If anyone knows Keenum tell him to fire some people.

[M.Fillmore]

This came up on 6pack a year ago and nothing has changed. I know a National Merit Finalist with MSU parents and MSU only sends an occasional postcard to the kid. Meanwhile, Oklahoma and Alabama are all over this kid. OM constantly contacts this student as well.

My kid was in this boat years back, with schools everywhere offering schollys galore and MSU sent a couple of postcards and that was it.

Why does Keenum settle for incompetence in our student recruitment? Does Ron Polk run our recruitment of scholars?

[godlluB]

Ranting on here probably won't help much. Try this: president@msstate.edu

[PassInterference]

I've seen this happen as well. I knew a guy that was a very highly esteemed student. Best in the state. Also ranked very highly nationally in a number of ways. He got nothing special in the way of student recruitment.

MSU student recruitment = Ron Polk II baseball recruitment.

[EAVdog]

Obviously they have some problems. But it also may be that other schools are being notified about these kids by their Guidance Counselors etc...

If you know of a great student that needs recruiting get on the horn and let MSU know. If we can tweet to football recruits then shooting an email or calling MSU about a National Merit finalist is doable.

Now if we do that (or have done that) and the kid still gets ignored then it is pitchforks and torches time.

[Political Hack]

I know a kid that's #1 in his class at a 6A public school, 4.0 GPA, has a 33 on his ACT, is fluent in Spanish, exchange student for a month in Argentina, dates the hot cheerleader, and is a two year starter at RT on his high school football team.

State sends him a standard letter from time to time. OM sends him crap every day. He's gone from hating OM to considering them. State is barely in the picture, if at all.

He was going Ivy League but his trip to Argentina may keep him closer to home (and his girlfriend). Someone's going to get a Rhodes Scholar... and someone's not even trying.

[MStateME13]

I actually had a totally opposite experience with State when I graduated high school in the Atlanta area about 5 years ago. One of the main reasons I was sold on State was how personal and persistent their recruitment was (took my family out to dinner, etc.). I had several offers elsewhere but the personal touch at State made a huge difference. I'm not sure why some have an experience like mine, while others seemingly get overlooked for no reason.

[starkvegasdawg]

Wow. No one took my family out to supper. I got a few post cards and one or two phone calls but that was it. I graduated 9th in my class and had a 30 on the ACT. That got me a small scholly but nothing major. Certainly got me nothing special in recruitment. This was back in 1992 so it may not be relevant to today. We've gone through how many presidents since then?

[drunkernhelldawg]

Aptitude tests could show some of these student better fitted to the schools they're hearing from than to State. Counselors are often more deeply involved with the top students. Another possibility is that students marked those schools when they took the PSAT or other tests. If their family is already close to State, they may want info about the less familiar choices.

[gravedigger]

I actually had a totally opposite experience with State when I graduated high school in the Atlanta area about 5 years ago. One of the main reasons I was sold on State was how personal and persistent their recruitment was (took my family out to dinner, etc.). I had several offers elsewhere but the personal touch at State made a huge difference. I'm not sure why some have an experience like mine, while others seemingly get overlooked for no reason.

I'll tell you why. Because most people who comment on what the university does or doesn't do in the field of recruitment don't have the first clue as to what they are talking about. They don't know WHAT triggers the recruitment. They don't know what the departments do in regard to marketing.

Most of the perceived inactivity could be reversed by simply visiting a website and showing interest.

[M.Fillmore]

Most of the perceived inactivity could be reversed by simply visiting a website and showing interest.

This is Polk II mentality of recruiting, "Come see us and then we will consider you."
How hard is it for the MSU recruiters to get a list of National Merit scholars and go after them? Other schools are all over these kids while we are still sending the occasional postcard. In my circle of friends not one has said that MSU recruited their child well while other schools were all over these kids. Only one of these kids is going to MSU. OM and even USM are getting some of these kids but no one comes close to Bama. They must have a Saban clone recruiting the National Merit students.

