2008 teenstalk

2008 TeensTALK®

Stamats, Inc. (800) 553-8878

We are an award-winning, nationally-recognized market research, planning, and marketing communications company dedicated

exclusively to higher education. Our mission is to help college and university leaders achieve their most important marketing, recruiting,

and fundraising goals through the creation and execution of customized integrated marketing solutions.

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fund)• Targeted e-mail marketing systems• Advertising • Creative concepting• Content management systems• Dynamic news and events calendars• Message boards/chats

About Stamats

© 2008 Stamats – 2

TeensTALK® Study Methodology

• Telephone survey of 800 geographically dispersed college-bound high school students, completed April-May, 2008

• 50% of respondents were high school juniors (Class of ‘09), 50% high school seniors (Class of ‘08)

• All respondents completed core TeensTALK® questions and then were randomly assigned into one of 4 college-search specialty subjects:

– Defining Academic Quality– Determining College “Fit”– Predicting Success After College– Preferred Methods of Communication

© 2008 Stamats – 3

TeensTALK® Respondent Demographics

Gender– 60% female; 40% male

Ethnicity – 57% White or Caucasian; 17% Black or African American; 14% Hispanic or Latino/a; 7% Asian or Pacific Islander; 3% no dominant race; <1% Native American; 2% don’t wish to reveal

Parent’s highest level of education – 33% high school diploma or GED; 24% some college or two-year degree; 23% four-year degree; 16% graduate degree; 5% not sure

Class rank – 13% top 5% of class; 14% top 10%; 14% top 15%; 16% top 25%; 11% top 50%; 5% below top 50%; 27% not sure

SAT score – 17% 1300 or lower; 21% 1310 to 1600; 14% 1610 to 1800; 9% 1810 to 2000; 11% 2010 or higher; 18% don’t remember

ACT score – 15% 18 or lower; 27% 19 to 22; 25% 23 to 26; 18% 27 to 30; 5% 30 or higher; 11% don’t remember

© 2008 Stamats – 4

Geographic Distribution of Respondents

© 2008 Stamats – 5

© 2008 Stamats, Inc. – 6

The Big Picture


Trending: Private vs. Public Attendance

Source: Chronicle of Education Almanac

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

PublicPrivate


0%20%40%60%80%

100%

Public Colleges Private Colleges

92%

36%

Did you or do you plan to apply to...

Private vs. Public Colleges

• Despite the continued modest increase in private college enrollment rates nationally, only 36% of 2008 TeensTALK® respondents are considering a private school compared to nearly all (92%) who are considering a public

• Now more than ever private schools must address assumptions of high cost by demonstrating value and benefits compellingly and consistently throughout the recruitment process


Trending: Two-Year vs. Four-Year Attendance

Source: Chronicle of Education Almanac

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Four-YearTwo-Year


0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Two-Year Colleges Four-Year Colleges

29%

90%


Two-Year vs. Four-Year Colleges

• From a trending standpoint, we see somewhat predictable counterbalancing cycles in two- and four-year college enrollments

• However, these findings suggest that a smaller percentage of students are admitting interest in two-year schools (29%) than the nearly 40% who will ultimately enroll in one

• This may begin to explain the volatility of many four-year colleges’ yield experiences


0%20%40%60%80%

100%

Smaller colleges (fewer than 5,000 students)

Larger colleges (5,000 or more students)

55%

78%


Small vs. Large Colleges

While longitudinal comparison data is not yet available for this new 2008 TeensTALK® question, we were interested to put the small-versus-big school question into measurable context


Intended Major(General Categories)

Physical sciences/math

The arts

Health fields

Business-related majors

Social sciences

Pre-professional prgs

Education

Humanities

Technology fields

Mass communication

Undecided

0% 10% 20% 30%

15%

13%

13%

13%

12%

8%

6%

4%

4%

3%

9%


Most-Important College AttributesMean Rating

Percent “Very Important”

