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On Campus Blog
Alex Friedrich

How do Minnesota college admissions representatives sell the cold?

Go Deeper.

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For inspiration today, college admissions folks should read a little piece by the Minnesota Private College Council:

"Oh baby, it’s cold outside."

In the December article on the council's website, several private-college admissions admissions officers talk about how they handle the topic of Minnesota winters when they're recruiting students.

It's not a subject to overlook. As Minneapolis College of Art and Design admissions counselor and Houston native Carla Rodriguez says in the piece:

“When I first told people that I was going to Minnesota for college, they would say, ‘You know it’s cold there right?’ They think it is like Antarctica. The cold really is something people are afraid of.”

(Actually, it's colder than in Antarctica today.)

So to entice students, admissions reps do things such as:

  • Emphasize the warmth of the campus buildings;

  • Describe how beautiful the snow makes the landscape;

  • Stress the charm of having four seasons;

  • Assure them there are plenty of entertaining snow activities in the area;

 The College of St. Scholastica's  Eric Berg stresses being honest about the matter:

“We don't hide the fact that we have four seasons and a real winter here in northern Minnesota. We are also careful to include plenty of winter photos in our brochures; after all, our students are here more often when it is winter than when it is summer. ... No need to hide from who we are and where we live. We choose to embrace it.”

After all, with a ranking such as The 21 Coldest Colleges in the Country -- which Minnesota dominates -- we're not going to fool anybody.