Getting to Yes! Designing an Interactive Graduate Student Recruitment Weekend

Overview: In today’s competitive admissions field, attracting top-tier graduate talent requires engaging recruitment strategies. Often this is focused on traditional marketing efforts, but what efforts are in place to land the most promising students? Connecting those who may be fielding several offers, we provide case studies of designing an interactive graduate recruitment weekend that capitalizes on program strengths to build buy-in from applicants when it matters most—in the yield stage. Staff from varying program sizes (from a centralized graduate unit, to a school representing two departments, to the efforts of a single, focused program) discuss when and how they plan, budget for, and schedule yield events in their admissions processes.

Attendees will gain insights into best practices for designing their own recruitment weekends that build connections between candidates, faculty, and students. Presenters will provide examples of recent costs and results as well as takeaways that attendees can modify to fit their own program’s strengths, budget, and staff levels.

Team Leader: