<p>We visited Olin in Feb. on one of the coldest days of the year. We were buddled up and I looked like the Michelin tire man. They sure don't show that picture in brochure.
Our recycle truck is about ready to fine us for all the pounds of college brochures and catalogs we keep putting out. I am sure the mailman will have to go out on disability soon too from lugging the stuff around.</p>
<p>The one I love, it's the envelope from New Mexico Tech: "Smart students go to Caltech and MIT. Very smart students go to New Mexico Tech! Find out why..."</p>
<p>
[quote]
I now regret throwing out so many of these glossy wonders.
[/quote]
I especially regret tossing the Harvey Mudd materials. A classic, but I can't find anything online now that shows their approach. Poked fun at the whole admissions process and themselves. I believe one year their glossy brochure was entitled Junk Mail.</p>
<p>I guess this is going to reveal some shallowness on our part, but my son received a beautiful brochure for a scholarship program (Im not sure I want to reveal the college) with a photo of handsome students shoveling dirt (community service?) with rapturous smiles on their faces. After hundreds of hours laying sod, post hole digging, stapling siding, and putting insulation in Habitat homes, in Florida inferno conditions, over the past two years, S looked at it and said "ummm. pass."</p>
<p>I worked for the man who started Rose Hulman's quirky marketing (including the brochures for Operation Catapult) back in the 70s. He moved on to Harvey Mudd and had the marketing materials labeled "junk mail", which got a lot of attention (some people even said it was something Rose would do!). I believe they still use that label today. That man also spent time at USC (Southern Cal) and Olin College of Engineering.</p>
<p>Everywhere this man has gone, he's brought a unique, fun style to their marketing materials. He's probably my favorite person in our field.</p>
<p>Just for fun, I thought I'd share some pics of what was done during his time at different schools. I have photos of the original Operation Catapult brochures, but they're old and very hard to read, so I'm not including them.</p>
<p>Rose</a> Hulman 1
Rose</a> Hulman 2
Rose</a> Hulman 3
Rose</a> Hulman 4</p>
<p>Harvey</a> Mudd "Junk Mail" kit
More</a> junk mail
HS</a> students before and after Harvey Mudd college visit
Before</a> and after getting Harvey Mudd's mail</p>
<p>USC</a> 1
University</a> of Spoiled Children
[USC</a> 2<a href="I%20remember%20getting%20these%20as%20a%20sophomore%20despite%20having%20no%20intention%20of%20going%20west%20for%20school!">/url</a></p>
<p>[url=<a href="http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/Olin1.jpg%5DOlin">http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/Olin1.jpg]Olin</a> 1<a href="from%20the%20year%20before%20Olin%20was%20open">/url</a>
[url=<a href="http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/Olin2.jpg%5DOlin">http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/Olin2.jpg]Olin</a> 2](<a href="http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/USC2.jpg%5DUSC">http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/USC2.jpg)</p>
![http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/Olin1.jpg%5DOlin">http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/Olin1.jpg]Olin</a](http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/Olin1.jpg%5DOlin%22>http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/Olin1.jpg%5DOlin</a){kind=link}
![http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/Olin2.jpg%5DOlin">http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/Olin2.jpg]Olin</a](http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/Olin2.jpg%5DOlin%22>http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q206/DeanJ_photos/Olin2.jpg%5DOlin</a){kind=link}
</p){kind=link}
<p>
[QUOTE]
The presentation from their Dean of Admissions was frank, funny, fact-filled and fabulous (alliteration alert).
