September 2021

2

Kim ReidEduventures Principal Analyst

Kim brings a wealth of advanced analytical capability in market research, assessment, and program evaluation to her work, and combines evidence and expertise to help clients make strategic decisions that shape the futures of their institutions.

What’s it like to apply to college during COVID?

4

A Down-to-Earth, Pragmatic Generation

Gen ZDefer gratification

Rent, borrow, trade

Ubiquitous use of technology

Licensed to act

Visceral conservation

Compromise and trade-off

Expectation of DEI

5

More Questions than Answers at This Point; Perhaps Some Unresolved Paradoxes

Gen C?• Disconnection but cohesion• Mental health challenges and resilience• Ubiquitous hybrid learning but yearning

for college with a capital “C”• Inequities in school experiences

exacerbated

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/11/us/covid-generation-gen-c/index.html

Career

EXPERIENTIALINTEREST

CAREER PRAGMATISTS

Experience

EXPLORATION& MEANING

SOCIAL FOCUS

Academic

CAREER THROUGHACADEMICS

GRAD SCHOOLBOUND

7

• Economic situation

• Loss of expected campus activities

• Loss of expected experiential opportunities

• Inability to experience colleges during the college choice

• Uncertainty about the value of college in this environment

• Uncertainty about the purpose of college in this environment

Hypotheses

8

• Data source = Eduventures Prospective Student Research

• Survey years 2020 and 2021 (January)

• In order to follow the progress of an enrollment cohort:

o 2020 Cohort (Juniors in 2019, Seniors in 2020)

▪ Both surveys prior to COVID

o 2021 Cohort (Juniors in 2020, Seniors in 2021)

▪ Junior survey prior to COVID, senior survey after a year of COVID

Eduventures Survey Research

9

20%

19%

21%

14%

20%

18%

21%

20%

19%

21%

19%

16%

17%

13%

11%

14%

14%

15%

16%

17%

10%

13%

11%

19%

Junior

Senior

Junior

Senior

2020

Coh

ort

2021

Coh

ort

Prospective Student Mindsets by Enrollment Cohort

Experiential Interests Career Pragmatists

Social Focus Exploration and Meaning

Career through Academics Grad School Bound

COVID altered the nature of transitions

10

• Typical to see slight shifts into the more academic mindsets from junior to senior year

• COVID accentuated this shift to the academic mindsets

• The COVID Cohort made a considerable shift away from the Experiential Interest mindset

• The COVID cohort made a smaller shift away from Social Focus

• These shifts are likely due to the expected loss of broader experience

COVID altered the nature of transitions

11

They moved heavily towards core value

24%

13%

21%

15%

29%

32%

14%

13%

16%

10%

21%

19%

13%

12%

11%

14%

11%

21%

19%

14%

7%

12%

15%

25%

Junior

Senior

Junior

Senior

Firs

t-Gen

/Low

-In

com

eN

ot F

irst-G

en/N

otLo

w-In

com

eProspective Student Mindsets by First-Gen/Low-Income Status

(2021 Enr. Cohort)

Experiential Interests Career PragmatistsSocial Focus Exploration and MeaningCareer through Academics Grad School Bound

12

First-Gen/Low-Income:• Effects dramatic• Increased their strong Career Pragmatist profile• Nearly doubled the percentage of Career

through Academics• Experiential Interest mindsets nearly halved

Not First-Gen/Low-Income:• Effects moderate• Shifted strongly into the Grad School Bound• Maintained stable percentage of Social Focus• Lost Experiential Interest and Career through

Academics

They moved heavily towards core value

13

Community College Bound Students Especially

23%

13%

23%

16%

21%

14%

19%

12%

42%

31%

25%

23%

18%

19%

12%

15%

13%

10%

16%

16%

22%

20%

22%

16%

8%

7%

10%

11%

12%

15%

14%

18%

11%

35%

18%

21%

16%

14%

16%

12%

2%

4%

8%

13%

10%

19%

17%

27%

Junior

Senior

Junior

Senior

Junior

Senior

Junior

Senior

Com

mun

ityC

olle

geIn

-Sta

tePu

blic

Out

-of-

Stat

ePu

blic

Priv

ate

Prospective Student Mindsets by Type of School (2021 Enr. Cohort)

Experiential Interests Career PragmatistsSocial Focus Exploration and MeaningCareer through Academics Grad School Bound

14

Community College• Massive shift to Career through academics• Underlying demographic shift at play, too?

