Newswise — High school senior Mary Caitlin loves to sing and she wants to major in interior design and minor in music. These are details admissions advisers such as David Scharff want to know.
The interest profile high school students are asked to complete when they sit for the ACT is no longer the only way for university admissions officials to gather such information. Mary Caitlin shared these facts with the world on her Web journal, more commonly referred to as "blog."
"Students' way of communication has changed so much, we have to keep up and change with them," says Scharff, assistant director of admissions at Harding University. It is no longer enough for Scharff to call students like Mary, tell them about the University, answer questions, encourage them to visit, and wait for their application.
"They don't want to just call a toll-free number to get information," Scharff says. "Blogging is really appealing for students who are on the computer a lot. They are more comfortable researching things on the Internet on their own."
Mary Caitlin is a case in point. She is one of more than 60 students who belong to a Xanga blogring formed in January called "Harding Freshman 2005." "If you are going to Harding this fall or are already there, feel free to leave me a comment or IM me!!" she implores in an entry.
"IM" — Instant Messenger — is also a tool Scharff relies on. An account was created for him when he began in the Admissions Office two years ago. "When my students see I'm online — and I'm always on during the day — they can send me a quick note."
E-mail accounts and cell phones come standard for this technologically savvy generation. "E-mail is a huge resource," Scharff says. Though he is available at his office number and by cell phone, he says the overwhelming majority of communication he receives from students is through e-mail. "Parents are more likely to call me than students," he says. "It's easier for students with a question to jot it down in an e-mail. A lot of them are e-mailing or blogging at school during their free time on school computers."
Scharff frequently sends out targeted group e-mails to students in his territory, for example, alerting them to high school visit weekends on campus or announcing when he will be visiting a certain state. Once a month he sends a collective e-mail to all of his prospective students. "I sent one recently about roommates," he says. "It said, 'If you don't have a roommate yet and want help finding one, let me know.'"
Since these students spend so much time on the Internet, online applications were a logical response to facilitate their college search. At Harding, the option was made available in August 1999 for the entering freshman class of 2000. In that initial year, 358 applications were received online. "At first, it was just to keep up with the times," says Glenn Dillard, assistant vice president for enrollment management. "But it is becoming more and more popular. More than half of all applications are now received online."
Of the nearly 1,900 total applications received for students entering this fall, 1,048 were online applications, Dillard says.
"Some of the benefits for students are that they can apply anytime," he explains. "They also can start the process, then continue later. Nothing happens until they click submit.
"Online applications are even more convenient for international students. We don't have to deal with the two-week mail delay. We receive online applications seconds later."
All the necessary admission forms — including housing reservation, character reference and academic reference — are available online. Dillard says paper applications remain an option for those who feel more secure with that format.
Of course, technology can only go so far. Says Scharff, "Our goal is to get them here on campus to experience Harding."
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