[/QUOTE]
This comment is about the very man I described above. :) I couldn't agree more.</p>
<p>Dean J, thanks for the information. That explains why I noticed the same perspective in some of HMs mailings as in R-H's. R-H is more consistent in their approach though. H-M seems not yet to made up its mind whether it wants to be serious or self-effacing.</p>
<p>It's been a while since he was at Rose, USC and Mudd, so I'm not surprised that materials have changed over time. I can only imagine how those who came behind him felt when faced with either emulating his style or suggesting a different direction for marketing materials!</p>
<p>I like the quirky marketing materials that a few of the colleges use. They seem to be aimed at the student, while the stodgier conventional stuff seems more aimed at the parent.</p>
<p>Marian, great point and this is fascinating stuff both from the point of view of advertising as well as psychology - no doubt that targeting the audience is a major factor influencing the creative gist of the brochure - this would probably include the choice of color palette and, of course, use of school colors as well as bright contrasts, collage styles, and off-center diagonal lines to create a feeling of movement and enthusiasm etc.) versus more traditional, conservative design and content to attract future students. This is a bit OT but I wonder if anyone has done a study on college t-shirts and their use to attract students - now what would admit week be without free t-shirts?</p>
<p>Anyway, apparently there are colleges that decide to create an admission brochure "package" - in different styles aimed to target both parents and students: </p>
<p>"The admissions department at Simmons had a need for two complimentary brochures*one targeting High School Seniors, the other targeting their parents.</p>
<p>The Voices brochure was written in the voices of four Simmons students. The brochure speaks directly to high school seniors by giving them a sense of the diversity of the Simmons student body and allowing to relate to their peers.</p>
<p>The Imagine It, Achieve It brochure speaks directly to parents by providing information about the benefits of a Simmons' education. The brochure illustrates the success of Simmons graduates using case studies depicting six alumna in various stages of their careers."</p>
<p>Another genre of college brochure are those aimed at alumni attempting to inspire them to donate.... Sometimes I wonder how much the college really makes in donation profits in comparison with what they must spend on some of the more elaborate designs for these brochures!</p>
<p>pyewacket, it's amazing just how many of those brochures and pr materials get sent out during the year - and most likely most of it gets tossed into the circular file - I also get inundated with e-mails which must be a lot less costly to produce and distribute.</p>
<p>Interesting to note that according to a recent survey, conducted by Noel-Levitz, college brochures are still in high demand so it does not seem likely that we will go paperless anytime soon.</p>
<p>The E-Savvy Class of 2007: Second Annual E-Expectations Survey Reveals Strong Interest in Social Networking on College Web Sites, Continued Value of Brochures:</p>
<p>"Prospective college students are open to cutting-edge recruitment efforts that employ the latest social networking technology, according to a new study by Noel-Levitz, the leading higher education consulting firm in North America, James Tower, a recruiting communications firm, and the National Research Center for College & University Admissions (NRCCUA), a non-profit education research organization...</p>
<p>"Engaging the Social Networking Generation," a 2006 study of 1,000 college-bound high school juniors, reveals new ways colleges and universities can effectively communicate with prospective students using the technology they prefer. The study provides an overview of findings and represents the first of a three-part study series examining the changing face of e- recruitment. Two additional e-recruitment reports -- on Hispanic students and on graduate students -- will be available later this year...</p>
<p>"The 2006 survey reveals that more and more, the Internet is serving as a social network for high school students. "Students appear to be open to multiple communication avenues. Students were fairly evenly divided on the topic of printed college brochures versus Web sites. Fifty-six percent said they preferred Web to print, while 44 percent said they preferred reading brochures in hard-copy. However, 64 percent of respondents said they would like to receive college information in the mail compared to 36 percent who stated a preference for e-mail. That means that while schools may be eager to go entirely paperless and send all communications via e-mail or some other electronic means, paper still has a role to play in outreach and recruitment efforts."</p>
<p>The latest article by Justin Pope on the college admissions frenzy puts the spotlight on the great subject of college brochures: "Mailboxes, inboxes burst with college brochures, prompting worries of overkill":</p>
<p>"The average, private, four-year college spends more than $2,000 on marketing and recruiting for each student it successfully enrolls, according to a survey by Noel-Levitz, a college recruiting advisory firm.</p>
<p>That doesn't include a much bigger category of spending that some critics say should also be included: The billions of dollars colleges have devoted to merit-based tuition discounts that lure bright students and improve schools' rankings...</p>
