As growing the international student body is one of the key objectives in the Maynooth University’s strategic plan, our office undertakes numerous promotional and recruitment activities each year.
Academic year 2018/2019 started traditionally in September with a trip to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jodi Killackey, International Officer for North America, had a chance to present Maynooth’s offering to US high school counsellors seeking to learn about undergraduate opportunities internationally for their students. As NACAC is attended by thousands of advisors, it is a great opportunity to raise awareness of Maynooth University and attract interest for the coming academic year.
An exploratory visit to Hong Kong took place in January. Helen Kirrane, International Officer for Asia, visited our local Agents and attended Educational Fairs. She was also invited to a number of secondary schools, where she presented Maynooth University’s programme and studying in Ireland to senior students and counsellors.
In February, Deirdre Dunne, who has responsibility for non-EU admissions, participated in the Education in Ireland visit to India & Sri Lanka. Fairs were held in major Indian cities –hosted by both EI and local Agents. Attendance was high and Deirdre had an opportunity to meet with prospective students and advise them on programmes offered and the application process at MU. Attendees were mainly interested in our MSc Data Analytics, Computer Science and Business degrees. Many of them have accepted places on programmes and are looking forward to starting their studies at MU this September. After India, Deirdre took part in the first ever MU trip to Colombo in Sri Lanka. There, together with other Irish Universities’ representatives, she participated in Educational Fairs aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate applicants.
February also included a trip across many US states for Jodi Killackey and Ben Finnegan to meet with partners and attend study abroad fairs. Partners visited included Loyola University Chicago, University of Dayton, University of Kentucky, Xavier University, Texas Tech University and Rollins College.
In April Alison Cooke, International Officer, attended a number of National Association for College Admissions Counselling (NACAC) and Pennsylvania Association for College Admissions Counselling (PACAC) fairs in New York and Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. There she met with sophomore and junior high school students who are exploring university options in a wide range of academic areas including liberal arts, sciences and engineering. In addition she met with a number of high school counsellors and visited private high schools to promote Maynooth University as an option for US students who wish to do a full undergraduate degree outside of the USA.
The largest international higher education conference took place at the end of May in the USA. Maynooth University was represented under Education in Ireland. As one of the main sponsors this year, Education in Ireland had a strong presence during the week and the Minister for Education & Skills Joe McHugh spoke at the opening plenary. There was also a special event held at the Irish Ambassador’s Residence in Washington, D.C.
Later this year in November, a member of the International Office team will be travelling to India and Mexico. Both trips are organised by Education in Ireland and include attending academic fairs, meeting agents and prospective students and developing relationships with local organisations. With these planned, we envisage increased applications for September 2020 and applicants from a wider spread of countries.