The College Choice

In the college admission industry pricing is a pivotal component for families making their decisions. Challenges are faced by both small private liberal arts schools and large public universities. Private institutions have very high price tags, but give generous amounts of financial aid. Public institutions on the other hand have low tuition rates, but give very little financial aid. Private institutions face more challenges than public schools in terms of the customer. For many prospective students and their families they tend to take a lot of stock in the sticker price of the college. Many will just be turned off by the high sticker price of private schools, and not even look into the generous scholarships many institutions offer. This can result in small private schools being looked over by many families. One issue that I think plagues private institutions is the fact that their company objectives tend to be more customer oriented. This means that these companies target a market...

Ethics are a part of the college admissions process that few individuals outside of the industry have any direct exposure to. Considering the fact that college admissions counselors are essentially marketers they should abide by the American Marketing Association’s Statement of Ethics. According to the organization's statement, marketers should embody particular ethical values. These values are: Honesty - to be forthright in dealings with customers and stakeholders. Responsibility - to accept the consequences of our marketing decisions and strategies Fairness - to balance justly the needs of the buyer with the interests of the seller. Respect - to acknowledge the basic human dignity of all stakeholders. Transparency - to create a spirit of openness in marketing operations. Citizenship - to fulfill the economic, legal, philanthropic and societal responsibilities that serve stakeholders. Although these are fantastic ethical values to abide by, admission counsel...