School offers the academic program I want to study 4.6 74%

Quality of faculty as teachers and mentors 4.5 66%

Graduates of the college get good jobs/accepted into good graduate programs 4.5 64%

Quality of academic facilities 4.5 58%

Amount of financial aid available, including scholarships 4.4 58%

Safety of the campus 4.4 58%

Overall academic reputation 4.3 48%

The school offers a fun college experience 4.2 45%

The people on campus are welcoming and friendly 4.2 44%

Cost to attend 4.1 43%

The ability to talk and interact with people from different backgrounds than my own 4.0 36%

Quality of campus amenities 4.0 28%


Secondary Importance Attributes

Mean RatingPercent

“Very Important”

Variety of on-campus activities 3.8 28%

Study abroad opportunities 3.7 29%

There are things to do off-campus 3.7 22%

Beauty and appearance of the campus 3.5 14%

School is close enough to home for me to commute 3.4 28%

Opportunities to participate in competitive athletics 3.2 22%

Attending college where you already know people 2.7 10%

The school has a religious affiliation 2.7 10%

My family has a connection to the school 2.3 9%

Note that while only 14% of respondents identified “beauty and appearance of the campus” as very important, nearly 60% cited “quality of academic facilities” (previous slide) as very important


Individuals Involved in College Decision

Parents

Guidance counselor

High school teacher

Relative other than parents

No one

High school friend

Friends of my parents

College staff/faculty

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

69%

25%

14%

10%

8%

6%

2%

2%

Who has been most involved in helping you make your college decision?


Most Helpful Information Sources

Visiting the college campus

Course catalog

Conversations with ad-missions

Financial aid brochure

Visiting the college's Web site

Conversations with current students

Viewbook

Telephone call from a col-lege

E-mails from a college

College guidebooks or Web sites

Introductory/first mailing

Ranking guides, such as U.S. News

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

86%

61%

61%

53%

43%

43%

41%

34%

28%

27%

22%

18%

Percent indicating “very helpful”


Defining Academic Quality


Five Vectors of Academic Quality


Five Vectors on a 5-Point Scale



#1 Student Outcomes

• Employers actively recruit from the college• Career placement rate• Average starting salaries• Prestige of grad schools attended • Grad school acceptance rate• Four-year graduation rate



#2 Academic Experience

• Hands-on learning• Faculty passionate about teaching• Internship opportunities• Expertise of faculty• Undergrads conduct research• Students work closely with faculty• Study abroad program



#3 Student Quality

• Average high school GPA of students• Average ACT/SAT scores of students


Five Factors of Academic Quality

#4 College Features

• New/updated academic facilities• Wireless campus• Honors program• Small class sizes



#5 Prestige

• College is featured in the media• Ranked highly• Nationally & regionally known• Highly selective• Professors regularly published


Low graduation rate

Job placement info

Lack of information available

Low admission standards

Limited academic va-riety

High drop out rate

Success of grads

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

12%

8%

7%

6%

6%

6%

5%

What indicators suggest a college does not have a strong academic programs?

Indicators of Weak Academic Programs


“An institution’s graduation rate is a good indicator of the quality of its programs. Also, how well people find jobs following graduation—if they can’t find a job, they didn’t have the right education.”

“I think a college where the students don’t get good jobs after graduation is an indicator it’s not a good school.”

“If they can’t answer my questions, they don’t have strong academic programs.”

“If the institution doesn’t have a lot of variety in its majors and it’s brand new, just starting off as a new college.”

Indicators of Weak Academic Programs(Verbatim Responses)


Class size, personal attention

Quality of professors

Academic variety

Hands-on learning

Recognition

Admissions standards

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

22%

22%

14%

11%

8%

8%

What are the main characteristics that make a higher quality school “better” in terms of academic quality?

Quality of “Better” Schools


“What makes them better to me is the majors they offer and what clubs they have—basically, its just the stuff that appeals to me.”

“They are hard to get into. They are established and get back to you with an answer very soon.”

