The President Is Also a Promoter

▽A moved up orientation=The Yonsei University held an orientation for successful candidates on the 6th, one day prior to registration. The main purpose of it is to inform students of registration process and procedure, but the university is trying to attract the newcomers with the introduction of the university and campus life by the `academic advisers.`

The Seoul National University also had early orientation for the successful candidates on the 4th. It had musical performances of the orchestra and the choir and introduction of Internet web classes. It is a recent trend to give orientations to the successful candidates, who do not even register, yet. The `insincere way` of just giving out the certificate and information for registration procedure is not easy to be found anymore.

▽Impression is fundamental=The Kyonghui University is having the `impression project` to raise the registration rate. They sent congratulatory messages through cell phones in the name of the president Cho, Jung-Won to all the successful candidates, and they even sent congratulatory cards to their homes.

The president of the Daegu University, Yoon, Duk-Hong also sent cell phone character messages to the successful candidates saying, “The Daegu University is opening up your future. Trust us and register.”

The Seoul Women`s University, Gwangwoon University, Yongnam University, and Seowon University also sent congratulatory cell phone character messages or emails in the name of the president. The Gwangwoon University, especially, sent letters of `appeal` to successful candidates` high school advisers and parents in the name of the president, Park, Yong-Sik.

There are even various ideas to grab the mind of `undecided` successful candidates occurring in succession.

The Chungbuk University is planning to assemble the faculty on the 9th and the 19th and call each home of the successful candidates to canvass for registration, and the Chongju University also is planning to let the professors to give promotion calls to each successful candidate during the registration period.

And, the Alumni Association of the Malay-Indonesian Department of the Hanguk University of Foreign Studies informed its plan to give a study tour for two weeks in the related areas to the incoming freshmen. The Sunggyungwan University made promotion booklets and sent them to the homes of the successful candidates.

▽Result is questionable=However, the reaction from students is dull. A university personnel confessed, “Most of the successful candidates already decided which university they would go. We are paying attention to absorb additional successful candidates in case of not registering.”

Each university is planning to announce the first additional successful candidates after closing the registration on the 10th, and also planning to have 2 or 3 more times, and as many as 7, 8 more times of additional registration. The admission departments of each university is even planning the `night operation` to convince all the successful candidates though telephone even by hiring part-time employees.

Dong-Yong Min mindy@donga.com