The E-expectations of College-Bound High School Juniors and Seniors

Stephanie Geyer

Associate Vice President for Web Strategy and

Interactive Marketing Services

Finding answers since 2005

Visit any partner site to find the latest studies, including the 2012 E-expectations of Juniors and Seniors white paper and trend reports for our recent Mobile and Communication Preferences studies.

E-Expectations Research

http://bit.ly/NkfloG

Overview Web Sites Social Media E-communications

GoalsMethodologyDemographicsOther sources

How do they find and use our

sites?Using mobile?What tools?

Content-focused engagement

What are they using?

Do they connect these resources

with their college search?

Is e-mail still a viable tool to reach them?

Is it OK to send them text messages?

Agenda and Study Goals

Telephone survey of 2,000 high school students

• Facilitated in March and April 2012

• List source: National Research Center for College and University Admissions (NRCCUA)

• 95% confidence interval

• +/- 3% margin of error

Methodology

An opportunity to compare their preferences with our practices

Look for this logo to signal data points from the E-Recruitment Practices study of 256 U.S. colleges and universities facilitated by Noel-Levitz via Web survey in April 2012

JUNIORS in the enrollment process

Prospects48%

Inquiries 42%

Applicants5%

At least one decision

6%

SENIORS in the enrollment process

Prospects12%

Inquiries 13%

Applicants15%

At least one decision

60%

Web Sites

How do they find and use our

sites?Using mobile?What tools?

Content-focused engagement

Looking at your site: when? how?

Seniors are looking at college sites more frequently than juniors

Earlier today Within past

7 days Within past month Within past

three months

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

7%

40%

35%

18%15%

51%

23%

12%

JuniorsSeniors

When was the last time you visited a college/university Web site?

Goals for Site Use

Juniors:1. Gather info

about school, programs and culture (58%)

2. Take next steps in enrollment (34%)

3. Find ways to connect with staff (8%)

Seniors:1. Gather info

about school, programs and culture (47%)

2. Take next steps in enrollment (45%)

3. Find ways to connect with staff (7%)

Form over Function

Simple and easy:73% juniors77% seniors

Cool design/features:27% juniors23% seniors

Facts vs. Feelings

Facts, dates and details:

80% juniors84% seniors

Get a feeling for the school:20% juniors16% seniors

Photos or Words?

Words are most important:

72% juniors76% seniors

Photos and videos:28% juniors24% seniors

Role of the Web in college search similar for juniors and seniors

Little or no role

Very small role

Some role

Significant role

Extremely important role

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

2%

7%

39%

37%

16%

3%

8%

36%

37%

14%Senors

Juniors

Schools that are recommended fare worst

Three scenarios:• Highly interested• Somewhat interested• Recommended by someone

How will they respond to a bad Web site experience?

If they struggle with your site, their opinion of your school will be diminished

High interest Some interest Recommended0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

6%20% 23%

41%

45%47%

53%

35% 30%

No ChangeDiminish OpinionSevere Harm

What challenges did they experience on the last college site they visited?

55% couldn’t find what they wanted because of challenges with the site navigation• Juniors were much more likely to have

challenges finding academic and cost content than seniors

Most effective way to learn about a school’s ACADEMIC PROGRAM OPTIONS

Live chats/webcasts

Blog posts

Social media

Videos of faculty/current students

Independent online sites

Web search

E-mail from program faculty

Presentations from faculty/students during campus visit

Printed brochures

Descriptions on a Web site

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

29%

30%

38%

43%

50%

53%

56%

58%

74%

68%

24%

31%

38%

43%

48%

50%

55%

61%

68%

71%

Seniors

Juniors

• 41% Browse through an alphabetically-ordered list

• 33% Use a search box• 26% Look through a college or

departmental page for all of the programs within that area

Alpha-ordered list top method for sharing academic program options

Most effective Way to Learn About COST, AID, AND SCHOLARSHIPS

Blog posts

Social media pages

Live Chats/Webcasts

Search

Calculators

Independent online sites

Videos explaining how to apply for aid/scholarships

Presentations from financial aid staff

E-mail from financial aid staff

Printed brochures

Details on a Web site

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

9%

11%

12%

18%

16%

20%

19%

21%

28%

34%

49%

8%

9%

10%

15%

15%

16%

16%

21%

28%

29%

49%

Seniors

Juniors

23% of all students have used one, down from 36% in 2011

• 31% of seniors had done so, compared to 15% of juniors

Why haven’t they used a calculator yet?• 74% haven’t found one, up from 50% in

2011o No significant difference between juniors

or seniors

Calculator Use Decreased

Got net price calculator?

