[In part 10 of the Counselor Training Blog Series we look at how a prospective student’s excitement about attending your college influences their final decision.]
Research shows that when a student is in the process of selecting a college, three factors generally come into play:
Cost, perceived quality of the institution, and his or her excitement about attending.
Most students consider each of these factors important but the key question is, which factor is the most important?
So I ask you, which one of these factors do you think is most predictive of enrollment?
If you said excitement, you’re right. The single factor that is most strongly correlated to likelihood of enrollment is the student’s excitement about attending. It’s more strongly correlated to enrollment – by a factor of two – than either cost or perceived quality of the college.
It makes perfect sense.
How many of us have bought something that our rational brain was telling us we shouldn’t buy because it’s too expensive? But we bought it anyway because we just had to have it. The excitement of owning it, using it, or wearing it was the most powerful force that drove our action to buy.
The same holds true for students in selecting a college.
Research shows that when students are faced with a choice of colleges that they perceive to be generally alike (believe me this happens more frequently than we’d like to admit), they will choose the one they are most excited about. They will naturally find ways to rationalize away a higher cost or lower perceived quality.
Colleges and counselors that are most successful at recruiting are masters of understanding each prospective student and generating their excitement.
They uncover what the student wants and how they will feel if they get it. They put prospective students in the environments and with the people who are most likely to create that spark of excitement, that “aha” moment when the student not only knows but FEELS that they have found their college.
So, when you’re recruiting students, don’t just find out what they want. Find out what will make them feel that your college is the right choice for them. Find out what will excite them.
Recently, over 40 colleges participated in a comprehensive national co-sponsored study on this very topic conducted by Longmire and Company. The results of the study have yielded clear findings on how student excitement develops about a particular college and the role that the college plays in its development.
If you would like a copy of the full report as soon as it is released you can CLICK HERE to send us an e-mail to put you on the distribution list. I promise you will find it enlightening and extremely valuable.
Continue the conversation on Twitter @LongmireCo. For more information about Longmire and Company’s Interactive Counselor Training Program, click here.
[Subscribe to Versions of Conversion today so you don’t miss any of this highly-valuable information.]
Karen Full is a highly-respected higher education professional who has held positions in admissions and enrollment management at several institutions in the Midwest and Florida. With her vast experience working with large and small, public and private colleges, Karen brings a valuable perspective to her role as an Enrollment Strategist at Longmire and Company. Call Karen at 913/492.1265 x.711 or email her at kfull@longmire-co.com. Follow Karen on Twitter @KarenAFull.
