Competition
What happens when a student transferred from a competitor school and is constantly comparing the two?
that's true; it's good to listen, but negative comments about another school won't help anyone. To turn it around and say how we do things is the way to go.
This does happen. Students often vent about why they left another school. I usually just listen. If they ask, I will tell them what our school procedures and policies would be on those topics.I do not agree with them or say anything negative about the other school.
I must definetly agree with that....This can also be an opportunity to either better our school and the way we operate, remember that we learn alot from negative feed back and if we don't know what we are doing wrong or what we can change about the school, then we will never grow. Let's not also forget that the best advertisement is through word of mouth and the experiences of others. "of course we would make certain decisions depending what this particular student is comparing"
I always listen to the student and let them vent. But in return it gives me a chance to highlight our school and show them that our goal is not to bash any other school. But to focus on our students and thier education
I would like to hear their feedback. I feel that there may be a good idea that we could implement at our school.
I listen to what they have to say. Never speek bad about our competitor school. I think it makes us look bad if we talk bad about other school. And at times feel if we would talk bad about the other school it may push the student away.
Listen to what the student has to say, but do not engage in their negative remarks. Take the information they are providing with a grain of salt if you feel appropriate, because not always are the students portraying the correct information or image.
I use their comparisons to view a world I don't often get to see. I probe for more information and it's been more than once I have made changes in our program if the comparative complaint had merit.
I would hope that students would constantly compare, as I know there is no real comparison.
A fish has to wiggle to set the hook, as it were.
Christine - great point on applying this concept to staff as well as students.
I keep my opinions about other schools to myself. I would listen and if other transferring students mentioned similar issue I would share that other students have felt the same.
I would continue sharing and highlightening the positive side of our institution.
I agree with Magda...
It's important to listen and then redirect the
student to the task at hand. The student will eventually understand that Concorde will not
speak negatively about its competitition.
It's also a great opportunity to discuss Concorde's mission statement!
This also happens with staff. I process the new hires and will sometimes hear disparaging remarks about our competitors. I listen and let them speak ,then I tell them positive things about Concorde's history and my experiences with Concorde. We also experience new instructors who will say "Oh we did it this way at XXX". We will explain that our OTM's and policies/procedures are based on specific guidelines defined by governing entities(such as TWC) and we follow them to the letter.
I think that this would be a good transition into pointing out the benifits of attending Concorde.
I honestly think that if we belive in our school and now for a fact and come across to all the students that way,, there will never be no comerasion and know that we are one of akind.
I think this is an opportunity for us as faculty or administrators of another school to demonstrate that we are going to only talk about our school and the benefits and advantages our school has to offer. It is easy to speak ill of another school so it up to us to make sure this does not happen. If a student wants to carry the conversation in that direction I simply redirect the conversation back to our school or our program.
When the student compares the two school. Politely saying to the student that we cannot speak for the other school. However, this is how this school does things.
I take the first opportunity to tactfully avert the conversation to the tasks at hand and to the benefits of Concorde.
Yes, just let the student vent. Do not get involved in negative speak. In my experience, schools that speak negatively about other schools end up losing the student. Negativety backfires. Also the negative things the student tells you about the other school may not be true. Sometimes they try to justify why they did not do well by blaming the school.
