I have truly enjoyed working with the folks at The Lawlor Group in my roles at three different institutions. I consider them collaborators, colleagues, motivators and teachers. Together we have had a long record of success and satisfaction.

—W. Scott Friedhoff
Vice President for Enrollment
Allegheny College
Meadville, Pennsylvania

September 2005 Lawlor Focus

Parents in the College Search: Online or Sidelined?

Dr. Valerie Broughton, certified educational planner and founder of College Connectors in Minneapolis, Minnesota, says that when it comes to college searches, parents generally fall into two categories: Some "hover," as described by the recently coined term "helicopter parents," while others are supportive but encourage their child to take the lead in the search. Both types of parents' use of the web in the college search is similar.

"Helicopter parents do everything for their children—spend hours searching the web, e-mail questions to admission and other college offices, and even fill out applications online," says Broughton, who stresses she and her colleagues discourage this behavior. These parents' willingness to spend unlimited time researching schools on the web provides their students with a plethora of information about their college choices.

The less involved group of parents rarely visits a campus web site with two major exceptions, according to Broughton: to learn about costs and to schedule campus visits. "Parents are especially anxious to know what the costs will be, so they use the web to calculate their expected family contribution," she says. "They tend to use more generic sites, like finaid.org, rather than a specific college's site to do this."

College Connectors works with approximately 50 families a year, and as consultants they frequently are called upon to do extensive research for families, particularly in the area of financial aid. "I find that locating scholarship information on some college web sites requires more skill and persistence than even most parents have," admits Broughton. "They tell me they can't find such information and typically depend on written materials related to financial aid and scholarships—or on the information we provide them."

The other job most often tasked to Mom or Dad is arranging campus visits. Broughton believes campus visit web pages are most helpful when they include announcements about visit schedules, easy methods for scheduling visits, mechanisms for asking specific questions, directions and lodging information.

In the end, however, the personal touch remains vital for even the most web-savvy families. "In addition to lots of helpful information and scheduling ease, the best web presentations include a personal follow-up," Broughton says. "That is, after parents get information, ask questions or even arrange the visit on the web, they still appreciate someone confirming their plan. An e-mail message is fine, but they're blown away by personal calls."

Lawlor Recommends: Partner with Parents

Student affairs professionals and the media often refer to parents of today's young adults as "helicopter" parents because of their tendency to "hover" continuously over their children. Interestingly, psychologists tell us that most children actually welcome parental involvement in their affairs. Colleges and universities can make the most of this relationship by partnering with parents in the education process.

Make the web parent-friendly. Parents have different concerns than their students. They want to know about costs and safety issues, for example. Be sure your site addresses these issues clearly and directly. And, make the information easy to find—either with a microsite just for parents or with a "For Parents" link prominently displayed on the admission or student life home pages.

Remember your readers. Audit your printed materials, from letters to brochures, to ensure they address parental concerns. After all, even if a letter is addressed to the student, chances are parents may read it as well. For even more direct communication with family members, consider creating a brochure, a series of letters or an e-newsletter specifically to address the issues that most interest parents—before they even ask.

Create a mechanism for communication. Make parents believe you value their input—and prepare for a lot of it. Provide them with phone numbers, e-mail addresses and online surveys through which they can reach campus officials. For example, sending an e-survey to gauge first-year parent satisfaction just before the holidays would be well received—and their responses may help address retention issues in the next term. Coordinate with other campus offices to make sure that the most appropriate departments address different issues.

Invite parent input. Just as parents influence their kids, they influence one another. Tap into that opportunity by creating a Parent/Guardian advisory council that offers regular feedback to campus administrators. Having a current parents panel during campus visit programs, having them host send-off programs for new students and featuring them in the college magazine and other communications are all ways in which you can cultivate their support for the institution—and take advantage of their influence on others.

Talk to parents "in house." Make the most of parents of college-bound students on your own campus. Have them review publications, read letters and browse the web site. Ask them where these publications come up short and what you can do to better address their concerns as a potential college parent.

Be inclusive. Today's college students are parented by single parents, divorced parents, blended families and even grandparents who serve as guardians. When asking for information about "parents," be sure to allow for more than one address, phone number or e-mail on response mechanisms.

