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Higher education has been a challenge in our country with a number of students dropping out from schools and never making it to colleges and universities. With alarms ringing all over the nation, administrators believe that drought in students could prove costly for the overall economy in years to come. Many colleges have now decided to be proactive rather than press the panic button.

There is tremendous stress on making students feel at home by offering a ‘personalized’ experience to them. Lynn University is one of the first to take such an initiative. Students enrolling in this campus have a personal parking lot reserved for them even before they step inside on day one. Leave aside individuals who have enrolled, even potential students are treated in the same manner, making them feel that they are already a part of the university.

Students like to be treated well. They like to feel important. Lynn University is doing exactly what is required to attract more youngsters to take up higher education. A student is greeted with a nicely marked sign with his/her name in the parking lot. Also, proper sign boards are in place to guide the students from the parking area till the main office.

Ironically, this is just a teaser of what a student can expect ahead. Every staff member of the university is aware of the potential student’s name, thus making him/her feel at home. Students who are already a part of the university help potential ones and take them for a campus tour. This way, there is good bonding amongst them which further enhances the ‘feel good factor’. It also leads to greater interaction between the students and faculty members.

According to Gareth Fowles, Enrollment Management, Vice President, there is a higher chance that a student would eventually enroll for a course if he/she happens to visit the campus and go around it. It makes the student a lot more comfortable. Also, students tend to connect to the place, its ambience as well as the staff and fellow mates.

Lynn University has taken many efforts in order to put the entire process in place. It has a website wherein families and students have the option of registering to experience a free tour of the campus. Often, proper scheduling of the visit is carried out. Staff at the university strives hard to get a minimum of six days prior to the visit of a student. This way, they get ample time to understand the student and are in a better position to greet him/her on the D-Day.

Each potential student gets a call from the University. The caller tries to get more information out of a student regarding his/her areas of interest and the things that would excite them the most in the campus.

With many students opting not to get enrolled at higher education institutes, while few others not being in a position to do so, the nation might fail to develop a good educated generation to come ahead. However, an initiative like this certainly comes across like breath of fresh air. Administrators are now upbeat and confident that the trend would be reversed sooner than later.