How Better Student Retention Starts with Enabling Student Intention
A common misconception in higher ed stems from the myth that the hardest part of university or college is getting admitted. As we see with astonishing student melt rates, post-acceptance social anxieties and even regrets after arriving on campus, there are so many obstacles a new student must overcome in the initial stages of their student journey.
This is why nurturing prospective students during their early stages of intention and post-admission are so crucial to ultimate student retention rates. A student who is prepared, excited, and engaged is more likely to stay longer than one who questions their choice to study at your higher ed institution.
Here are some tips and ways you can enable student intention to help set the stage for student retention success:
Ask your website the tough questions
Did you know one in 10 students look for “good vibes” as soon as they arrive at your website? Unibuddy data also tells us that a further 72% of Gen Z students rely on your website to pre-qualify themselves for further pursuit of admission to your higher ed institution.
Related: The Gen Z journey to higher education
So here’s a few questions for you: Does your website give off “good vibes?” Does your website help address the fear shared by 30% of incoming Gen Z students that they won’t make friends? What other channels are you leveraging to fill extracurricular or culture gaps? Do you control these channels? Do you know what is being asked about your school outside cost and programming?
Foster authentic connections direct through your website
At Unibuddy, we know the most-authentic connections are those made through peer-to-peer, student-to-student, interactions. Our data shows that prospective students trust their peers and look to them to vet their list of target higher ed institutions. Using Unibuddy Chat, a tool easily implemented on your website, you can connect prospective students with student ambassadors, individuals who have actually walked in their shoes.
Related: The melt dilemma: What are Gen Z’s Doubts All About?
Student ambassadors can answer questions your website can’t, like which student society is best for making friends, which cafeteria serves the best food or what career choices stem from choosing one program over another. As authentic stewards of your school, ambassadors serve as friendly honest faces in a crowded world of anxiety, pressure and indecisiveness.
Stop trying to relate to what Gen Z wants
Despite knowing your target market like the back of your hand, as an employee of your higher ed institution, your Gen Z prospect students can see through any of your attempts to meet them “on their level.” So consider not trying to force it. Instead, try providing them with the tools to make authentic connections on their own terms, with their fellow students – something over half of Gen Z say helps alleviate social anxiety.
Related: Want a proven way to engage Gen Z? The magic is in belonging
As an official, safe space, to communicate in a group messaging platform, Unibuddy Community helps higher ed institutions facilitate digital connections between groups of students, even prior to arrival on campus. Through this tool, part of the larger Unibuddy Platform, students can meet groups of their peers with similar interests or who come from their home regions or countries, as examples. In other words: Unibuddy Community helps prospective students find their people at your higher ed school, without you having to lift a finger or try to keep up with them.
Create a sense of belonging with community engagement
Retention is a long and complicated road, but you can help get students started on the right foot by keeping them engaged throughout their student journey. By offering them tools to stay in-touch with their fellow students and by connecting them with student ambassadors, you can instil a feeling of warmth towards your school. This can help you create the asynchronous conditions needed to develop a successful self-fulfilling student ambassador program which renews year-over-year – while making existing students feel wanted, needed and empowered.
Related: How to leverage the win-win of student-to-student connections
With Unibuddy Community, you not only enable students to find each other through groups, but also create communities which are real-time engaging and self-advertising for your brand. And these student-to-student interactions don’t just benefit new students, but also benefit the ambassadors themselves. From building out resume qualifications to networking opportunities, Unibuddy Community helps provide all students the tools they need to facilitate relationships and skills which last long beyond graduation.
