<p>As a parent of three performance majors, some graduated, some not, I can safely say that CC provided a wealth of information on options for schools over the years. Our kids wound up applying to some schools which, had it not been for CC, we would never have considered for performance training,( Elon.) Some we had never even heard of before , (Otterbein, Baldwin-Wallace.) Since we first entered the process in '05, we’ve seen a great surge in marketing and networking from certain schools through social media, alumni updates on websites, association conventions, print news,etc. Just wondering if some of the school folks/representatives who contribute here could comment on any changes or increases they have made towards getting high schoolers and their families familiar with their school and then interested in their school. Some schools seem to be doing an excellent job of promotion, but some still seem very REactive in their process. Some seem to reach out to alumni to hear about progress in their careers while some appear to wait for alumni to contact their alma mater while building that career. Do the departments see a difference in the knowledge in the applicants, how did they hear about your school, what do the applicants seem to prioritize when choosing to apply to a school, etc.? Does the expense of marketing and publicity seem to pay off? I know the critical priority is always to educate and train the students. However, in these tough financial times, it can’t be overlooked that college is also a business and growth is still key, no matter how you measure it - through numbers, quality of class, diversity, etc. How are schools finding their marketing efforts relate to the growth of their programs?</p>
<p>My school is HUGE on social media - blogging, facebook, twitter, we even have a tumblr. We encourage a lot of student social media too, which I think is absolutely great.</p>