With 11 processed applications from the Mainland and Hong Kong, it seems as though the college’s efforts to recruit more incoming students from China has made some progress. According to Eric Currie, vice president for enrollment management, nine of the processed have been accepted and three of the nine students have confirmed their enrollment for next semester and made their initial deposits. Current numbers may increase, though, as international students have until a June deadline to make deposits. Additionally, as of Wednesday, one of the committed students is enrolled in the Science Honors program.
While the college’s focus last year was on Zinch, a social networking site which allows students to communicate with admissions officers from various undergraduate institutions across the United States, it has this year worked with a more hands-on approach, working with Dr. Richard Liu of Panda North America to reach out to high schools in China. About six or seven of the applicants to Houghton have applied through Liu or his contacts. Others have applied through Houghton contacts, while others still learned of Houghton through internet searches.
According to Currie, the majority of the applicants “had an expression of the Christian faith shared by the college.” He added, “for a lot of families, that has been a positive expression because they know we’re not a ‘party school;’ we hold to a ‘moral code’ in their words.”
As is required for other international students, the incoming students will arrive on campus a week before regular fall orientation to attend informative sessions and further acclimate to living on an American campus. Students who score below an 80 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) are required to attend intensive English classes in addition to regular classes.
Also in development, most likely for next summer, is a summer camp for high school students aged 16 and under who are interested in attending Houghton in the future. Currie described it as “kind of like an American cultural camp.” He explained, “We have the dates already solidified and the space reserved; it’s just to get families prepared financially to make that kind of commitment and come over” and added that “there are some other schools here locally that do similar programs.”