> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • The Evolution of Race in Admissions
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
Enrollment
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

Teenagers and Colleges Are of 2 Minds on the Best Recruitment Strategies

By  Eric Hoover
July 17, 2015
Chicago

If you understand teenagers, then — wait, does anybody really understand teenagers? No, of course not. But colleges spend a lot of time and money recruiting them. That means embracing various communication strategies: the old-school, the high-tech, and the because-my-president-thinks-this-will-work.

Yet what you think you know might not be right. Admissions officials and prospective students sometimes have very different ideas about recruitment. At the ACT’s annual Enrollment Planners Conference here on Thursday, admissions officers heard a fascinating discussion of where, based on the findings from recent surveys, their perspectives often differ.

We’re sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network. Please make sure your computer, VPN, or network allows javascript and allows content to be delivered from c950.chronicle.com and chronicle.blueconic.net.

Once javascript and access to those URLs are allowed, please refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

If you understand teenagers, then — wait, does anybody really understand teenagers? No, of course not. But colleges spend a lot of time and money recruiting them. That means embracing various communication strategies: the old-school, the high-tech, and the because-my-president-thinks-this-will-work.

Yet what you think you know might not be right. Admissions officials and prospective students sometimes have very different ideas about recruitment. At the ACT’s annual Enrollment Planners Conference here on Thursday, admissions officers heard a fascinating discussion of where, based on the findings from recent surveys, their perspectives often differ.

Consider this statement: “Facebook is dead to teens.” True? Many admissions officers believed that. Less than a third said they thought applicants used Facebook when deciding where to enroll. Yet last year 67 percent of teenagers said they used Facebook when researching colleges, up from 58 percent in 2012. And half used it to check out colleges they had applied to.

Here’s another one: “Social media is an awesome channel for engaging teens who don’t know your institution.” Thirty percent of admissions officials agreed with that statement (only 18 percent said the same of email).

As for prospective students, though, it’s complicated. Although half said they used social media to make decisions about colleges they applied to, only 4 percent said they wanted it as the first point of contact with an institution. So while 75 percent said they were interested in engaging with admissions officers via social media, the applicants wanted to initiate those conversations.

ADVERTISEMENT

Another wrinkle: While a whopping 70 percent said social media influenced their decision about where to enroll, influence tends not to flow from the admissions office. Typically, applicants want to engage with current students — and not with the folks who are paid to recruit them — to learn about life on the campus.

So said Michael Stoner, president of mStoner, a marketing and communications firm: “A lot of these discussions and these interactions are occurring way outside your control.”

Teenage Minds

The insights into the minds of teenagers were drawn from regular surveys of college applicants by the student-services company Chegg.

Recently, the data inspired Mr. Stoner to pose similar questions to admissions officials in a survey of his own. Mr. Stoner and Gil Rogers, director of marketing and enrollment insights for Chegg Enrollment Services, wove together their survey results for a joint presentation that they plan to release in a forthcoming white paper.

Their findings revealed several gaps between perception and reality. College respondents had much rosier opinions of the effectiveness of student-search mailings than applicants did, for instance. And applicants tended not to attribute as much importance to early-stage conversations (at college fairs or high-school visits) as admissions officials did.

ADVERTISEMENT

One statement concerned the power of rankings: “The higher your institution’s ranking, the more impressed teens are.” Prestige matters, right? Most (72 percent) of the admissions officials surveyed said applicants consulted U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of colleges when deciding where to apply. Relatively few (11 percent) said students did the same after receiving acceptances.

Among applicants, however, the picture looked different. Just 16 percent said rankings were “extremely useful” when applying to colleges. Yet 77 percent said the lists influenced their final decisions about where to enroll.

“There’s a misalignment in the use of rankings,” Mr. Rogers said. “We tout these types of things to all of our prospects because we feel like that’s going to push the needle in getting those students to apply.” Yet your institution’s ranking just might matter more to applicants much later in the game.

And then there are viewbooks, pamphlets, and mailings — you know, all that stuff your college probably spends a ton of money on. “Teens regard print as a vital source of information about colleges.” Nearly all (91 percent) admissions officers said the print materials students pick up at college fairs influence teenagers’ decisions about where to apply.

In one PowerPoint slide, Mr. Rogers and Mr. Stoner summed up students’ view of printed materials: “OMG! LOL!” Followed by 24 I’m-laughing-so-hard-I’m-crying emoticons.

ADVERTISEMENT

Eric Hoover writes about admissions trends, enrollment-management challenges, and the meaning of Animal House, among other issues. He’s on Twitter @erichoov, and his email address is eric.hoover@chronicle.com.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Eric Hoover
Eric Hoover writes about the challenges of getting to, and through, college. Follow him on Twitter @erichoov, or email him, at eric.hoover@chronicle.com.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin