NIC plans spring recruitment program
New research is proving that students decide whether or not they plan to attend college much earlier than once expected. That trend among youth and their patterns for choosing a post-secondary education has North Idaho College officials convinced that reaching out to students once they are in high school is too late.
NIC will initiate a new three-part college recruitment program this spring aimed at exposing students in the sixth, eighth and 10th grades to the college’s programs and services.
“We want to show students the benefits of attending college while they’re still forming their opinions,” said NIC President Priscilla Bell. “At the very least, we want them to understand the impact this decision will have on the rest of their lives.”
According to ACT’s 2005 “College Readiness Begins in Middle School” report, a study conducted among middle school and high school students found that 78 percent of middle and early high school students have already begun to explore education, training and careers they might pursue after high school.
In response to this trend, NIC is partnering with School District 271, local investment firm D.A. Davidson and the Northwest Education Loan Association on the campus visitation program Xplor NIC, which will bring nearly 3,000 students to campus over the course of three days in May. Initially, only Coeur d’Alene School District students will be invited, but officials intend to extend the program to other local districts in subsequent years.
While at NIC, students will attend workshops targeted toward each age group.
Sixth-graders will explore the effects of a college education on employment during an interactive workshop that includes role-playing with cash to demonstrate the difference in salary for those with college degrees.
The eighth-grade workshop will focus on career exploration, as various personality traits are matched with different careers.
The 10th-graders will work directly on NIC’s Web site to familiarize themselves with college processes as well as using the Internet as a college research tool.
Next, the students will break into smaller groups to attend a class “and get a feel for what it’s like to be a college student,” according to NIC Vice President for Student Services Eric Murray.
Lastly, the students will participate in an interactive, outdoors activity sponsored by NIC’s Outdoor Pursuits program.
According to Murray, a crucial element of the program’s success is presenting the information to parents as well since family values are a significant factor in determining whether a child will attend college. Parents will receive at home the same materials presented to their kids.
“By targeting the program to these three age groups, we’re not only providing the exposure to kids at a young age, but we’re reinforcing what we presented to the sixth-graders in the eighth grade and again when they’re sophomores,” Murray said. “Then we’re asking parents to reinforce it again.”
Murray said although the program is unique now, he believes eventually all colleges and universities will be targeting middle-schoolers as well as high-schoolers when recruiting students.
“If a student has already decided to attend college, then he or she can plan high school coursework around college requirements and save a lot of time and money,” Murray said. “Ultimately, this is a positive program for everyone involved, especially the students whose lives will be forever changed by the decisions they’re making now.”
- North Idaho College