Expert Perspective: What Worries Students

Given that today's students are more apt to confide in their parents than R.A.s about their fears and anxieties, knowing what most concerns new college students may help campus administrators better prepare for the transition of each new class (and their parents) to college life.

In 2000, a national study titled "Your First College Year (YFCY)" was developed by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA and the Policy Center on the First Year of College at Brevard College (Brevard, North Carolina) to track the experiences of first-year students. Approximately 25,000 first-time students participate in the administration of the survey each year, and the findings from the annual YFCY studies identify the concerns most often shared by first-year college students. Topping the list over the past few years are six distinct issues:

  1. Paying for college—The majority of college students report they are stressed about their ability to pay for college expenses. While the average price of attending a four-year institution has risen by an inflation-adjusted 38 percent in the past decade, parental support actually has declined by 8 percent, which may contribute to this situation.
  2. Feeling overwhelmed—Students feel overwhelmed by all they have to do, particularly in regard to keeping up with homework and assignments.
  3. Being lonely or homesick—According to past YFCY studies, almost every student admits to feeling lonely or homesick on occasion. Some even report feeling isolated from campus life.
  4. Meeting new people—Despite their generally social nature, these young adults report being worried about meeting new people, fitting in socially and developing friendships with other college students. This is particularly true for students who don't reside on campus.
  5. Adjusting to the "social scene"—Possibly for the first time ever, college students are left to make decisions without the guidance or restrictions of their parents. Exercising self-control in an environment of total freedom is a challenge most students experience.
  6. Balancing social pressures with academic demands—The social temptations of college life often collide with academic demands, and according to YFCY studies, almost half of all respondents felt that their social life interfered with their school work.

For more information on these studies or to participate in future studies, see the YFCY web site.

In the News: Academic Podcasts

Beginning this academic year, Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana) students no longer have to search for a cassette player to replay lectures from faculty. Instead, they can download them to their iPod or other MP3 players.

"Many universities are experimenting with podcasting, but I'm not aware of any other university that is deploying a podcasting service on the scale that we are," reports Michael Gay, manager of Broadcast Networks & Services for Information Technology at Purdue. "As far as I know, we are the only university that is offering both streaming and podcasting of lectures in this manner as a central university service."

Students appreciate having the audio of lectures and review sessions to complement the presentation slides many professors already offer. The University sees several advantages for students by offering podcasts:

  • Students are able to repeat lectures at their convenience, whether that's while exercising, driving or walking on campus.
  • Non-native English-speaking students can replay lectures to increase their comprehension.
  • Students can review lectures before exams.
  • Instructors can listen to their own lectures to improve their presentations.
  • And, of course, students can listen in on classes they've missed.

Read more about Purdue's podcasting program.

Did You Know?

According to Noel-Levitz's "E-Expectations: Class of 2006" survey, when high school students visit a college web site, they are most interested in using a financial aid estimator or tuition calculator, and in completing an online application. Their top 15 list of online goals for college sites follows:

  1. Use a financial aid estimator (90%)
  2. Use a tuition calculator (88%)
  3. Complete an online application (86%)
  4. Fill out a campus visit request (84%)
  5. RSVP for events online (75%)
  6. Submit an inquiry form (73%)
  7. Complete an online survey (72%)
  8. Use instant message with a counselor (70%)
  9. E-mail a faculty member (70%)
  10. Read a profile of a faculty member (69%)
  11. Forward a page (63%)
  12. Read a profile of a current student (63%)
  13. E-mail a current student (63%)
  14. Read profiles of alumni (59%)
  15. Personalize a web page (58%)

Read more about teens and their expectations for college web sites in the Noel-Levitz report, "Navigating Toward E-Recruitment: Ten Revelations About Interacting With College-Bound High School Students."

If you would like The Lawlor Group to help develop materials and mechanisms, such as e-surveys, microsites, brochures, etc., for communicating with your students' families, please e-mail us at tlg@thelawlorgroup.com or call 800.972.4345 to schedule a free consultation with a member of our account management group during the NACAC Conference in Tampa.

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