The Significance of Direct Contacts in the Process of Building Relations with Student Candidates

In the second decade of the 21st century the graduates of high schools — student candidates — already belong to the next generation, called generation “Z”. This generation has been raised in the virtual world. Constant and unlimited access to the Internet leads to a situation in which it constitutes the most important communication channel and a source of information about the world surrounding them. Appreciating the significance of modern technologies and their role in building relations with student candidates, we can’t forget about the significance of direct contacts. For those facing the choice of university, which to a large extent may determine the kind of future professional career, communication in the virtual world, even though necessary, turns out to be insufficient. Meetings with candidates at universities, or high schools, lectures given by academic teachers to high school students, meetings with students, or other forms of direct contacts are still important elements of establishing and building relations with potential student candidates. The goal of this article is highlighting the significance of direct meetings in the process of establishing and building relations between a university and potential student candidates. To carry out the assumed goal a quantitative research on a group of high school students was carried out by means of the technique of auditorium questionnaire. On the basis of obtained results it was concluded that in the context of looking for information about the offer of universities young people from high schools expect direct meetings. What attracts particular attention are visits to universities, during which young people get the opportunity to participate in various activities. What turned out to be an important element of building direct relations were contacts with the students of a particular university. As the results of research have shown, it is worth engaging university students more often in the communication activities of universities.