CMU expanding ways to reach out to prospective students

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Central Michigan University’s Office of Admissions is looking at cyberspace to draw in new students.

Since 2006, the University of Michigan has had students blogging about their campus experiences and posting them on the school’s admissions Web site in hopes of giving high school students a glimpse at what life is like on campus.

“The use of video on the Web is something that’s fairly new for us,” said Betty Wagner, director of Admissions at CMU. “We’re in the process to develop blogs.”

Wagner said the student blogs will be online sometime in the next few months.

Admissions already has a “microsite,” which contains videos and a link to the department’s Facebook.

Fairgrove freshman Missy Long thinks using Web-based tactics can be useful to the university.

“It will get them more well-known with people,” she said.

While Admissions is using the Internet and e-mail more frequently to communicate with prospective students, it is not slowing down with the methods that have served well in the past.

Letters and pamphlets sent through the mail are still used.

“You can’t let go of traditional things,” Wagner said. “Parents read them and influence their children’s college choices. People also like to have something solid in their hands.”

Campus tours are still the No. 1 factor for bringing students to campus, she said.

Other ways to draw in students

Phone calls also have proven to be a successful way to reach students, Wagner said.

“We’ve had a lot of success with our voice response program,” she said.

The voice response system is an automated voicemail system that calls potential students with a pre-recorded message and is used to gain interest in the Centralis scholarship and CMU and You programs.

“We’re trying to be creative with who makes the calls,” Wagner said.

This year, the call for CMU and You Day featured the CMU fight song playing in the background as Bob Garcia, senior assistant director of Admissions, and head football coach Butch Jones addressed students.

Wagner said the goal of programs such as these are not designed to persuade more students to apply, but to get those who have already applied and been accepted to actually attend CMU.

“We have the third-largest applicant pool in the state, so that’s not a problem,” Wagner said.