90% of 4-yr privates77% of 4-yr publics59% of 2-yr schools

Most effective way to learn about a school’s CAMPUS LOCATION AND COMMUNITY

Live chats/webcasts

Blog posts

Social media

Independent sites

Videos

Search

E-mail messages

Printed brochures

Campus visits

Web site details

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

29%

30%

36%

42%

44%

44%

52%

62%

69%

69%

25%

30%

34%

41%

47%

46%

50%

58%

72%

68%

Seniors

Juniors

• 54% will visit top schools

• 23% will visit all schools

• 5% won’t visit ANY schools because of cost or distance

• 1% have no interest in visiting

4 out of 5 seniors have visited a college campus

Plans to visit:

• High ability• High income• Private college interest• Using Web site frequently• Planning to visit all schools• Further in enrollment process, especially those

with at least one decision or apps submitted

Groups with significantly higher results:

Formal visit?• 59% juniors• 74% seniors

80% of seniors and 70% of juniors expect to “re-visit” schools they’ve already seen

Can they find your inquiry form easily?When they find the content they need on your site, they’re going to look for a way to

connect and engage!

1. Inquiry form2. Visit options3. Faculty e-mail links4. Admissions e-mail links5. Catalog detail

Inquiry form online?

88% of 4-yr privates77% of 4-yr publics62% of 2-yr schools

More than two-thirds (67%) have regular access to a

mobile device• 20% are using tablets• 52% of college-bound

students have looked at a college Web site using a

mobile device

Site optimized for mobile?

35% of 4-yr privates39% of 4-yr publics7% of 2-yr schools

Exposure to QR codes at odds with use

17% of juniors and 13% of seniors have used a QR code related to a college or university

84% said it was a worthwhile experience

Using QR codes?

67% of 4-yr privates61% of 4-yr publics44% of 2-yr schools

Are we over-doing it?

• 32% to see how big/small the campus is

• 26% to learn more about the area around campus

• 24% to get a sense of the buildings and architectural style

• 11% to see the insides of the residence halls

• 4% to see what the people look like

43% of all students have viewed a virtual tour or interactive campus map

• 51% no change• 33% yes, for the better• 12% some better, some

worse• 3% yes, for the worse

Did it change the way you feel about the school?

Virtual tour:40% of 4-yr privates52% of 4-yr publics38% of 2-yr schools

Interactive map:35% of 4-yr privates44% of 4-yr publics10% of 2-yr schools

Webcam use higher among some students of color

75% of students would talk to an admission rep or current student via webcam

• 81% of juniors • 69% of seniors

Underrepresented students are more likely to use webcams for personal use

• 45% overall• Asian (62%) • African-American (52%) • Hispanic (46%) • Caucasian (39%)

Students say they would participate in live chat sessions…

69% of all students would participate in a live chat event with faculty about a specific program

72% would do so to learn more about cost, aid, and scholarships

Student: I’ve heard your engineering program is one of the best. Can you explain why?

Faculty Member: There are a few important factors to consider…

If only we would ASK them to participate in live chat

While 75% of students would chat with college reps via webcam...

only 4% have actually had these online conversations

Online Channels Offered

4-year private

4-year public

2-year school

Live chats 34% 39% 7%

Instant messaging 16% 21% 10%

Web camera 11% 10% 0%

Webcast events 10% 16% 7%

Skype 35% 19% 7%

FaceTime 4% 5% 3%

Social Media

What are they using?

Do they connect these resources

with their college search?

Have you “pinned” anything yet?

Facebook use remains steady at 79%

• 46% have—up from 27% in 2011

o All ethnic groups higher than Hispanic

o Visiting college sites frequently

o Visited at least one schoolo Have received at least one

decision

Visited a school page? 69% have “liked” a school’s pageWhat do they expect in return?

