Nobody understands nor pays as much attention to the challenges private higher education faces quite like Lawlor does. As a result, their interaction with trustees, president, senior staff and the entire campus community is informed by sound research, an understanding of the marketplace and twenty years of doing great work for an impressive list of clients. The added value they bring to the relationship is honesty, integrity, credibility and availability. They simply deliver.

—Bob Preloger
Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Augustana College
Sioux Falls, S.D.

August 2006 Lawlor Focus

The Consumer Mindset of Today's College Students

After hearings on a broad range of issues, the U.S. Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education has focused its final report on a few key areas. Arguably, the top two are college affordability and measuring outcomes. It is no coincidence these same two concerns are top of mind for students (and their parents) who are "shopping" for colleges because they tap directly into the psychographic profile of today's college students as "economic materialists."

Psychographic research typically has been the domain of product developers. Four years ago, discount retailer Target conducted qualitative research that accessed the emotions and motivations of students leaving for college for the first time so they could launch a product line especially geared toward them. Visitors to Target.com today will easily spot a link to its "Off to College" promotion of dorm room decorations for fall 2006. Target and other retailers have seized upon something Howe and Strauss may have downplayed in their 2000 book Millennials Rising: the extent to which this generation of college students has a consumer mentality.

Applying this mindset to the college search, two questions are bound to come up at some point in the process: "How much will it cost?" and "What will I get for my money?" And as every enrollment officer knows, these questions are just as likely to be asked by a "helicopter parent" as by a prospective student. (In fact, some observers blame these same parents for overindulging their students' conspicuous consumption.) The students tend to be brand-conscious—just look at their clothing—and may give big-name schools some benefit of the doubt. But as savvy consumers, both students and parents expect college administrators to point out the value of their educational investment—at every institution.

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Throughout the entire admission process, and especially as the value proposition is being communicated, college recruiters need to devote attention to the parents of traditional-age prospective students. Earlier this year, 25% of college students responding to an Experience, Inc. online poll described their parents as "overly involved to the point that their involvement was either annoying or embarrassing." Yet, 65% of the students still seek counsel from their parents regarding their academic endeavors.

Despite warnings of the dangers of helicopter parenting (the College Board devotes an entire web page to warding off the negative effects), most students actually do want their parents involved in their affairs, so the phenomenon of hovering is not going away anytime soon. Some colleges have attempted to neutralize helicopter parents by diverting them from accompanying their sons and daughters through processes like orientation and registration. A more effective strategy is to embrace the parents as a partner—welcoming them instead of dissuading them, and striking a balance between meeting the parents' needs and coaching them toward empowering their sons and daughters.

For tips on developing a successful parent program, look for an interview in the fall 2006 issue of The Lawlor Review with Marjorie Savage, parent program director at the University of Minnesota and author of You're on Your Own (But I'm Here If You Need Me): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years.

In the News: First-Year Students Bring $1,200 of Stuff to College

Recent articles in USA Today and the Washington Post have focused on what college students consider "essentials" for their campus residences. Books and clothing no longer top the list.

Now it's electronics and dorm room décor—functionally combined, even, as USA Today notes: "What's different about this generation of college students is that they see the technology they buy for school as design elements in their new space."

According to data from the National Retail Federation, spending on college merchandise is up one-third from the previous year, with first-year students shelling out an average of $1,200 on back-to-school items.

Did You Know?

In June 2005, a Harris Interactive poll projected that youth spending was over $30 billion annually. Additionally, the median annual savings among 13- to 17-year-olds was $478. Their income comes from a variety of sources, from paid jobs to allowances from parents. But, parents may be offering little guidance for spending those funds: Three in 10 teens say that their parents know little to nothing about what they spend money on.

Source: Harris Interactive (.pdf)

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