Families are starting to look past the Ivy League toward “vibe schools,” campuses that blend academic strength with social energy, lifestyle appeal, and stability. In this episode, Jeff, Scott, and Jarrett unpack the Forbes article behind the trend, what these schools get right, and the practical first steps any campus can take to build a vibe of its own.
Most conversations about AI search focus on visibility, but AI search tools have become an eerily accurate mirror of what the market actually thinks about your school. The implication? It’s harder than ever to market your way out of a weak experience, and authenticity has never been a sharper competitive advantage.
When enrollment numbers dip, leadership usually looks to marketing and admissions first. But what if the real problem is what’s happening on campus?
Are you selling the residential experience to a generation buying a career investment? Jarrett Smith, Scott Rhodes, and Jeff Kallay break down the shift toward transactional enrollment, why your program pages need an MBA-style overhaul, and how to market ROI without losing the hidden value of campus life.
Families fixate on one number during admissions conversations: the cost of a college degree. By reframing student loans as investments in appreciating assets rather than burdensome debt, admissions counselors can help families understand the true value of higher education and shift the conversation from “Can we afford this?” to “How do we make this work?”
Too often, admissions training treats objection handling as a list of rebuttals to memorize. In reality, objections aren’t barriers to overcome but instead are signals to investigate that invite deeper conversations that help counselors become trusted advisors who guide prospects toward the right decision.
Higher ed marketers have to deliver short-term results, but lasting impact comes from a brand that students understand and trust.
Uncover surprising insights that will transform how you approach your .edu Your website is one of your most important recruitment tools. Are you sure it’s delivering what prospective students need most? In this webinar, we’ll reveal findings from our national Top Tasks study of 1,000+ prospective students across student types …
In this new report from Echo Delta and ADV Market Research, we share findings from a nationwide study of prospective students and how they interact with three of the most critical sections on your site: academics, admissions, and financial aid. Using the Top Tasks methodology, we’ve uncovered what matters most to students across the enrollment journey and where institutions are often out of sync.
In this session, we’ll explore how to move beyond basic questions and uncover the real reasons behind a prospective student’s interest. We’ll use the ‘5 Why’s’ to peel back the layers, to get to the heart of their motivations. And then, we’ll employ the SPIN Selling approach—Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-payoff—to …
