Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    College Advising
    Serving Higher Ed
    Chronicle Festival 2025
Sign In
Enrollment

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.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

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.

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

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.
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
Eric Hoover
About the Author
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

More News

Vector illustration of large open scissors  with several workers in seats dangling by white lines
Iced Out
Duke Administrators Accused of Bypassing Shared-Governance Process in Offering Buyouts
Illustration showing money being funnelled into the top of a microscope.
'A New Era'
Higher-Ed Associations Pitch an Alternative to Trump’s Cap on Research Funding
Illustration showing classical columns of various heights, each turning into a stack of coins
Endowment funds
The Nation’s Wealthiest Small Colleges Just Won a Big Tax Exemption
WASHINGTON, DISTICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES - 2025/04/14: A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator holding a sign with Release Mahmud Khalil written on it, stands in front of the ICE building while joining in a protest. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally in front of the ICE building, demanding freedom for Mahmoud Khalil and all those targeted for speaking out against genocide in Palestine. Protesters demand an end to U.S. complicity and solidarity with the resistance in Gaza. (Photo by Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Campus Activism
An Anonymous Group’s List of Purported Critics of Israel Helped Steer a U.S. Crackdown on Student Activists

From The Review

John T. Scopes as he stood before the judges stand and was sentenced, July 2025.
The Review | Essay
100 Years Ago, the Scopes Monkey Trial Discovered Academic Freedom
By John K. Wilson
Vector illustration of a suited man with a pair of scissors for a tie and an American flag button on his lapel.
The Review | Opinion
A Damaging Endowment Tax Crosses the Finish Line
By Phillip Levine
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan keeps his emotions in check during a news conference, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Charlottesville. Va. Authorities say three people have been killed and two others were wounded in a shooting at the University of Virginia and a student is in custody. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
The Review | Opinion
Jim Ryan’s Resignation Is a Warning
By Robert Zaretsky

Upcoming Events

07-31-Turbulent-Workday_assets v2_Plain.png
Keeping Your Institution Moving Forward in Turbulent Times
Ascendium_Housing_Plain.png
What It Really Takes to Serve Students’ Basic Needs: Housing
Lead With Insight
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin