Conference Exhibition Fee: $2,100
Ticket to Houston: $600
Food & Lodging: $1,000
Meeting people in person: Priceless!
We had an amazing time at the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) in Houston, TX. Not only is NACAC one of our favorite conferences, but Houston is also one of our favorite cities. And an in-person NACAC in Houston – nothing could be better!
It was great to be out in real life and meeting people, not only from all over the country but all over the world. NACAC conference is a sweet spot for Cirkled In and is one of our favorite conferences. It is one of the few events where dots are connected between high school and higher education. Conference is attended by both high school counselors and college admission officers with similar excitement.
This year, bigger than any prior year, there were over 6000 attendees. There was a specialness around meeting together, in person after these COVID-years. The crowd seemed confident about the current state of COVID and comfortable that even if they get COVID, they will be alright. There was hardly any hesitation among crowds. For many, it was our first time in a large conference, and to be honest, it was very refreshing.
Top Five Trends from NACAC 2022 – Reinventing Education System
Here are some of the trends that we noticed are most-talked about and gaining ground in the market. Some that are new, some have been around for a while, and some that are emerging as key topics in the market.
1. K-12: Bringing Career Readiness Back in “College and Career Readiness”
On the high school side, there seems to be a lot more acknowledgement and focus on the overlap between education and employment. We observed more attention and demand for career tools including internships for high school students. We welcome this trend that holds significant promise in not only helping students with hands-on opportunities for learning AND also preparing them better for clearer future pathways
2. K-12: Making Students’ Lives Easier with Multipurpose Offerings
Resulting from the previous trend, there is now increased demand for one-solution-for-all-needs. There is recognition of simplifying students’ lives with one platform to find all overlapping educational and employment opportunities. One hub for all opportunities discovery is a welcome thought. Additionally, the need for students to have one online professional persona that can be used for all their college and career readiness seemed to be in demand.
3. Higher Ed: Welcoming Self-Reported Grades for Applications
A new trend that emerged just recently is seeming to gain a lot of traction. This is self-reported grades and assessments by students to colleges. With a continued movement away from SAT/ACT test scores and towards a more holistic review of candidates, many more colleges are looking for self-reported applications by students for initial processing and decision making. Colleges may still require a formal transcript for admitted students, but they are very open to making admissions decisions based on data shared by students.
4. Higher Ed: Need For New Ways to Attract a New Generation
Colleges continue to face declining enrollment because of several well-known factors. At the same time, there is growing recognition that attracting the digitally native Gen Z generation requires new strategic marketing approaches.
Traditional mass marketing methods are becoming less effective. Instead, colleges are looking for innovative ways to target the right candidates and personalize their messaging.
5. K-12 and Higher Ed: Staffing Churn and Understaffed Institutions
We understand the challenges you’re facing. Educators and administrators continue to feel the aftereffects of COVID across many critical sectors.
Both K–12 and higher education have experienced mass retirements, resignations, and geographic shifts. As a result, high turnover has placed extra pressure on current staff and faculty. In addition, institutions across the market are working to fill a growing number of open positions at every level.
This has created an increased demand for the technology and services sectors to provide solutions that truly make educators’ lives easier. This may take the form of more artificial intelligence and intuitive data processing in college recruitment or engaging high school solutions for students that require less monitoring and motivation from educators.
Some Shifts May be Necessary
Overall, we observed several shifts at NACAC — some small and others more significant. These changes continue to reinforce the priorities we focus on at Cirkled In.
- Supporting a new generation of “Future Seekers”
- Helping Students, Colleges, Employers, connect with each other holistically and seamlessly. Bringing together the whole ecosystem creates win-win-win.
We believe the education industry is welcoming many technological advances as a result or as a reaction to a post-COVID world. Many changes are here to stay as it’s impossible to imagine moving backwards in time. We are eager to watch and participate as these trends continue to evolve over the coming months.