• 36% info about admissions deadlines and events• 34% info about academic programs• 30% updates through the news feed• 30% the name of the school to appear in their “likes”• 26% special info they can’t get elsewhere• 26% interaction with page admins• 26% contact from school about admission• 25% photos and videos• 21% interaction with other people who like the page• 20% posts to share• 18% specific info tailored to user profile

How often do you expect updates?5%

14%

16%

20%28%

7%6% 2% 2%

More than 1x/day

1x/day

Every other day

2x/week

1x/week

2x/month

1x/month

Never

Other

More than 1/x day

1x/day Every other day

2x/week 1x/week 2x/month 1x/month Never Other0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Student Expectations

4-yr Private

4-yr Public

2-year

• 98% of 4-year privates have a Facebook pageo 70% have a separate admissions page

• 97% of 4-year publics have a Facebook pageo 74% have a separate admissions page

• 93% of 2-year schools have a Facebook pageo 21% have a separate admissions page

Many times/day

1x/day Every other day

2x/week 1x/week 2x/month Never Other0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Student Use

4-yr Private

4-yr Public

2-year

Twitter use increased to 27% up from 9%

25% follow a school feed—up from 19%How often do you look at Twitter/update? Using Twitter?

4-yr private: 37%4-yr public: 44%2-yr school: 14%

Many times/day

1x/day Every other day

2x/week 1x/week 2x/month 1x/month Never Other0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Student Use

4-yr Private

4-yr Public

19% use Google+; 10% include schools

How often do you look at/update Google+?

Using Google+? 4-yr private: 7%4-yr public: 10%2-yr school: 0%

Many times/day

1x/day Every other day

2x/week 1x/week 2x/month 1x/month Never Other0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Student Use

4-yr Private

4-yr Public

2-yr School

6% use Pinterest; 5% pin school posts

How often do you look at/update Pinterest?

Using Pinterest?

4-yr private: 4%4-yr public: 11%2-yr school: 3%

Other social media resources used by students:

• YouTube62%• Tumblr 9%• StumbleUpon 7%• Storify 1%• SCVNGR 1%• FourSquare 1%

• None 7%

More than a third (35%) will “check in” while visiting your campus

• 35% will check in• 12% might• 53% would not

(This question asked of any student indicating use of Facebook, FourSquare, Gowalla, SCVNGR or other location-based resources.)

E-communications

How do they find your school? Is e-

mail still a viable tool to reach them?

Is it OK to send them text messages?

Agenda

• Guidance Counselors (74%)

• Friends (68%)• Teachers (66%)• Family (66%)• Coaches (38%)

People, print, and Web resources help them build their list of schools

People

• Brochures/print mail from schools (72%)• Google, Bing, or Yahoo search (67%)• E-mails I get from schools (62%)• The College Board (51%)• MyCollegeOptions (40%)• CollegeWeekLive (30%)• Cappex (12%)• Zinch (8%)• Peterson’s (5%)

Resources

• Guidance Counselors (74%)o African-American (82%) compared to Caucasian (71%)o Web plays extremely important (77%) compared to Web plays

no role (58%)• Friends (68%)

o Have access to a mobile device (72%) compared to those who don’t (60%)

• Teachers (66%)• Family (66%)

o Caucasian (69%) compared to Asian (59%) and Hispanic (58%)

o Parent attended college (70%) compared to parent didn’t attend (56%)

o Have mobile phone (69%) compared to those without (59%)• Coaches (38%)

o Male (43%) compared to female (33%)o African-American (43%) compared to Asian (31%) and Hispanic

(35%)o Inquiries (41%) compared to applied (30%)

More about the PEOPLE helping students formulate their lists of schools

Web search just trailing print

• Brochures/print mail from schools (72%)• Will give an e-mail address (74%) compared

to those who wouldn’t (57%)• Google, Bing, or Yahoo search (67%)

• Asian (77%), African-American (74%) and Hispanic (72%) compared to Caucasian (63%)

• E-mails I get from schools (62%)• The College Board (51%)• MyCollegeOptions (40%)• CollegeWeekLive (30%)• Cappex (12%)• Zinch (8%)• Peterson’s (5%)

More about RESOURCES students use to form the list of schools they’ll consider

Using SEO strategies?

42% of 4-yr privates34% of 4-yr publics21% of 2-yr schools

What resources are most influential?

