Got student blogs on your admission website? Well, you might not be the only one…
In the latest issue of his Higher Ed Marketing email newsletter, the consultant Bob Johnson reports a very interesting piece of information:
“For a powerful lesson in the inability of colleges and universities to control the messages that are out and about the countryside, visit “The U: Everything you wanted to know about college but were afraid to ask” at www.theu.com and see if your college is included.
You can buy one or all of 50 DVDs about individual schools, visit one or more of 500 student blogs about 62 schools or pour over individual student reviews. The site is actively seeking more blogs and reviews, fueled by $150 weekly awards for the “most informative” review. Recent winners were from Lehigh University (PA) and Ramapo College (NJ).”
I guess I’ve picked your interest…
So, before you go find out if your institution is listed at The U, let me give you an example of why your admission office might want to bookmark this website.
Excerpt from an MIT student’s post blogging for the admission office:
“Congratulations to those of you who were admitted! Exciting, isn’t it? It’s so exciting that I’m excited for you. I can’t wait to meet you guys come CPW and next year if you decide to enroll. Don’t be shy- send me an email. Say hi. Introduce yourself. I try my best but you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to keep track of you guys between comments and collegeconfidential and all that. Well, maybe I’m just bad at it. But when I run into you during CPW, and you say, “Hi I’m so and so and I read and comment on your blog all the time,” I want to be able to say to you what Ben said to me (which totally made my day): “Laura?! The Laura? Awesome!” and not “ummmm… who?” So do me and yourself a favor, and introduce yourself to me. I’m very friendly, promise.”
Excerpt from an MIT student’s blog at The U:
“So sometimes it feels like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders and absolutely no one to talk to. And that is why I write in this blog- because sometimes you will do anything, even write in a web log to people you don’t even know, just to feel like you’re connecting with someone else. Just to be a little less alone. It sounds pathetic, and it is. But you should know what it’s like before you make a decision that could change your life. I don’t regret my decision to come to MIT. I would do it all over again if I had to. The good outweighs the bad for me so it’s worth it. But it is lonely up here, and that is why so many of us drink or get depressed. Some, maybe even most, of the heavy drinkers at MIT never even touched a drink in high school- but they can pound a 30 rack away in one night without even blinking here.”
Are you still there? The address is www.theu.com