In the modern landscape of higher education, too many enrollment teams overlook the importance of giving students a chance to find community, both on- and off-campus. Failing to help future students find a community at the start of their higher education journey can result in losing them for good. The connection between physical and emotional belonging is profound. Feeling like they belong enhances students’ academic, emotional, and social well-being and success. A campus community helps students fight loneliness and provides support, helping them thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, and preparing them for future challenges.
The Case for Building Community
Venturing into higher education at both undergraduate and graduate levels is nerve-wracking. Our research has found that 90% of students get nervous between enrollment and arrival – even when they’re all in the same boat. It’s not academics or finances that get to them. For half of the students, it’s the unknown of college life, and for 30%, the fear of getting lost. By the time they get to campus, 67% have little to no confidence in their social abilities, and nearly one in three doubt they’ll make it to graduation.
All of this takes a toll on student confidence, which is a huge problem for both your enrollment numbers and their future on campus. So, how do you fix it? By investing in communities for incoming students and creating a supportive space where they can connect with other students just like them. This helps them find a sense of belonging before they even step onto campus. We’ve found that nearly half of students (45%) say that connecting with their peers increases their confidence ahead of arrival.
But it’s not just for students. Having insights into what matters most to each student before the start of school is invaluable for higher education enrollment teams.
Community-Building Throughout Onboarding and Orientation
With student connection and communication platforms, there’s an opportunity to create community at the start of the student’s higher education journey. Using peer-to-peer marketing tools to connect potential students with student ambassadors and faculty members will help you stand out from the crowd early. The job isn’t done when they’ve received the acceptance letter. It’s just getting started.
When you don’t make the effort to continue engaging students at every step of the higher education journey – from application to enrollment and beyond – you risk having them choose another institution, melt away, or arrive unprepared. Giving them access to a community is critical after admission. It fosters excitement, eases anxieties, and encourages students to envision themselves as integral members of the campus community from the outset. By nurturing these connections early on, you’ll lay the groundwork for a supportive and enriching academic experience that extends far beyond the confines of the classroom.
Edusakha Community: A Solution for Students
What if we told you there was a platform made for exactly this conundrum? Enter Edusakha Community, which can offer support, camaraderie, and, most importantly, a community that other channels can’t.
Using Community, students join Groups, which are online forums built around anything from majors and demographics to interests and hobbies. Students can connect with like-minded peers in these groups, socialize, and ask questions. In other words, they can easily find their people without any extra work. Edusakha will even automatically connect students based on their profile and recommend Groups for them to join.
Having the chance to participate in Groups offers students a sense of belonging, support, and opportunities for growth that can enhance their overall academic experience.
Desired Outcomes for Enrollment Leaders
Edusakha Community is built with college enrollment teams in mind, too. Most importantly, it streamlines all of your engagement efforts and frees up your time so that you can focus on other important initiatives. For instance, you can easily communicate through mass messages to engage students throughout the summer and increase enrollment yield. Community also makes it possible to easily broadcast announcements, deadlines, and reminders in the Updates center.
This type of scalable communication supports students at every step in their higher education journey, regardless of their position in the funnel. The data you can glean from Edusakha Community is invaluable, too. With Conversation Insights, you’ll get an up-close look at what students are talking about, where their interests lie, and what they’re concerned about. The data can even be filtered down to location and interests for the most impact.
Not only will this help you better anticipate their needs, but you’ll also be able to use the data to further humanize the enrollment funnel with personalized messages to each student. The data can also benefit your student ambassadors, who can use those insights to offer more personalized support and guidance tailored to individual needs. The importance of this data can’t be overstated – it’s what will allow you to support students to your fullest potential and create the kind of environment that addresses their needs and makes them feel truly welcomed from start to finish.
Finding your place on campus goes beyond finding someone to eat lunch with on the first day of class. It’s about having shared experiences, providing encouragement, and navigating the unknown together. And that’s what students will find on Edusakha Community. They don’t just see themselves as students but as valued members of a community they want to be part of – which will drive your enrollment long-term.
Convert and Retain More Students with Edusakha Community
Investing in building a community for your incoming students is crucial to your success as an enrollment team. By fostering a strong sense of community, institutions provide students with invaluable support networks that enhance their academic, emotional, and social well-being. Edusakha Community offers a comprehensive solution, empowering enrollment leaders to streamline engagement efforts and provide personalized support to students throughout their journey. With features like Groups, Updates, and Conversation Insights, Community facilitates meaningful connections and fosters a sense of belonging from the outset.
It’s important that enrollment leaders prioritize community-building initiatives and recognize their role in attracting and retaining students who feel valued and supported within the campus community. To learn how Edusakha Community could help your higher ed recruitment efforts, schedule a demo here.