<p>Getting information to students is not all bad by any means, said Don Hossler, a professor of education at Indiana University. But, he said, the question that's increasingly getting kicked around in various circles is, 'Is there a point at which it becomes excessive, in terms of these dollars coming from some place?'</p>
<p>The marketing explosion also reflects an important truth sometimes lost amid talk of the increasingly frenetic competition for admission to highly selective elite colleges: Students are in demand. The average acceptance rate for colleges nationally is 70 percent, and there is room for nearly everyone. For every college turning away most applicants, many more are simply trying to fill seats.</p>
<p>Things are about to get even better for students. Projections indicate the number of high school graduates will peak in about 2009, and decline for about seven years thereafter. That will mean more competition among colleges and almost certainly more marketing.</p>
<p>The problem some educators see is that the ramped-up recruiting of the last decade has fueled anxiety and commercialized what should be a more sacred process. Critics also say colleges are interested in drumming up applications just so they can turn down more students. That makes them look more selective, but it may do little to help students find a good match.</p>
<p>It has to do with the more students a college says 'no' to, the better they're perceived to be, said Lloyd Thacker, who has started a group called The Education Conservancy to try to reform the admissions process. All this stuff students get does more to confuse them than clarify.</p>
<p>Thacker is working to persuade a number of colleges to tone things down.</p>
<p>We embraced this whole marketing metaphor without the responsibility for what it is that we're selling and to whom we're selling it, he said. And it's not fair to expose students to all that bluster, he added.</p>
<p>Many colleges, meanwhile, insist sophisticated marketing is necessary, effective and actually good for students.</p>
<p>Barely half of students who enter a college earn a degree there within six years, notes Bill Royall, founder of the direct mail company that bears his name. Clearly, many could be making better choices. Learning about colleges otherwise off their radar screens improves the chances of finding the right place.</p>
<p>And many can't count on personal advice from high school guidance counselors, who may oversee 500 or more students.</p>
<p>There are way too many people who aren't going to college, who are intimidated by this incredibly complex process, Royall said. Most of these students are asking for more rather than less.</p>
<p>One school that exemplifies the change in how colleges communicate with prospective students is Immaculata University in Pennsylvania. A few years back, it was a Roman Catholic women's school bringing in fewer than 100 students per year. In the fall of 2005, it enrolled its first class that included men. And in recent years it has transformed how it recruits.</p>
<p>The process starts with the purchase of about 100,000 leads, or names of prospective students. Printed materials still play a big role, with about 10 mailings per year, including cards at Thanksgiving in Christmas.</p>
<p>But the college, near Philadelphia, is actually spending less on mail than it used to. With research showing students get most of their college information online, much of the effort has shifted to blast e-mails, coordinated by a company called TargetX. Admissions counselors give out their IM addresses, and current students publish blogs targeting future ones. Telecounselors call prospective students and parents at home to tell them they may be eligible for scholarships.</p>
<p>The school doesn't give up easily.</p>
<p>We don't let it go with just one, said Becky Bowlby, director of admissions for the college of undergraduate studies. If one pitch fails, the college will try a different approach. Bowlby says students and parents can easily end the contacts and don't hesitate to do so if they aren't interested. But it seems to be working. The entering classes are up over 300.</p>
<p>Pamela Kiecker, Royall & Company's head of research, says students are focused on three key questions: What does it take to get in? Can I study what I want? And, what will it cost? Getting that information to students requires hitting them with a range of electronic and print media. And it means reaching them early.</p>
<p>The company tells clients that contact with high school sophomores is particularly effective, especially for reaching two much-in-demand groups minorities and students with high standardized test scores. And Royall says it's good for students, too. Most sophomores don't even know what courses they need to get into selective colleges. The sooner they get that information, the better.</p>
<p>One Royall client, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has told the company not to solicit sophomores on the school's behalf, however. Admissions dean Marilee Jones, a prominent proponent of toning down the admissions frenzy, thinks that's too early.</p>
<p>Royall says that's fine for a highly selective school like MIT. But he resents any implication colleges are hounding students. If students don't bite on their pitches, the colleges back off. And the hope is that, with more effective targeting, students may get fewer pitches but more that are likely to interest them.</p>
<p>When the letters really pile up, some students do tune out.</p>
