By Matt Clemons
Orientation and the start of classes are always an exciting time for those of us in the Admissions Office. We travel, we read, we analyze, we deliberate, and finally pick a class we feel will learn well together. Seeing the results of our labor in the form of new students walking around campus is very rewarding. This year’s incoming class hails from 82 different countries and 48% of new HKS students are from outside of the United States. The gender breakdown is 56% male and 44% female. There is diversity in previous professional background with 29% coming from the private sector, 37% from the public sector, and 34% from the non-profit sector.
As hard as the admissions staff works, and we do work very hard, we do not take all of the credit for our diverse study body. Current students and alumni play an important role in recruiting the next group of students each year and we welcome both new and returning students to get involved in our recruitment efforts. One of the most appealing aspects of attending HKS is the network you are able to develop and helping us bring in quality students benefits the entire HKS community. There are several ways for you to become involved.
During the recruitment process you might have been contacted by a current student and we welcome volunteers to join our student ambassadors program. We have several open houses each fall and a new admit day in the spring and we always appreciate it when students volunteer to help. This year we will be experimenting with student focus groups so look out for invitations from our office regarding different focus group topics. You may have benefitted from reading the Admissions Blog during your time as an applicant and we are always thankful when students submit posts. We encourage all students to put us in touch with strong prospective applicants. In sum, we welcome you to be involved in the recruitment process.
Whether you are a new or returning student, please take the time to read the occasional emails sent from our office. We understand the busy lives our students lead and appreciate any time you are able to dedicate to assisting us in our efforts. If you have recruitment ideas we welcome you to send them along or to schedule an appointment to speak with someone in our office. It is great to have you here and we look forward to your ideas, suggestions, and involvement in bringing in those you will one day call classmates and fellow alumni.
The writer is Director Admissions at Harvard Kennedy School