“The time they put into students makes them a higher quality school.”

Quality of “Better” Schools (Verbatim Responses)


Defining College “Fit”


Please tell me how helpful each campus visit activity or characteristic is in evaluating if a college is a good fit for you

Mean Rating

Percent “Very

Helpful”

Having a campus tour guide that is excited and knowledgeable about the college

4.3 48%

Having the college personalize the tour to your interests and knowing a little bit about you

4.2 50%

Meeting with a professor 4.2 45%

Attending a class in session 4.1 45%

Meeting with an admissions counselor 4.1 37%

• If these findings don’t make you re-think your college visit and tour programming, nothing will

• 21st-Century consumers have been conditioned to expect personalized service; college shoppers are no exception

Determining “Fit”Key Campus Visit Activities


Please tell me how helpful each campus visit activity or characteristic is in evaluating if a college is a good fit for you

Mean Rating

Percent “Very

Helpful”

The college does special things to make me feel wanted by the college, such as a welcome board when I visit

3.9 35%

Meeting students who are similar to me 3.9 29%

Developing a friendship with my admissions counselor 3.8 29%

Spending the night on campus 3.7 36%

Meeting students who are different than me 3.7 25%

.

Scoring slightly above the 3-point neutral mark, surprising visitors with special attention and meeting a wide array of students in real-life situations appear to be essential components of a successful campus visit

Determining “Fit”Secondary Campus Visit Activities


College FeatureMean Rating

Percent “Very

Important”

The campus is easy to navigate 4.0 37%

People I’ve talked or met with are friendly 4.0 33%

I like the city where the school is located 4.0 33%

The campus is well-kept and attractive 4.0 31%

• Note that these top-priority “moments of truth” represent largely casual and generally unscripted observations

• Don’t fall victim to naïve complacency when it comes to visiting your campus; what you take for granted as status quo may be silently negating the positive aspects of your otherwise carefully orchestrated visit “production”

Determining “Fit”Key Campus Features


College Feature Mean Rating

Percent “Very

Important”

The college is diverse, enabling me to interact with people from backgrounds different than my own 3.8 30%

The residence halls are new and well-equipped 3.8 26%

The dining facilities offer high quality food and a wide variety of meal options 3.7 30%

There are students at the college similar to me 3.7 19%

• While visiting prospective students are scanning your campus for feelings of familiarity and comfort, they’re also clearly looking for elements of diversity and different-ness

• Any food service that inspires enrolled students to rave (positively) deserves the admissions office’s full praise

Determining “Fit”Secondary Campus Features


College Feature Mean Rating

Percent “Very Important”

The campus is small and all facilities are convenient to reach 3.4 19%

The school is close enough to my home 3.3 22%

The school is far enough from my home 3.2 17%

I know people who attend the college from my high school 3.0 13%

Students at the college share my spiritual and religious views 2.6 11%

Some of my family members attended the school 2.3 8%

• In the aggregate, these features may fall into the less-important category; however, for some individual students they are deal-makers…or breakers

• At the top of each campus visit, invest the time to build the list of campus features of greatest value to each guest

Determining “Fit”Campus Features of Little Importance


Please tell me how strong of an indicator each of the following feelings are as you evaluate whether you will fit in at a college.

Mean Rating

Percent “One of the

Best Indicators”

I can picture myself attending and enjoying classes in my major 4.5 54%

I can see myself having fun outside the classroom at the college 4.2 43%

I can see myself getting to know the professors in my major 4.1 33%

The people on campus made me feel wanted 4.0 33%

The city the college is located in would be fun to live in 4.0 33%

I have found groups or organizations I’d be interested in joining 3.9 33%

• Just as the first “cut” for most prospective students depends on the availability of their major, students also place significant weight on their anticipated experiences in their departments’ classrooms

• Demonstrate the positive energy of your campus and your community in memorable ways

Determining “Fit”Key Emotional Indicators


Please tell me how strong of an indicator each of the following feelings are as you evaluate whether you will fit in at a college.

