Catching up and "clearing out"

Sorry, we've been busy. 


Hence no blog entries of late. No one has time. No one can find time. Those that do find time write in silly, short sentences.

Clearing does that. It's been tough going for the sector, although it feels like people are keeping institutional cards close to institutional chests. See what they make of it in The Guardian. For me, this piece has a ring of truth to it and for my money, and for what it's worth, the newly formed Office for Students need to start pulling their collective finger out and start acting on behalf of the students and work out exactly which sector behaviours benefit who exactly.

For what it's worth, I would suggest that much in this and recent cycles has been dictated by market forces. Applicants haven't been taken on a journey so much as frogmarched and bombarded by skillfully crafted, expensive marketing, unconditional offers and daft incentives.

Still, the world continues to spin like a drunk on a fairground ride and day follows night follows day. Clearing will soon be over and I'm off on holiday next week. It's going to be great. I've got my reading all sorted. If you're interested, I'll report back on that.

Putting the finishing touches to this year's holiday reading list 

In the mean time, here's what's going on in Marketing and Communications:

• We're looking at the Clearing "reject by default" date and hoping it might throw up some last gasp opportunities;
• There are a few communications pieces pending, although attention has dropped off;
• We're full pelt on our Annual Campaign now and looking to bolster and pump out our support and STEM messages, deciding where and where not to place our ads;
• Open days are being pushed;
• Market research - I've just completed updating projections for our new STEM courses and working through providing data for colleagues preparing for Periodic Reviews. (If you're interested, here's the sort of thing I can help with). I'm going to try and get some more invites out for the applicant surveys. We'll see how that goes - I'm off on Friday as well as next week
• This blog; there's some loose talk about 'killing it' and/or replacing it with a podcast. Podcast indeed;
• I've sold out and accidentally caused a staff room to appear and somehow be squeezed into the PG Centre.

Anyway, that's all from me. If anyone's off to see Dylan Moran in St Albans on Thursday, I'll see you there. Dylan Moran seems a level headed chap.