In-State Public• Loss in Experiential Interest, Increase in Career through

Academics• Holding steady on a high percentage of Career Pragmatists

Out-of-State Public• Loss of Experiential Interest• Increase in Grad School Bound

Private• Loss in Experiential Interest and Social Focus• Increase in Grad School Bound and Exploration and Meaning

Community College Bound Students Especially

15

All Students Drift Away From Experiential Mindsets

24%

15%

20%

11%

24%

12%

20%

16%

15%

20%

25%

31%

28%

34%

19%

12%

17%

14%

21%

12%

16%

8%

20%

21%

14%

13%

15%

15%

15%

15%

9%

14%

15%

11%

12%

17%

10%

19%

20%

18%

14%

28%

6%

14%

7%

13%

12%

19%

Junior

Senior

Junior

Senior

Junior

Senior

Junior

Senior

Asia

nBl

ack

Latin

oW

hite

Prospective Student Mindsets by Race/Ethnicity (2021 Enr. Cohort)

Experiential Interests Career PragmatistsSocial Focus Exploration and MeaningCareer through Academics Grad School Bound

16

Asian• Doubled the percent of Grad School Bound• A sizeable loss of Experiential Interest, but an Increase in Career

Pragmatist

Black• Increase in most important mindset, Career Pragmatist• Increases in Career through Academics, Grad School Bound, too• Big losses in Experiential Interest and Social Focus

Latino• Increase in most important mindset, Career Pragmatist• Increases in Career through Academics, Grad School Bound, too• Big losses in Experiential Interest and Social Focus

White• Increase in Grad School Bound and Exploration and Meaning• Loss in Career Pragmatist and Experiential Interest

Students Drift Away From Experiential Mindsets

17

The “academic drift” is of a different nature

22%

16%

22%

14%

21%

13%

12%

16%

17%

17%

27%

24%

16%

15%

19%

17%

20%

16%

12%

12%

11%

14%

11%

15%

19%

13%

17%

16%

15%

20%

19%

28%

13%

21%

7%

13%

Junior

Senior

Junior

Senior

Junior

Senior

Hig

hest

Tie

rM

iddl

e Ti

erLo

wes

t Tie

r

Prospective Student Mindsets by Grade Tier (2021 Enr. Cohort)

Experiential Interests Career PragmatistsSocial Focus Exploration and MeaningCareer through Academics Grad School Bound

18

Top Tier Grades• Start off academically focused, drift to Grad School Bound• Loss of Experiential Interest

Middle Tier Grades• Start with strong Experiential Interest and Social Focus,

Experiential Interest falls • Strong growth in Grad School Bound

Lowest Tier Grades• High Career Pragmatism, that largely remains• Experiential Interest and Social Focus fall off• Big gain Career through Academics and Grad School Bound

The “academic drift” is of a different nature

++ ++++

19

• Maintain your flexibility and nimbleness

• Recognize that your key Student Mindsets have made a COVID-related shift

• Acknowledge where students have been, and lead them to where you want them to go

• Reconnect to student segments that have had the deepest difficulties

• Recognize that some student segments will take longer to recover than others

• Message core value – Academic and Affordability

• Consider how different segments drift academically

• Experiential will be back! When and how? Be explicit for students.

• Continue to personalize with virtual one-on-one counselor outreach, phone calls

• Stay strong on digital/social channels

Be realistic with students, but create a vision of their future

Find Out What Students Think of Your Institution

Deadline to Participate: October 22, 2021

encoura.org/psr

Participating in Prospective Student Research provides:

• The exact words – including frequency and sentiment –that students use when thinking of your institution

• Essential focus for your team’s resources and messaging

• Insight into Student Mindsets™ of your prospective students: behaviorally and attitudinally-based market segmentation of college-bound high school students

Join us at

B O O T H 1 3 0 7

LIVE PRESENTATION Thursday, September 23, 1:45pm PT

Presented by Johanna Trovato and Concordia University TX

23

Date: Thursday, September 16, 2021Time: 2PM ET/1PM CTDuration: 60 Minutes

In this webinar, Senior Vice President Clint Chapman and Vice President Bethany Moran will share enhanced solutions for enrollment teams aiming to strategically use their budgets and time and invest in the students that are most likely to enroll in their institutions. Join us as they reveal practical ways you can optimize your data using effective targeting, analytics, and technology so that you make your next class.

encoura.org/webinars

Clint ChapmanSVP of Encoura Enrollment Services

Bethany MoranVP West, Higher Education Consultant Group