Tour Web site Talk with a student

Talk with admis-

sions rep

College search sites

Guidance counselor

Brochures College's Facebook

page

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

54.54

4.16

3.84 3.853.7

3.533.38

2.29

4.59

4.12 4.09 4 4.04

3.753.59

2.47

SeniorsJuniors

78% of juniors; 85% of seniors say they still use e-mail at least once per week

Significant differences (higher than others):• Higher ability students (A and B averages)• Asian students• Further in process (at least one decision)

93% will give an e-mail address to schools • Just 5% will give a family or parent account

When?• When they ask for it 55%

• Juniors 63%• Seniors 48%

• Application 40%• Juniors 33%• Seniors 45%

• Post-acceptance 4%• Never 1%

E-mail use remains steady

But, will they open those messages?

97% will open a message from a school of interest

68% will open a message from an unknown school• Juniors 76% • Seniors 63% • B average students 73%• African-American 74%• From the South 73%• Willing to give email 74%• At inquiry stage 73%

60% say it’s OK to send them texts

Especially…• African-American and Hispanic• Lower income• Students from the South• Mobile users

Why not?• Don’t bother me! 58%• Texting is for family/friends 27%• No data plan 6%• I’m not ready 3%• Too expensive 3%• Phone doesn’t text 3%

It might be time to start your texting program, if you haven’t already

Do you collect cell numbers? How do you use them?

4-year private

4-year public

2-year school

Collect cell numbers? 92% 74% 97%

Relationship-building calls 86% 61% 36%

Notifications 40% 24% 57%

Telecounseling call centers 38% 48% 21%

Individual text messages 35% 22% 21%

Mass text messages 16% 9% 18%

Other 4% 15% 11%

Recommendations

Improve customer service experiences on your site

1

6

2

54

3

Segment content by class year and for decision influencers

Invest in your information architecture

Self-service

Using QR codes? Be sure the value-add is clear

Ready for even more mobile users?Test your assumptions about the reality of your user experience

Experiment with a variety of Webcast/Web cam and live chat engagement options

Curate Their Content Experiences

SEO strategies should focus on academic programs

Don’t use your org chart to drive how users find your majors

Make engagement options with staff, faculty, and current students easy to find

Make sure that inquiry form and other engagement options are easy to find and use

1

2

3

4

• Videos and interactive maps help users get a sense of place

• Highlight your visit options—Do you have anything specific for repeat visitors in your Web copy?

• What specific visit/event options are available for sophomores and juniors?

• Preset “check in” locations through Facebook and FourSquare or SCVNGR. Cue site users and visitors that these resources are available.

Facebook

• Post at least once to twice per week.• Facilitate dialogue with and between “likers”• Give clear calls-to-action that integrate with

the Web site.• Remember to feature Facebook feeds and

specific resources with descriptions that demonstrate value.

• Set up measurement resources and remember to check results.

YouTube

• Carry on! Keep adding and categorizing resources to make it easy for users to find newest or by interest.

• Integrate within your communication flows and between other social media channels.

• Mix up the content focus, style, and production values.

• Measure!

Twitter

• Develop a specific strategy for Twitter related to your markets and goals.

• Don’t rely on Facebook coupling to carry the day with your content.

• Engage current students (leaders, ambassadors) in tweet strategies.

Google+

• Pull together your content calendar and measurement strategies.

• Experiment with huddles.

Pinterest

• Pull some of your best photos from other assets and build some initial boards, then watch repins and other engagement.

• Consider board development by residence calls, majors, athletics, clubs, and other naturally-occurring groups on your campus.

• Think about “repinnability” of your pins and boards—a little humor can get you a lot of attention.

• Go beyond photos to add video assets to your boards.

E-mail: Still NOT Dead

• Keep it in your overall communications flow mix.

• Integrate messages with your social media editorial calendars.

• Be sure that key message themes from inquiry stage are repeated in your yield flows.

• Are you testing your messages?

• Do you have content-matched landing pages to support engagement and conversion?

• Are you measuring carefully and remembering to check in on the results on a regular basis?

Use the communication channels students prefer

• The conversations students have with campus representatives are impactful

• Students use live chat, webcams, and text messaging frequently… and are open to speaking with camps reps through these channels

• Get a strategy in place to line up with the rest of your communications flow.

• Use texting for key upcoming deadlines and use live chat or webcasts to make personal connections

• Set up a measurement strategy and pay attention to the results

Questions?