Do College Marketing and Enrollment Services Really Improve a University's Enrollment Numbers?

When many of us graduated from high school 20-25 years ago, universities would send campus reps to area high schools to recruit students. We would hear from student leaders, counselors and admission representatives regarding the many reasons why a particular school was the better choice for obtaining a degree. Times have changed and so have the methods used to entice students to attend certain universities. Many universities are now turning to college marketing and enrollment services to help them meet their enrollment goals.

Why the change? The answer is technology. While a personal testimony from the mouth of a currently enrolled student or alumni may carry some weight, companies who offer college marketing and enrollment services can reach a greater amount of potential students in a much shorter time. Through the use of technology, concentrated marketing and the Internet, these companies can help target specific student demographics and direct traffic to college websites more quickly than ever before. Ultimately, this equates to a savings of both time and money for the university who is seeking to expand its student base.

What kinds of solutions do college marketing and enrollment services offer their clients? Their job is to create marketing strategies that will garner attention from college bound students and parents. These marketing techniques will vary from college to college, depending on what type of student each individual university is attempting to attract. Quality college marketing and enrollment services will tailor their services to meet a school's recruitment budget, and then employ a myriad of methods to promote the university, such as multi-media campaigns that include printed materials like brochures and magazines, interactive CDs/DVDs and online presentations. They may also generate leads by using e-mail marketing campaigns that target a specific clientele, like potential MBA candidates. Search engine marketing, which uses search engine optimization to drive internet users to college websites is a very important tool put in place by most of these services, since most college bound students are extremely computer savvy and do a great portion of their continuing education research via the internet.

Many college marketing and enrollment services work with universities by enhancing the school's website to include interactive features such as blogs, social networking, virtual advisors, student web portals and group chat options. By providing a more complete website, colleges increase the number of serious inquiries for enrollment because potential students are having more fulfilling experiences looking for answers and information online. These types of online marketing campaigns free up valuable resources that would otherwise be spent on printing and postage. It also allows enrollment and recruiting staff the freedom to focus their efforts on areas such as highly specialized recruiting that may need to be more personal in nature.

Follow-up service is a crucial part of any campaign that college marketing and enrollment services should offer. Without lead management, reporting and web diagnostics, the marketing campaign would be incomplete and a waste of valuable resources. Universities need to be able to track results to determine which aspects of the campaign work and which parts need to be readdressed; so that every effort is being made in recruitment produces maximum results. By using technology to create proprietary systems, many college marketing and enrollment services are able to customize lead management and reporting programs to fit each school's needs. This customized analysis of the school's marketing campaign saves the university staff both time and money by identifying clear areas of success. That information is valuable when determining how to appropriate budgeting and staff as the recruitment efforts go forward.

With the recent lag in the economy, many state governments are faced with having to cut education budgets due to deficits. Many universities are looking at serious budget cuts and need to maximize the results of every recruitment dollar spent. Any university looking to increase it's exposure and communication efforts with potential and returning students needs to seriously consider working with college marketing and enrollment services. These services will help universities project their unique environment, curriculum and programs to the largest possible audience, in the most cost-effective way, to ensure strong enrollment. Sounds like money well spent.

From traditional methods to online surveys, eduinteractive's college marketing and enrollment services help you better understand your prospects and position your school more effectively.

A Bachelor Degree Nursing Diploma Can Make For a Bright Future

Are you a caring person who likes helping others? Have you ever considered going into the medical field? If so, then perhaps you need to start thinking about earning your bachelor degree nursing diploma. Getting a nursing degree in a specialty like pediatrics, radiology, or gerontology can open up a whole galaxy of job opportunities. You don't need to be an M.D. to have a well-paying, challenging job in medicine. Medical technology is changing so fast on so many different fronts that new positions are emerging all of the time. Obtaining a bachelor degree in nursing really is a winning proposition.

While the rest of the economy is either shrinking or stagnant, there are always jobs in medicine for the people with the smarts and the technical skills to do them. Getting a diploma in any of the dozens of medical specialties can virtually guarantee that you'll find employment either in a laboratory doing chemical analysis, working in a radiology lab processing x-rays, MRIs, and other types of high-tech medical imaging, or you can get a job in a busy general practice office, or work in a specialty such as pediatrics, intensive care, home health care, medical records, medical administration, or in a busy hospital or clinic.

As America's population ages, there will only be more opportunities in virtually every field of medicine, especially in the areas of home health care and gerontology. More and more of our fellow citizens will require home health care assistance, so there will always be a need for these kinds of jobs. Getting your degree in a particular medical specialty will mean that you won't be stuck doing a lower-paying home health care job when you can be operating high-tech equipment that does sophisticated analysis of the human body's various systems. You can also continue into nursing so you can learn the intricacies of managing medical records to ensure the best possible care for your patients. Psychology remains one of the most fascinating of modern medical disciplines, and a bachelor degree in nursing can put you in the right place to learn as much as you can about the theory and treatment in a modern psychiatric or medical office office.