<p>Personally, I'm of the opinion it's a waste of resources, Lucia Oliva Hennelly, a senior at Santa Fe Preparatory School in New Mexico, said of the four or five pieces of mail she's been getting every day. Ultimately, they had no effect on her college list, which includes Stanford and several other selective schools.</p>
<p>No one I know really takes this stuff seriously, she said. I think it could be put to a better cause for scholarship money.</p>
<p>Still, she acknowledges the mail could help students who haven't received good college counseling.</p>
<p>Morales, the Las Cruces student, also said none of the material he got changed his top two choices: New Mexico State and Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, a school he found on his own using a search tool to identify colleges strong in science and Japanese.</p>
<p>Still, the advertising barrage forced him to at least investigate some other colleges. And it was a healthy reminder about impending deadlines.</p>
<p>I can be lazy and not want to look at anything, he said. All these letters coming in the mail forced me to consider my options. "</p>
<h1>5 made my day. :D</h1>
<p>Katonahmom, take a bow! You left out one pictures though: the mixed racial group sitting in a dorm room that looks like it was decorated by the PB Teen catalog.</p>
<p>Websites can be fun too. We love Lafayette's website, with its interactive map showing the campus's TREES. That's right - click on a building, and you get a picture of the building, with descriptions of its architecture and details on when/how/why it was built. Click on a TREE and you get a photo of the ACTUAL TREE with its latin name, where it grows, etc. My husband and I graduated from Lafayette and we knew it was proud of it's campus, but the tree thing just blew us away. Then S got interested in Union. How do we know it's a good college? Their website features a section called "The Trees of Union."</p>
<p>I propose a new rule: all good small LACs feature their trees on their website. No trees, no prestige.</p>
<p>Oops. Just checked Lafayette's website. It's been redesigned, and the tree map has disappeared. I'm so disappointed.</p>
<p>But Union still has their trees: <a href="http://web.union.edu/CampusLife/Map/Trees/welcome.asp%5B/url%5D">http://web.union.edu/CampusLife/Map/Trees/welcome.asp</a></p>
<p>"Colleges see social networking sites as tool of the future" more flexible than traditional university home pages because they can be easily updated with photos, videos and seasonal application information by admissions counselors. Savvy use of these social sites since students already spend hours communicating with friends and to connect with other students going to colleges they may become interested in:</p>
<p>"If the kids see how much fun students here on campus are having, they may think it would be fun to be a part of that atmosphere," said E.L. Jones, an admissions counselor with the small, private Roanoke College in Salem, Va.</p>
<p>"With the click of a finger, they can see what is going on," said Jones, whose college added a MySpace page about five months ago with photos and videos of campus events as part of its effort to increase enrollment. "It is a big part of how they communicate. Most teenagers today are on the Internet one to two hours a day after school, and one thing they do right away is check MySpace. The more we have on our MySpace page, the more we will get students to check it."</p>
<p>San Francisco State recently put up its own MySpace page, becoming the largest among the growing number of colleges and universities -- from Boston University's College of Communication and Graduate Admissions to Hiram College in Ohio -- to embrace social networking...</p>
<p>"If the kids see how much fun students here on campus are having, they may think it would be fun to be a part of that atmosphere," said E.L. Jones, an admissions counselor with the small, private Roanoke College in Salem, Va.</p>
<p>"With the click of a finger, they can see what is going on," said Jones, whose college added a MySpace page about five months ago with photos and videos of campus events as part of its effort to increase enrollment. "It is a big part of how they communicate. Most teenagers today are on the Internet one to two hours a day after school, and one thing they do right away is check MySpace. The more we have on our MySpace page, the more we will get students to check it."...</p>
<p>San Francisco State started its MySpace page after Villanueva attended a conference in Las Vegas titled "100 Ways to Effectively Recruit Today's Students." He added a Facebook group about a month ago. The campus also has a self-guided campus tour that can be downloaded as a podcast.</p>
<p>"We have to adjust with the way people get their information, so that's where we have to go. If you don't pick up on this now, you could really be left behind," he said. "This is the best way for students to access it because this is what students deal with every day.'' "</p>
<p>Even so, don't expect phone calls or brochures to go away any time soon.</p>
<p>Speaking of Hiram College , they had a huge snowstorm last week and closed the school for the first time in years ( many kids & faculty live in this academic village ) and my D said that everyone had so much fun ---- just playing in the snow . That's the type of place is it .............very folksy . Not just a brochure advertisement or a promotion . It really is like that there ....................my city - slick D was shocked at the freindliness there !</p>