[Gordon Gekko]

You guys just don't understand MSU academic recruiting. It's just like football recruiting. Let Ole Miss go out and get these fancy National Merit Scholar mathletes by bombarding them with mail and phone calls. Once they get to Oxford they realize it's not what was sold to them and they dont really want to be there and their nerdy asses fail in the real job world.

MSU is going after those student that fly under the radar but have a huge potential. These kids may only make the A/B honor roll in highschool, or the occasional C. They may even have few beers at a party every once in awhile but they are super intelligent and are personable. Once they get to MSU and into the real world they explode and rise up the job ranks.

[sandwolf]

I'll tell you why. Because most people who comment on what the university does or doesn't do in the field of recruitment don't have the first clue as to what they are talking about. They don't know WHAT triggers the recruitment. They don't know what the departments do in regard to marketing.

Most of the perceived inactivity could be reversed by simply visiting a website and showing interest.

Well I have no idea what triggers the recruitment of a student, but if being a National Merit Finalist/Semifinalist from the state of MS doesn't trigger it then that is a huge problem. These are the equivalent of 4 and 5 star football recruits from MS......they should get multiple hand written letters, pictures of themselves sitting in an MSU classroom drinking a can of swag, phone calls, text/facebook messages, etc. on a daily basis. There is no excuse for the university not to be recruiting the absolute dog shit out of students like that.

[Technetium]

MSU recruited the hell out of me when I was a senior. I was a NM Finalist and 35 ACT, and as you noted, Bama and OU are two school that go hard after NM kids. However, MSU went after me even harder. I was given so much swag, food, and what amounted to season FB tickets my senior year. I wasn't even an MSU fan at the time (grew up loving LSU), but I didn't miss an MSU game my senior year thanks to free tickets. I've seen posts like this one before, though, so I'm not sure why MSU's recruiting efforts aren't more uniform.

[RougeDawg]

MSU recruited the hell out of me when I was a senior. I was a NM Finalist and 35 ACT, and as you noted, Bama and OU are two school that go hard after NM kids. However, MSU went after me even harder. I was given so much swag, food, and what amounted to season FB tickets my senior year. I wasn't even an MSU fan at the time (grew up loving LSU), but I didn't miss an MSU game my senior year thanks to free tickets. I've seen posts like this one before, though, so I'm not sure why MSU's recruiting efforts aren't more uniform.

Well, what did you make on the English section?**

[hailmari]

The only offers I received in high school were to work in a transmission plant or go to boot camp.

[The Federalist Engineer]

Why would a smart kid pick the school that sent him/her the most postcards?

[Political Hack]

You guys just don't understand MSU academic recruiting. It's just like football recruiting. Let Ole Miss go out and get these fancy National Merit Scholar mathletes by bombarding them with mail and phone calls. Once they get to Oxford they realize it's not what was sold to them and they dont really want to be there and their nerdy asses fail in the real job world.

MSU is going after those student that fly under the radar but have a huge potential. These kids may only make the A/B honor roll in highschool, or the occasional C. They may even have few beers at a party every once in awhile but they are super intelligent and are personable. Once they get to MSU and into the real world they explode and rise up the job ranks.

si se?or.

[Political Hack]

Why would a smart kid pick the school that sent him/her the most postcards?

it's not about the most postcards. it's about creating a dialogue of questionnaires and following up on them. The kid I'm referring to is potentially interested in biomedical engineering, which would seem relevant to State.

[It_Could_Happen]

I can speak for this I'm from arkansas I was valedictorian of my class and had a 4.2 GPA and state was harder after me than anyone. They gave more money called and sent more mail than any other school, including arky, and I'm from an arky family.

[civilengineerdog]

The 3 included 3 National Merit Finalists and a Star Student. The director of admissions was not impressed, telling me that National Merit Students don't make good college students.