Attending Info Sessions

A number of information sessions have been taking place throughout the month, and my clients want to know whether it is worth attending. I believe it is.

1) The first rule of successful marketing is to know your target market. This means that up front you want to do a lot of research. Reading books, scouring the web, reviewing brochures – all of this is great. But nothing can replace actually meeting representatives from the schools and hearing frst hand what makes their school special. Vatsa makes this point in a recent blog entry regarding a trip to an MBA fair in Los Angeles.

2) Building off of the point above, in addition to educating yourself, you may actually gather some great content for your essays and interview. You will inevitably be asked why you want to attend a certain school, and it is so much more powerful to speak from first hand experience rather than quoting the website.

3) The information you gather at these sessions may shatter stereotypes, helping you to refine your school list or consider a school you had not taken seriously in the past.

4) You may actually make a valuable contact. You could very well meet someone from the admissions committee, a current student or alum, and stay in touch. This could prove to be a valuable or enjoyable relaionship down the road.

5) It will help to immerse you in the process. Few things will motivate you to focus on your essays more than attending a session with 100 qualified competitors.

So, dress up in business attire, bring a list of questions and a stack of business cards, and head over to those information sessions.