Virtual admissions events are no longer an option as university admissions offices compete for attention in the face of decreasing application numbers. Hosting incoming students in online events is essential for connecting with them on an interpersonal basis, learning about their objectives, and assisting them in visualizing their alternatives at your university. Successful college admissions events must separate your school from your rivals, attract students, and give plenty of opportunities to establish connections based on trust and transparency, much as companies have learned about virtual recruitment.

We wanted to provide some virtual events ideas to assist you in attracting, retaining and engaging potential students, especially since the world is still mainly online. These online events aim to engage with your students by giving them a feeling of belonging while also giving them comfort and direction on their path through higher education. Making these gatherings digital is a fantastic way, to begin with, virtual peer-to-peer. When done right, virtual events may still provide a fantastic experience – and even more that isn't accessible offline: more depth & range of information, a fully customized experience, and a record of those crucial discussions.

Additionally, it is well located. Unlike a traditional event, which generally attracts students within driving distance, a virtual event may attract more students worldwide, including nations you have not previously recruited. It is insufficient to hold as many activities as your competitors. Additionally, you'll want to diversify your virtual event offerings to attract more prospects, maintain participant engagement during the event, and encourage participants to come for future events.

The potential to offer a more personalized experience is another benefit of going digital. While large-scale visiting days provide a fantastic experience, students may become overwhelmed by the amount of information and activities available to them, most of which are irrelevant. The University of Exeter, for example, was able to draw twice the rate as many students to virtual activities as they had been to in-person events.

So, with that in mind, here are five (5) virtual recruitment event ideas for prospective students entering university:

Information sessions

Although virtual university entrance information sessions are simply an online counterpart of in-person information sessions, this does not imply that students sit for an hour watching a talking head. The purpose of this sort of event is to provide potential students with an insight into academics & student life at your university. You may use a variety of technologies to create that picture on a virtual platform. Create a dynamic, entertaining event that informs students all they need to learn about your school using video (both recorded and live broadcast) and narrative methods, as well as Question and Answer (Q&A) sessions.

Questions and Answers about the course

Because Q&As are a fantastic way to bring potential students online with a professor or course counselor for a casual discussion about what to anticipate when they start. It takes around half an hour to put up these events for a couple of hours. To add a personalized experience, invite a professor to livestream the class and answer student queries in real-time. Having current student advocates in the discussion will only enhance the experience. They cannot only respond to questions with real-life examples, but they can also keep the conversation continuing or assist students in gaining confidence if they are initially shy.

Virtual campus tours

There are several virtual campus tour options available, ranging from 360-degree tours to interactive movies. Unibuddy Live isn't like that at all. However, it does draw attention to the true advantage of a campus tour: the opportunity to talk with a current student. A great way to implement virtual recruitment to your universityWith Unibuddy Online video streaming, you can get a student set up in their studio apartments and have them share their housing experience. You may then quickly switch to another student who is streaming from the libraries. A laptop and an internet connection are all you need to transmit live video, so a more typical campus tour should be doable if students can use walkabout.The fact that they are live is the essential part. You may have other learners in the chat room respond to questions in real-time, or you can take potential students on a virtual tour.

Group chats

Your students will create Facebook group conversations to locate their prospective classmates, gain confidence from others in similar situations, and get ahead of the game when it comes to establishing friends.There's no reason to attempt to block those groups and group chats, but by creating an official channel, you can ensure that they're meeting their cohort, teaching staff, and existing students in a secure environment where you can verify the information they're exchanging is correct. Nobody is going to spend 50 dollars on a textbook they don't genuinely need.Unibuddy Live has the advantage of allowing you to plan activities that last weeks or months. That means you may start a live event & leave it going until the beginning of the semester, allowing students to dip in and out. Another good tool for virtual meetings is Remo.

Extracurricular activities should be highlighted

Extracurricular activities are frequently emphasized by teachers and guidance counselors for high schoolers in terms of 'looking good on a college application. Extracurricular activities, which range from sports to student government, are inextricably linked to the identities of many students.  As a result, many prospective college students may consider extracurricular activities when deciding on their application.Use virtual recruitment events to promote the extracurricular activities available at your university. You can hold a separate event for each popular pastime or a public event to poll student preferences. These activities can be centered on sports teams, student activist organizations, student government or the newspapers, and other on-campus or off-campus societies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is reasonable to assume that COVID-19 will affect enrolment and re-enrollment, but admissions personnel may potentially tilt the scales in their advantage by using inventive ways to maximize virtual situations. We hope you find this post helpful.