Mean Rating

Percent “One of the

Best Indicators”

It feels like I already have several friends on campus 3.7 27%

My parents are excited about the school 3.7 25%

• Consider building your recruitment communications messaging and campus visit programming upon the notion of establishing relationships with faculty and enrolled students

• While only 25% of respondents admit their parents’ enthusiasm signals a good fit, we know that relatively few final college selections are made without parents’ blessings

Determining “Fit”Secondary Emotional Indicators


Good academics

Location

Offers my major

Many extracurricu-lar activities

Size of the schoool

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

28%

14%

14%

14%

11%

What are the primary items that make a school a better fit for you?

Qualities Making a “Better” Fit


Predicting Success After College


Please tell me how strong an indicator each characteristic is in evaluating your chances for success after graduation.

Mean Rating

Percent “One of the Best Indicators”

The college is located in a region offering lots of job opportunities related to my major 4.2 43%

The career placement office offers a wide variety of activities to prepare students for employment 4.2 41%

Graduates get good jobs with well-known employers 4.2 40%

Quality of the career placement program at the college 4.2 39%

Students go on to chase big dreams 4.1 40%

Graduates from the school go on to attend well-known and prestigious graduate schools 4.0 38%

Average starting salary of fellow graduates is higher than the national average 4.0 34%

Availability of prestigious internships 4.0 33%

Employers recruit heavily from the campus 4.0 33%

Networking opportunities with successful people in your field of interest 4.0 32%

Students graduate in four years 4.0 31%

The college has a strong alumni network to assist in job placement 3.9 28%

Success After CollegeMost Important Predictors


Please tell me how strong an indicator each characteristic is in evaluating your chances for success after graduation.

Mean Rating

Percent “One of the Best

Indicators”

Graduates of the college are located throughout the nation or world 3.7 29%

Students conduct independent research while in college 3.7 23%

The college can show examples of famous alumni 3.3 15%

Success After CollegeLess Important Predictors


Good faculty

Hands-on learning

Small classes, personal attention

Quality of academics

Job placement

Good reputation

Cost, tuition

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

19%

19%

13%

13%

13%

10%

10%

What are the primary items that make a college more likely to help their students succeed after graduation?

Resources Needed to Help Students Succeed


“A really good administration and faculty that help students succeed after graduation”

“I think the college needs to back you up when you are getting a job and the degree they give you has to look good to employees”

“The name of the college”

“Availability of good mentors, advisors, and job opportunities for graduating students”

Resources Needed to Help Students Succeed


Preferred Methods of Communication


• Sending letters through the mail• Sending publications through the mail• Sending a personal e-mail, written specifically for you• Sending mass, non-personalized emails• Contact through Facebook or MySpace• Contact via instant messaging• Text messages to cell phone• Phone calls• Phone calls to parent(s)• Personal home visits

Methods Tested


Funnel Stages Examined


“The first stage is early in your college decision-making process.

This is the time period before you have decided which colleges and universities you may be interested in, and several schools are attempting to attract your attention.”

Search Stage


Percent“Acceptable”

Sending you letters through the mail 96%

Sending you a personal email, written specifically for you 87%

Sending you publications through the mail 85%

Phone calls to you 78%

Phone calls to your parents 66%

• In spite of the miracle of modern technology, personal correspondence and publications delivered via postal mail still have a clear foothold on early-funnel contacts

• Generally off-limits for search: mass non-personalized email, social networks, instant messaging, text messaging and home visits

Search StageAcceptable Forms of Communication


Percent

Traditional postal mail 44%

Email 36%


Visiting your high school 11%

Personal visits to your home 8%


• Respondents could select up to three and/or offer other options • Clearly, the standard search has become a multi-faceted exercise• This data may offer a temptation to curtail all travel and reallocate

resources to postal and e-mail; however, “search” begins at different times for different students

Search StagePreferred Forms of Communication


0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Too much Too little Just the right amount

12%18%

70%

During this stage, would you say colleges have communicated with you:

In spite of the blur we create for prospective students, they appear to be surprisingly satisfied with the quantity of information we send their way

Search StageSatisfaction With Communication


Better ways to communicate during the search stage:

– More contact, contact on a regular basis (17%)

– More specific info, more details (15%)

– Contact me via mail (13%)

– Contact me via phone (10%)

– More personalized (10%)

– Contact via e-mail (9%)

Search StageImproving Communications


“Now think about the schools you have initially shown interest in.

