For better and for worse, the field of global student mobility is expanding exponentially. While it's certainly a positive trend for most who venture abroad, it's also prudent to analyze the method by which these students actually arrive at their host campuses. USjournal.com's perspective revolves around the initial inquiry stage of students interested in studying in the USA.

Savvy business people all around the world increasingly recognize that there's money to be made in matching students to campuses overseas. A number of creative models have surfaced recently, including those that charge U.S. institutions on a per-lead basis. At first glance, it seems like an efficient model compared to services (like USjournal.com) that charge campuses on an annual basis. To me, the comparison must be based on theories of Push versus Pull from the students' perspective.

Push: With pay-per-lead models, there's an inherent temptation for the service provider to provide a high quantity of leads, without regard to quality.

Pull: The annual fee model, on the other hand, cedes control of the inquiry process to the student, who pulls himself or herself through a site like USjournal.com and volunteers their contact information only to the U.S. campuses that truly interest them, either by completing an online form or by calling the campus directly. Consequently, the quantity of leads may not be as high as other models, but the quality is likely higher, given the conversion rates of initial inquiry to actual enrollee.

The bottom line: Trust your service provider. USjournal.com has been online since 1996, with many clients who have been with us since our days of printing the U.S. Education Journal. Our model encourages feedback and improvement at every turn, as we charge one price which includes upgrades and a number of complimentary services. We honestly do look forward to hearing from you: cheryl@USjournal.com