Mentioning other schools in the Admissions process...
Is it wise to mention another school at any time in the admissions process if it is in the negative sense?
Diana,
I agree. We should be focused our school and its offerings.
Patty Aronoff
I would highly recommend NOT doing so. Your institute should have enough plus factors you do not need to mention other schools. We look at the national average regarding pass rates etc and I feel this is a perfect way to generalise information, especially if your school is performing above average.
Linda,
Yes! They need to find out about each school and make their own decision.
Patty Aronoff
I agree with this, but it does occur where the prospective student asks about your school's value vs. the competition. I always say that I don't have direct experience with the other school so I'm not able to comment on that aspect. Does that work?
I agree that it is out of place to mention another school. It can put a bad taste in that students mouth.
Guy,
I agree, I would rather be speaking of how proud I am of our school.
Patty Aronoff
I agree that it's always best to be prudent about speaking of other institutions. Think about it... what does it say about you and your institution if you're speaking ill of another??
I am going to take your advise! This is a frequent question, and sometimes I do not know how to answer; thank you!
Lindsay,
Very good advice. I feel you can turn a negative into a positive about your programs.
Patty Aronoff
Yusisleidy,
I would recommend turning it around and explaining more about what a great school you have.
Patty Aronoff
Parris,
It is not encouraged. Can you prove what you state?
Patty Aronoff
I also agree that it is unprofessional to mention another school negatively to a prospective student. However, oftentimes students will bring up other schools or competitors. i.e "How is your school a better program than X?" So, you will have to deal with those types of scenarios working in admissions, and will need to walk a fine line between being able to compare your school to another, without being negative about another school.
I believe it is very unprofessional to mention other schools in the admission process even though in some cases schools do so. I believe some negative comments in general about other schools can be mentioned, but not to specifically mention names of schools. n