You may think that you're too busy with your current job and current family and personal responsibilities to tackle a nursing program or some other kind of medicine program, but you're wrong. If you do your coursework online, you can work on it when it's convenient and pursue a course of study that you tackle at your own pace. You can finish it as quickly or slowly as you please, and at the end of your course of schooling, you'll have a four-year degree that will be worth far more than you paid for it.

Right now, employment specialists all agree that getting a bachelor degree in nursing in any specialty will vastly boost your income potential. For people who feel they are too busy pursuing their own lives, earning an online education in nursing is one of the best options available. Even if you've never felt like you were college material, it only makes sense to get the training and the educational credentials that will help you succeed in the workplace of your choice. The job market is only going to get more competitive in the next year, so you need every edge that you can find to get the good jobs, whether they're in medicine or some other field. A bachelor degree in nursing can give you that edge.

Andy West is a writer for BachelorsDegreeOnline.com, which offers the most informative and up to date information for people searching for a Bachelor Degree nursing program online.

Study in Italy - Guide to Studying Overseas

For those of you who wish to study in a romantic and historic environment, Italy is a perfect destination. The history, art scene, food, vineyards, and people all add up to an incredible experience living overseas. Just visiting the main cities of Rome, Florence, and Venice are enough to make the dreams come true of so many Americans...but there is so much more to see and do! Consider a study abroad trip and taking the weekends to ski the Alps, swim along the beaches of Sicily, or visit Mount Vesuvius.

My friend studied Fashion Design in Rome during one semester of her Undergraduate studies. Whenever she speaks of her overseas experience, she can't help but get a huge smile. During her program, there was a fashion design competition, which she ended up winning and gaining great publicity and enhancing her resume. She is now teaching at an American University.

There are programs for everyone; the casual traveler that wishes to learn more about a specific subject, summer sessions, college credit sessions, high school programs, and, Graduate programs. The four main cities to consider for your overseas adventures are Rome, Torino, Siena, Florence, and Venice. Rome will obviously have the most programs available since it is the largest city and the country's capital. The benefits of studying here include the multitude of historical sites you can visit, a vibrant festive atmosphere, and using its great location as a jumping-off point to visit other Italian and Mediterranean locations.

Torino was made famous by hosting the 2006 Winter Olympics and would be a great place to live and study during the winter months; if you like skiing, of course. Siena is located in the heart of Tuscany, Italy's primary wine growing region. Living in this ancient city, you will feel as if you've been transported back into the ages while walking through the many beautiful piazza and courtyards. Florence is world famous for its Michelangelo's David, the nightlife, and all around Italian charm. The city offers a cultural experience that rivals any program in the world. Venice, of course, is surrounded by the mystique of its romantic aura. Since the city is actually made up of over one hundred Islands and over four hundred bridges, to get to classes, there's a good chance you might have to take a stroll along the canal or ride a water taxi as you people watch everyone strolling by.

10 Tips to help you select an Online Distance Education College

Accreditation - this is perhaps the most important of the rules. Accreditation confirms that the college meets certain educational standards that are set by the accrediting education agencies. If you earn credits from an accredited online distance education college, chances are you can transfer them to another accredited institution of your choice. Your chances for acquiring a new job or getting a promotion are greatly enhanced if your degree is accredited.

Be on the look-out for unaccredited online distance education colleges otherwise known as "degree mills". There are many fake institutions granting "accreditation" to any organization willing to pay some money for it. Before you pick your college, make sure you research that it is accredited by a legit body. If you are not sure the college you wish to attend has a legitimate accreditation, consult with the United States Department of Education or CHEA to confirm.

Before you choose an online college, it's also important to think about what your long-terms plans and goals are as far as your education is concerned. Incase you intend to pursue further education, think about if you'll need to transfer credits from one college to another. With this knowledge you'll be able to choose a college that allows and accepts credit transfers.

Just like in a traditional classroom, class size is important. You want to be in a class where your voice can be heard. So check the class size of the college you're considering.

Find out if the faculty hold any credentials and if they are qualified to teach the program you want to enroll in. If you can dig further to find out what degrees they hold and if they are experienced in teaching online students, this will save you the distress of finding out later that your instructor is a fellow un-qualified student with no education skills.

Support is very important to your success of online distance education program. Make sure you find if any and what level of support you will get from instructors, faculty and technical staff should you have problems with your classes or experience technical difficulties. Select a college that meets your standards of expectations.

Most colleges have their online classes rolling out all the time. This is a great thing and makes learning flexible. As such you should not feel pressured by the admission office or anyone else to start your program right away. You should start only when you feel your mind is set to it. This will ensure you stay motivated and put the effort you need to succeed with your classes.

Verify whether during the course of your program, there are classes that will require residency or if you will be able to complete the entire program online. This will help you prepare in advance.

Many online colleges have some form of financial aid or tuition assistance, loans, grants, scholarships available to their online students. You will be surprised at what you can qualify for. Many online schools offer tuition payment plans and employee reimbursement programs. Make sure you ask what tuition programs are available to you.

Take your time to research your best degree option and college out there. Don't settle for less than you deserve. Unlike there before when online programs were limited, now there are enormous options and colleges to choose from as most traditional colleges are already offering some programs online.