Today is February 7th, mid-way between January 1, 2007 and Chinese New Year on February 17th. It’s never too late for a few resolutions.

1. What worked to attract students 20 years ago, simply doesn’t work any longer. Resolve this year to explore alternatives as if the survival of your institution depends upon it. It might.

2. Our ever-changing world is changing faster every year. College-age students today have less and less in common with 20-something and 30-something admissions counselors. Resolve this year to learn more about next year’s incoming class. Visit the Beloit College Mindset List and use it to open a discussion with your admissions team. Begin to strategize about how to keep your communications relevant to today’s 18-year-old.

3. The social web is huge. Prospective students meet online and share information more than ever before. Your voice is no longer the loudest, or even one of the loudest, when it comes to learning about your school and making decisions. Resolve this year to learn more about social networking
and how it impacts your admissions team. Join a few sites and listen in on the conversations.

4. Recent high school graduates are group oriented. They date in groups, they socialize in groups, they make decisions in groups. This is not the same as the peer pressure ideas of previous generations. It is a highly cooperative mode of thinking, studying and working. When you address a prospective student, you are addressing their group. This year resolve to consider how to use cooperative decision-making to your advantage.

5. A person aged 16-21 hears and sees an average of 3000 to 4000 marketing messages each and every day. It takes clear, consistent and relentless marketing and communications to be heard. Resolve this year to make your communications stand out from the crowd.

Happy New Year to everyone. And Happy Chinese Year of the Boar!