The Social Media team is using Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Tumblr to attract prospective students from across the nation and to inform others about PBA.
By Victoria Vartan
There are over 750 million active users on Facebook and over 175 million users on Twitter. Now, not only are people connecting with friends and family, but they are also connecting with their college.
Whenever future college students visit a college they are interested in, they are often told to join the college’s Facebook page or follow the college on Twitter. By doing so, the student is able to get a glimpse of what the college is like depending on certain events the university has.
Many colleges have started their own Facebook page in order to recruit future college students.
At Palm Beach Atlantic University, a social media team updates almost every day to help prospective students learn more about the campus and campus life.
Rebecca Palmquist, supervisor of the social media team, said, “We connect with prospective students through Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook. The students are able to find these by searching for PBA admissions.” Also, Rebecca added, “We have a social media team, consisting of Anthony and Rosa, who make videos to show prospective students what life around campus is like. Also, they update the statuses with information on events and important admission information an incoming student might need.”
Locally, Florida Atlantic University, Palm Beach State College and Nova Southeastern University have their own Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. Each university lets students and incoming students know what is going on around campus that might interest them.
Kayleigh Kelley, who works at Florida Atlantic University’s human resources office, said “We like to connect with students every way that we can. By having Facebook and Twitter accounts it is easier for us to keep up and notify each of the students about what is going on in and around campus.”
Kelley added, “When there is a big event coming up around campus, we send out event notifications on Facebook which allows the student to choose whether or not to attend. This helps the students know who is going and helps them meet new people.”
“Social networks are being used by college students every day,” said Kimberly Cronin, a student at Nova Southeastern University. “By using social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, we are able to recruit more students into our school.” Cronin also said that when a student likes the page on Facebook or follows the school on Twitter, the person is able to see what is going on in and around the community. “This is especially helpful if the student is coming from a different state,” she said.
Many faculty members around campus have Facebook accounts.
Kelso Alyea, a PBA freshman, said, “I was added by my admissions counselor so it was really easy to get my questions answered in a relaxed environment.”
When asked if the college’s social media persuaded her to choose PBA over another college, Kelso answered, “Actually yes. They kept a good connection with me.”
VICTORIA VARTAN 