In a recent exchange of emails, I came across a SlideShare report of a study about the role and impact of social media in the admissions process for higher education. The “2012 Social Admissions Report” conducted by Zinch and Inigral, a market leader in social enrollment management solutions for higher education, details how 7,000 college-bound high school students used social media in their college search. Within just a few clicks, I was fascinated. Here are my 5 most intriguing finds from the report:
- 71% used a mobile phone to visit a school’s website. Is your site mobile-friendly yet?
- 75% “never” use Pinterest. And yet it was named the #3 social network in 2012. Interesting.
- 68% used social media to research colleges & universities. Would love to see a year to year comparison on that stat, because I would bet my bottom dollar that percentage is growing. Fast.
- Facebook was the most popular social network used to research colleges & universities. YouTube was #2. I previously wrote a post about the importance of YouTube in higher education. I suspect that will continue to grow.
- 75% said they would join a social network created for students at the institution. Does this mean a custom social network for just your school? Would love to hear if anyone has one and how it works.
But that’s certainly not all of the interesting facts, so head on over to SlideShare and check out the 2012 Social Admissions Report.
A screenshot of the 2012 Social Admissions Report on SlideShare
And for the admissions/enrollment folks out there, I found some interesting reads on Inigral’s blog about social media & admissions. Check it out.
In what ways are you or your college/university engaging with students in the admissions process? Share your insight with us in a Comment. I’m curious to hear some best practices around this subject!
By Kevin