Brain Waves Blog

Prospective students are giving you a roadmap to their college decision in their conversations with peers on Reddit. Trends and insights from a decade of social intelligence research identified five themes students and families value in college admissions—get the report. We expanded on the strategies in the report to share more recommendations and examples to connect with and appeal to right-fit students. Use the ideas that fit your audience and community to meet and exceed enrollment goals.

Social intelligence tells us that prospective students seek peer guidance on social media and Reddit about if and where to go to college nearly 10x more than they did 10 years ago. The authentic and unfiltered insights from social intelligence give you a deeper understanding of the voices in your community and enable you to design and assess programs with learners at the center.

Perception is shaped by human feelings and opinions, and is dynamic in nature. Traditional research methods such as focus groups, interviews, surveys, and audience panels, often carry inherent biases and assumptions that impact the data collection process.

This spring, we hosted virtual roundtables that brought more than 300 higher ed professionals together to discuss the value of a college degree, innovative strategic planning, and growing graduate enrollment. 

The topic of graduate enrollment growth is having a moment in higher ed. With the FAFSA delays and decreasing undergraduate enrollment, expanding graduate programs feels like a quick and easy solution for many campuses.

Strategic planning is an opportunity to evaluate and prioritize resources so your institution can optimize its strengths and achieve its goals. Every campus has a strategic plan, but the process and approach for developing that plan varies.