<p>Good story in the Boston Globe today that seems worth bumping this thread back to life for:</p>
<p>“College Recruiters Go Where the Students Are” </p>
<p>
As more students fail to respond to direct mailings, the traditional mainstay of college admissions, nearly one in five students apply without having ever contacted the university, she said. The surge in so-called “stealth applicants,” who mainly conduct their college search online, is spurring colleges to expand their e-marketing efforts.</p>
<p>“Students find us on the Internet,” said Pam McCafferty, dean of enrollment management at Fitchburg State College, which in October launched a video campus tour featuring interviews with students and faculty that has drawn more than 21,000 visits. “It’s the most consistent thing we see.”</p>
<p>Some colleges, such as Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, have launched marketing videos on YouTube, where Dickinson’s president even demonstrates how to tie a bowtie. Wellesley College’s website provides a glimpse of the campus from a helicopter. Simmons College admissions counselors have Facebook and MySpace pages and regularly correspond with prospective students and applicants via instant- and text-message. “This is how they prefer to communicate, and it gives us a chance to build a relationship with them.”
</p>
<p>So a question for parents: have any of these new marketing techniques made an impression on your kid? I have to admit, DD is not one to spend hours clicking on the admissions websites of even her favorite schools.</p>