NACAC - Spring 2020 - 50

By Jenika Heim

CONNECTING WITH CANADIAN
STUDENTS
How to Build an Eh+ Recruitment Strategy
Being the sole EducationUSA adviser in
Canada can have its drawbacks, such as
choosing webinar times that are convenient
for five times zones, but it is also full of perks.
I get to travel all around this wonderfully
diverse country learning about the provinces'
different education systems and ultimately
discovering what makes these students-
separated by thousands of miles-Canadian.
As an American, born and raised in
California, I learned little about Canada until I

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THE JOURNAL OF

moved to the nation's capital. (Pop Quiz: Name
this city.) So, when I travel across Canada, I
spend time getting to know the country, its
citizens, and how American and Canadian
students compare. I've found that our two
countries have so much in common that our
students can be approached in similar ways.
Just like Americans, Canadians are incredibly
diverse-foreign-born immigrants account
for just 20 percent of the country's population.
Canadians are also interested in majors across

COLLEGE ADMISSION

the spectrum and believe in following their
passion. Higher education is highly valued, as
in the US, and is the goal for most students.
Differences do exist, however, which may
make it a more challenging for a Canadian
to decide to pursue study in the US. One of
the major differences between nations is
that American students are expected to "go
away" to university. Living in the dorms is
considered a rite of passage and essential to
growing up. In Canada, it is very common for
students to attend their local university as a
commuter. The Canadian population is small
NACAC - Spring 2020

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