I would suggest the prospective student visit the schools he is interested in and make the assessment himself.
I really like this approach. Honesty does indeed work, especially in education. I am still surprised that after all these years working in admissions students will still ask me questions about other schools as if I work for those schools. Naturally, I am helpful and encourage students to do their research. I find that once students come to their own conclusions about their education they are happier as opposed to feeling as if they were tricked into enrolling.
Dont offer details of comparison but suggest that the applicant visit both schools and will be able to make the best selection that way.
Whenever I feel a student is shopping, I give only the information given to me. I will know the facts pertaining to my school, but when a student asks me about another school, I would never give out any negative information. I will always tell a student to look at other schools because of the investment they are making in their education. Never would it be professional to give negative information pertaining to another school, no matter what you have heard.
I agree. Encouraging the student to do research on their and visit the other schools can allow them to make their own informed decision.
I feel that our school defiantely is one of the best. i encourage prospective students to visit our competition. This is one of the biggest decisions alot of them have ever mad and i want them to feel comfortable and know that they made the right decison to attend our campus.
The best way to discuss competitor's offerings is really to focus on our school's benefits. Trying to have a comparison with a student (who does not have the full story from our competitor) almost never works out right. Focusing on our strengths rather than tearing down a competitor is much more effective.
My admissions team is held accountable for when speaking about other institutions they are to speak highly of them and to focus on what our programs have to offer. We never speak poorly or badly regarding other institutions and their programs.
i avoid those questions by telling the student to go tour the school and find out for themselves.
I do not answer questions about other institutions. I would simply say, "I can only speak to my school, is there something that you are looking for that you did not find here?" Basically, get to the real reason that they are comparing schools and what they are really looking for.
I always tell people that do have other interest or curious about other schools to go check them out. I want them to be informed, comfortable and confident in making a decision on where to go to school. You need to put yourself in their shoes. How would you decide where to go to school? What's the best fit for you?
If students ask what is different about our college vs. a competitor, I will always tell them to look into the other school, call or visit and ask them about their programs. Then I will explain what we do in our program and tell them to compare once they have info on both schools.
I always try to be positive about other schools but let the student know that I honestly don't know any details about the said college in question. We suggest that you go to at least three different colleges and compare them, and find the best one that fits you. It's a difficult choice so make sure you compare.
It is important when students bring up topics about other schools to acknowledge that you are listening and understand their frustration. The best way to introduce new topics or resolutions to their problems or concerns is to present factual information about the steps your institution is taking to avoid and prevent negative situations that the student may have endured in the past. By acknowledging what they are saying, the Advisor can shed light on the benefits of attending their institution without saying, "I can't talk about that". This type of transition is a great segway into promoting the benefits and solutions that their institution can provide and how it is a good fit for their wants and needs. When students bring concerns or begin bad mouthing another school it is important for the advisor to not engage in that kind of discussion, but rather re-route the conversation toward the good of their institution; this will also allow the advisor to determine what it is the student wants or expects out of an education and provide pertinent information to help promote the school and its services.
I am very straight forward with my students. I tell them that the most important thing to me is them getting their education no matter the instituion. I encourage them to look at different institutions to make the best decision for themselves.
I think an easy way to "side step" this question is to ask the student what he/she is looking for in a college? Then, reply to those needs. For example, if a student says he/she likes small sized class, I would say, "Our classes are small. We have a 20 to 1 student to teacher ratio.
When students ask about competitors we simply state that for specific information about a school you should contact them, but we go into what we offer and let the student decide for themselves. I will ask them what are you basing your decision on and I can make sure you have that information about us.
My school has a firm, moral, ethical, request to its Admissions Staff of not, "putting down," other schools in any way. The only time, we would ever talk about another school is if the applicant was blatently confused and needed to be educated on a broader context. For example, I personally had an applicant, just this weekend, want to know if we were a, "...90/10 school as I don't have the 10%!" I of course had to clarify what she was asking me and she advised that she had just spoken to ABC University whom had informed her that the majority of schools fall under the 90/10 rule and that she would need to pay 10% of her tuition in cash...where as the 90% could be used in Financial Aid. After I educated the student appropriatly on the definition of such an important rule/regulation, the student felt more confident in exercising the funds she had available through Title IV funding...(with another school)after all was said and done.
Our school also incourages Admission Advisors to ask a similar question. Which is: "What are you looking for a university to provide for you?" If the student has attended other schools, we also ask what was their positive/negative experiences at the other school and what are their expectations if they chose to attend here? We are not permitted to speak poorly of other schools, in fact I avoid it at all costs. The initial admissions meeting with an Advisor is to determine if our school is a good fit for the prospective student. There are many great schools in our school's surrounding area, we encourage all of our students to chose the school that most fits their educational and career goals.
I like and agree with this response. Really, the only way is to guide the student to the information to do the best comparisons. I also like to ask the student "what are you looking for in a school", which helps me to identify key concerns and then adress them ernestly.
