ABOUT OUR TOURS: BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER
THE TOUR
Before the Tour
Travel Arrangements
Airlines: International airline travel is not included in the
cost of the tour but can be handled by Esprit Rainbow Travel.
Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements
to the first/final tour cities.
Immigration Procedures: Each participant must have a passport
that is valid for at least six months beyond the date of the
tour. Linden will obtain required visas for China, Vietnam,
and Kuwait for tour members who are U.S. citizens. Citizens
of other countries are responsible for exploring visa requirements
that may be different.
Hotels and Local Transportation: Single-room accommodations
are provided. All of the hotels have business centers, restaurants,
and currency exchange facilities, and most also have health
clubs. Linden provides transportation to and from airports,
and for group visits of seven or more tour members to schools
and agencies.
Pre-Tour Information
Tour members receive regular updates, via e-mail and the Linden
web site, with information regarding the itinerary, mailing
of materials, expectations of tour participants, packing hints,
costs, and other matters related to the tours. Orientation
programs are held at the beginning of each tour.
University Fair Brochure
Based on data provided by the tour members, Linden produces
an informative University Fair brochure, which is distributed
at the fairs and school visits in each city. The brochure
includes detailed information about the participating institutions,
including enrollment, fields of study, application deadline
dates, test scores, a descriptive paragraph and a map showing
the location of each university.
Publicity
Linden publicizes the tours throughout the region via
paid print, electronic and broadcast media advertisements.
Flyers and posters are mailed to secondary schools, junior
colleges, universities, government offices, and advising centers
in the area. University fair brochures are also mailed to
the advising centers.
In addition, a .pdf of the flyer(s) is provided to the participating
institutions for mailings to prospective students, colleagues,
and alumni. Linden is also making greater use of the Internet
by sending e-mail invitations to prospective students.
Linden Student Pre-registration
Service
Successful recruitment takes place when admissions officers
meet face-to-face with students who want the programs their
institutions offer and the students meet minimum academic
and financial requirements. The Linden Student Pre-registration
Service is designed to facilitate these interactions by putting
admissions officers in touch with students before the tours.
With our web-based model, tour members can visit the Linden
web site as often as they would like to download an Excel
file for the students who have pre-registered for the fairs
to find students who match their criteria.
Overseas Liaisons
Linden works closely with advisers, counselors and staff at
EducationUSA advising centers, the Foreign Commerical Service,
and international or American schools in each city. These
organizations publicize the University Fairs, and provide
advice and guidance to Linden about trends in the local education
system, events that are of interest to the group, and assistance
with contacting new schools.
During the Tour
A Typical Linden Tour
City: Seoul
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Day 1
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Evening
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Arrival, transfer to Lotte Hotel
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Day 2
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Morning
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Briefing on Korean students, culture
and economy
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Afternoon
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Reverse Fair, with time to dialogue
with guidance counselors, educational advisers and reputable
placement agents
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Evening
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Parent programs at several schools and
agencies (Optional)
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Day 3
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Morning
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College fair with students from American
and international schools in the greater Seoul area
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Afternoon
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Cultural activity (Optional)
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Evening
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Time for individual interviews and/or
meetings with alumni
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Day 4
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Afternoon
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U.S. University Fair
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Evening
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Depart for next city
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Briefings
Briefings by U.S. Embassy officials and/or meetings with educational
advisers are provided in every city so that tour members may
become more knowledgeable about the country and its students.
These briefings are intended to provide cultural insights
into the countries and to help tour members remain current
with political and economic conditions and educational trends.
University Fairs
University Fairs are well-publicized programs that attract
prospective applicants at the undergraduate and graduate level.
These fairs are open to the public and admission is free.
They are held in convenient, well-known venues. Audiences
range in size from 200-2,000, depending on the market. These
students are registered at all Linden Fairs.
At the University Fairs, each representative has a table in
the venue. Students and parents have the opportunity to speak
with the representatives about their institutions.
Linden follows the NACAC
guidelines of giving students only information, so T-shirts,
candy, or other give-aways for students are not allowed, and
representatives are expected to stand behind their table at
all times so as not to enter into their colleague’s space.
Presentations/Seminars
Presentations/seminars are presented prior to or concurrently
with the University Fairs in an adjacent room or immediately
before the fair. They provide general information on the U.S.
educational system, reasons for choosing to study in the U.S.,
requirements for admission, expenses, and other factors to
consider when selecting a college. Linden staff usually facilitates
these sessions.
School Visits
Before the tours, Linden provides participants with a
list of schools, colleges, universities, educational organizations,
and government agencies in each city that they have the option
of visiting on the tour. The representatives then use the
Options Form to select the places they want to visit and Linden
makes the necessary arrangements. The number of visits a participant
can make is dependent on the tour schedule.
Reverse Fairs
Relationships are an important part of international recruiting.
To build and strengthen relationships between the tour members
and overseas educational advisers, guidance counselors, and
government officials, Linden arranges reverse fairs in many
cities. Guests sit behind a table that has their organization's
sign on it, and tour members have an hour or more to visit
the tables, listen to them tell talk about their school or
agency and then respond with information appropriate to the
students they advise.
Cultural Activities
Cultural events may be included in the itinerary in order
to allow tour members to learn a little more about the countries
that are sending students to the U.S. These activities are
optional and are not included in the cost of the tour. Some
examples of popular Linden cultural activities include a trip
to the Taj Mahal in India and a day tour to the Great Wall
in Beijing.
After the Tour
Tour Report
A detailed report that includes a tour description, market
analysis and listing of the schools and colleges visited,
along with the number of students seen at each event, will
be posted on the Linden web site for access for the Tour Members.
Contact List
Participants will receive the names and addresses of the
counselors and government officials contacted during the tour
in an Excel chart. This information is only given to tour
members via a password-protected section of the Linden web
site.
Registration Files
At all of the Linden University Fairs, students will be
required to register before entering. This data is shared
with the tour members approximately two weeks after the tour,
via email to the fair participant.
President Letters
For those tour members who request it, a letter will
be sent to the participant's president, thanking the institution
for participating in the tour.
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