College life is often captured in the movies: sororities, fraternities and massive library halls. However, with the influence of social media, prospective students now can see a more realistic insider’s view of college. Many students stream their daily lives on YouTube, while professors upload their lectures to the platform. However, live streaming is also a great vehicle for the admissions department to utilize. Recruitment begins with creating a vision of what could be. And, what creates vision better than a live video?
College Tour
Imagine applicants debating NYU vs. Brown or obsessing over the college of their dreams. They want as much information that they can get. For high school students, this might be the biggest decision that they have yet to make. If so, colleges should take advantage of this opportunity and meet these students where they are. According to Net Sanity, teens are flocking to a series of video chat and live streaming platforms. If universities were to live stream for prospective students, they would have a wide audience across demographics. Providing a virtual university tour is a great idea for all applicants, especially those who live across the country. By touring the school via live stream, more prospective students will have access to the university.
Showing Vs. Telling
Spending a day with a college freshman is ideal. What if prospective students could do this from the comfort of their own home? If a university goes live, then applicants can get a sneak peek into student life without leaving their city. Going live could capture one of the most essential aspects of higher education, which is the student experience.
What are the dorms like? What’s it like for commuters? Which cafeteria is the best? How many quads are there? What are the parties like? Are the people friendly? What’s the best library? What’s the best diner off campus? Is there a city life too? There are so many questions that they could read about in a college pamphlet. Instead, you could show them via live stream.
Live Video with College Department Chairs
Connecting with the department chairs is a good way to spark traction among applicants. If an applicant has a specific major in mind, then customized live streams would be valuable. Each head of the department could discuss their strengths and how the university offers a great learning opportunity. By doing this, the university is getting buy-in from the applicants. If applicants are excited about the university, they are more likely to put it to the top of their list. If and when, they are accepted, they will be less likely to decline admission.
Q/A with an Admission Counselor
Live streaming with an admission counselor can allow prospective applicants to ask questions in real time. While there are unique questions, most inquiries will benefit the larger pool of applicants. By engaging the admissions department in a live stream, you can provide applicants with additional reminders for the full admission process from recruitment to acceptance.
Another great part about live streaming is that your live video can attract people who were not initially interested in your university. Even Harvard (not that Harvard has a lack of applicants) is utilizing Facebook live for traction during recruitment season, according to Converge Consulting. Moreover, the truth is that live streaming can open up new possibilites for all levels of higher education. Someone might click on the live stream out of boredom or curiosity and find it to be a compelling option for education. Universities have nothing to lose and everything to gain by live streaming for recruitment purposes.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 876239, 959379 & 965502.
