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Community College , Social Networks in Education

The Relationship Between Social Media and Community College Outcomes

The Relationship Between Social Media and Community College Outcomes

Each year, thousands of community college students begin their educational journey only to have it cut short before they
graduate or transfer.  This is a major issue for the US, as the 1,200 community colleges make up about 43% of the American student population and over half of all first-year undergraduates in the U.S.

For these reasons, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been investigating ways to improve community college student outcomes and wants to know specifically how social media engagement correlates to student success. Read more ▸

May 14, 2013
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Social Networks in Education , Student Bloggers

Facebook as an Educational Tool: A High School Senior’s Perspective

I’m trying to start this blog post that I was supposed to write yesterday, yet my fingers inch towards that little blue F—bookmarked, of course.

Facebook gets a rep for being a time vacuum for procrastination, and I don’t disagree. However, what people don’t know is that it can also be a tool that can connect, engage, and improve student educational outcomes.

As a senior in high school, the major contribution Facebook has on my education is through the Facebook group feature, most often used as a community forum for individual classes. Just as a class is a closed community of interaction, so are each of these groups. Many people are unaware of the educationally beneficial interactions that students partake in within these groups guarded by privacy settings.

So here’s a sneak peek behind those closed doors–how students use social media for academics when the only people watching them are their peers.

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May 09, 2013
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Admissions , Mobile Trends

5 Steps to an Admissions-First Mobile Mindset

Fact, the iPhone 5 has more processing power than the Mars Rover Curiosity.  Mobile technology has forever changed the way that students will interact with your university, but many institutions I’ve talked with have not made any changes to their admissions process in light of mobile student trends.

For many students, mobile devices have become the dominant way to access the web, communicate with friends, and even research colleges. According to the Noel-Levitz E-Expectations Report, a bad college website experience can have a ‘severe negative effect’ on up to a quarter of your prospective students.

Knowing that 52% of your prospective students are visiting your website through their mobile device, how can you make sure your university is meeting student expectations? Here are 5 steps to get your office thinking from a mobile perspective. Read more ▸

May 08, 2013
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Admissions , Marketing , Social Media

How High School Students Use Social Media in their College Search [INFOGRAPHIC]

Students today have more information at their fingertips than the President of the United States did 15 years ago. It’s no wonder students are using these channels (social media) to dig up as much information on their prospective college or university.

Ever wonder which networks students are using to research your college, what information they find most valuable, and whether social media is even influential in their college decision?

The answer to these questions and more can be found in the Inigral and Zinch 2013 Social Admissions Report, a two-year survey on how over 11,000 college-bound high school students use social media in their college search.

Share or tweet the infographic below and be sure to sign up for our next webinar on how to Maximize Enrollment with Social Media on Tuesday, May 14th.

how high school students use social media in their college search

Comments or feedback? Please share them below and be sure to join us for our next free webinar.

May 07, 2013
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Admissions , Social Media , Student Engagement

Amplifying the Student Decision

Amplifying the Student Decision

May 1st is here, which marks the national deposit deadline for US colleges and universities.

As admissions offices are anxiously awaiting to hear how their Class of 2017 is shaping up, we decided to try an experiment to see if students would share their admissions decision from the Schools App.


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Apr 30, 2013
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Admissions , Research Highlights , Social Media

Social Media and Student Trends – Where are they headed?

Social Media and Student Trends – Where are they headed?

Did you know you have thousands of secret admirers? They are your prospective students and they are stalking you and anyone who goes to your college to see whether or not it is a good fit.

While the digital college search is “old news” for some, many admissions and marketing offices are still trying to find the sweet spot with the right mix of new and old recruitment tactics.

After analyzing the responses from a 12,000 high school student sample size, we can safely come to the conclusion that these “newer channels” are no longer an experiment. They are now a fundamental part of the college research and decision making process. Read more ▸

Apr 16, 2013
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Admissions , Enrollment Intelligence , Social Media

Looking Beyond the Campus Visit: How Online Behavior is Changing Predictive Enrollment

Looking Beyond the Campus Visit: How Online Behavior is Changing Predictive Enrollment

Many admissions directors I’ve spoken with explain that of all the predictive indicators they track, a campus visit is the most telling of whether an admitted student will actually enroll.  Indeed, a student’s behavior, such as a campus visit, is typically a much stronger predictor for enrollment than geographic or demographic data, such as whether she is an Asian-American from Chicago.

But what other behavioral indicators should your team consider for predicting enrollment?  And are there activities you’re overlooking?

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Apr 10, 2013
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Admissions , International Student Recruitment

Wooing International Students Without the Help of US News

Wooing International Students Without the Help of US News

Flashback to my junior year of high school in Singapore.  I was an international student, and even though I had followed an American high school curriculum, selecting which US colleges to apply to was overwhelming.

There were the obvious “brand name” institutions: Stanford, Harvard, Yale, as well as universities in famous US cities such as UCLA, or NYU.  But I decided to attend a college most people in Singapore have never heard of, in a city my parents had no idea existed: Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.

Even without the name recognition of a US News top 10 ranked institution, lesser-known colleges can and do effectively compete for international students. Read more ▸

Mar 25, 2013
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