We can’t be the only family that is getting multiple calls from people not working directly for a college who are doing sales calls.
The calls are clearly not from the college itself. I half-expect them to tell me it’s an apology from my electric company – you know, that pause while the call is connected – but then they tell me they’re “from” XYZ college and they want to talk to my son.
However, it’s obvious that they are NOT from XYZ college; they’re just doing a sales call and reading from a script and have no connection to the college at all. To be clear - they stumble over the college’s name, and obviously know nothing about it.
It didn’t happen with D19, so I’m assuming it’s a new thing. It really turns me off. I decide that the school is desperate, yet can’t be bothered to devote real time and energy to my kid.
There are a number of firms that can be engaged by colleges to do enrollment services. This sounds like a consulting company’s great idea of a value added service. Competition for students is fierce … the pool of high school students is smaller, there are tons of schools who need to not only maintain but increase enrollment to make it, and some students are choosing not to attend college. This is a way to try to enroll students. I’m not a fan, but I’m also not trying to keep a college afloat. I was enrollment manager at the last school where I worked, and our board wanted to hire a well known firm to “help” me with enrollment. I didn’t see the value due to the unique nature of the school. But with staff pared to the bone, schools may feel that this is their best option.
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tOSU had those calls 6 years ago so I’m not sure they are new. Definitely a turn off!
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I don’t recall ever receiving a call from a college, for either of my kids over the last 6 years, but maybe they don’t leave message on the machine/voice mail.
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I’ve somehow managed to get away with not putting a phone number into nearly any of the forms so far.
When it absolutely requires a phone number, I put my kid’s in 
He’s gotten unwanted calls as long as he’s had a phone. I never get them (>10 yrs with same number) and I don’t intend to start! They are so annoying, and I wish people could do more to stop them.
When my alma mater calls to beg for donations, I just have lovely chats with the poor students working the phones. Would be really awkward to have prospective college randos calling!
Or get yourself a Google voice number and put that in instead. Google can transcribe the voice mail and then send it to you, just in case you wonder what it is.
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A little off topic. My kid worked at her college call center. After I found that students did this work,Mi always donate to my Alma mater….but Mi always donated anyway. Now I wait for the student call…my kid actually made a commission if she got more than a certain $ amount on her shift in donations. She was a great chatter…and got some good donations…and commissions.
I guess what I’m saying…if you support your alma mater you might as well support a student making the call.
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My D had the same job (calling alums for donations) at her alma mater. The college didn’t actually run the operation–an outside firm did it. The firm, however, recruited and hired students from the college. I would hate a job like this, but my D loved it and did well. She was given a group of alums who hadn’t made donations in the 5-10 years and did pretty well at coaxing them to donate. IIRC she got a commission for every donation over X amount.
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Both my kids got calls from their respective colleges when they were accepted and had committed to going. It was inviting them to sign up for orientation and asking them if they had any questions. D has graduated and she does get occasional calls asking for donations…