Picking A College: The First Stop is the Web Site
By: Mark Glesne

“I checked-out the web site.” That’s what most high school students do when they begin looking at colleges. It makes sense – their first instinct is to make a “virtual” visit to the colleges that are of interest to them, using the medium with which they are the most comfortable.  They look, they respond, they make decisions. Studies show this is the pattern among well over two thirds of prospective freshmen.

Is your Web site ready to receive them and persuade them?

This is their medium. Statistics show the huge amount of time adolescents spend online – they’ve grown up with it. They know how to use the Web and they’ve seen hundreds of Web sites. So using the Web for college exploration is intuitive. It is fast. It is free, and the internet is the medium of this generation. Many students say they “visit” colleges with their parents – online.

Will your college make the first cut? Their first task is to create a “short list” of colleges that they will then consider more carefully. Most colleges don’t make it past this first cut.

So it is fair to say that the Web site is the front-line ambassador for your campus, and first impressions will be made there. And, short-lists are built there.

A University of Minnesota study confirmed that a vast majority of high school students (and their parents) visit the college Web site as their first step in evaluating colleges, they return to the Web sites.  They evaluate and they make decisions. And eliminations.

For more information on how to make your institution's Web site more up to date and influential, contact OmniUpdate at:

Phone: 805-484-9400
Toll Free: 800-362-2605

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