MIT: 13 blogs on opening admissions page (11 students, 2 admissions staff)
Today we hear more than ever that potential students want to know what already enrolled students have to say about their college or university. Most important, what they read or view has to be real words as the students would write or speak them… not something obviously produced by a PR department. These can’t be like the half-time university videos shown with football games.
MIT adopts that approach with more vigor than most schools: 111 student blogs and 2 from admissions staff that dominate the admissions entry page on a desk top or lap top visit. On a smartphone the blogs still loom large… but after you’ve scrolled down past opening “welcome” content that is less obvious on a large screen.
Important points to note…
- The blog posts are up-to-date… the earliest as I write this is from 25 October. The most recent is from 3 November. That’s admirable.
- Every post has comments. That’s not something to take for granted. The most engaging has 82 (“Ask me anything about portfolios… Go ahead. Don’t be shy”). For sure that’s much higher than the others. After that, the top is 11 and the least is 3. From what we know about social media, many more people are reading these than take an action to respond.
Simply put… this is a very successful effort that immediately differentiates MIT admissions from just about every other site potential students will visit.
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Always eager to get recommendations of websites that dare to be different… or just do something ordinary in a special way. Write a comment with link here or send me the link at bob@bobjohnsonconsulting.com
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