flowers and chocolates, so to speak, of this courtship, the offer of a scholarship and the extra attention is still tempting and will at least get students to consider a school they may not have considered before. It is a reality for many students that often the school they choose to attend is directly related to the amount of financial assistance offered by the school, whether they need the money or are simply flattered by the attention.
At a time like this, students need the help and of their guidance counselors. The guidance councellors need to inform their students about the different options available—not just university. A university that is willing to come to your house may not be the university that best fits your needs. In reality, only a small fraction of high school students—namely those with 90 plus averages—will be receiving this kind of red carpet treatment from universities. It is also important for parents to remind their children that while an early offer of acceptance from one school is good, they are in no way obligated to attend that particular school.
Ultimately, however, the decision still lies in the hands of the students. Like all of us, they will have to decide which school is best for them, and not necessarily the school that is the most prestigious or gives them the most free stuff.
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