Perhaps you have requested more information from them through their Web site, given them your name at a college fair, or somehow indicated to colleges you are interested in learning more.”

Inquiry Stage








• Once interest has been established, the door is open for phone calls

• Off-limits during inquiry stage: mass non-personalized email, social networks, instant messaging, text messaging, home visits

Inquiry StageAcceptable Forms of Communication


Percent

Email 38%





• Respondents could select up to three and/or offer other options• Appreciation for phone calls increases at inquiry (versus search

stage), as postal mail drops and email remains steady

Inquiry StagePreferred Forms of Communication


0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


5%

25%

70%


Surprisingly, inquiries tell us they would actually appreciate more communication from the schools in which they expressed interest

Inquiry StageSatisfaction with Communication


Better ways to communicate during the inquiry stage: (n=116)


– Contact me via phone (16%)

– Contact me via e-mail (11%)


– More personalized (10%)

– Provided more/better information (10%)

– More specific information, more details (10%)

Inquiry StageImproving Communication


“Now consider how a school may communicate with you after you have submitted an application.”

Applicant Stage








• The role of publications and postal mail correspondence is clearly not being upstaged by email

• Note the increasing appreciation for phone calls• Still off-limits: mass non-personalized email, social networks,

instant messaging, text messaging

Applicant StageAcceptable Forms of Communication


Percent

Email 31%



Visiting your high school 8%



• Respondents could select up to three and/or offer other options• At application—arguably the first “personal space” along the

college-choice funnel—email steps into the #1 preferred position

Applicant StagePreferred Forms of Communication


0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


2%

16%

82%


With 8 of 10 respondents generally satisfied with the amount of information they received at the application stage, the real question becomes, “Are they receiving it through the channels they prefer?”

Applicant StageSatisfaction With Communication


Better ways to communicate during the applicant stage: (n=85)

– More contact, contact ona regular basis (17%)

– Contact via e-mail (15%)

– More specific information,more details (12%)

– Good customer service,be responsive (8%)


Applicant StageImproving Communication


“Now consider how the schools that have accepted you communicate with you.”

Admitted Student Stage








• Surprisingly, social networks, instant messaging and text messaging still don’t make the list

• This is cause for pause for schools who are aggressively integrating these permission-based (or opt-in) channels to their rosters of recruitment communications tactics

Admitted StudentAcceptable Forms of Communication


Percent

Email 33%



• Respondents could select up to three and/or offer other options • Email and phone calls eclipse traditional postal mail at the

admitted student stage: does your recruitment process map respect these student preferences?

Admitted StudentPreferred Forms of Communication


Admitted StudentSatisfaction With Communication

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


2%

17%

81%



Better ways to communicate during the admitted student stage: (n=85)



– Provide status updates (8%)

– More specific information, more details (7%)

– Contact me via e-mail (7%)

– Good customer service, be responsive (7%)

Admitted StudentImproving Communication


Search stage

Inquiry stage

Applicant stage

Admitted student stage

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

18%

25%

15%

17%

70%

70%

82%

81%

12%

5%

2%

2%

Too little

Just right

Too much

Communication Satisfaction Summary


Instant Messaging Text MessagingFacebook & MySpace

• Keep in mind that prospective students have demonstrated interest (by way of opt-ins) to college-sponsored groups on Facebook and MySpace

• Even personal home visits were scored as less intrusive!

No Trespassing: Off-Limits Methods


What surprised you most?


What begs further study?

Thank you!