With colleges and universities eliminating or limiting in-person campus events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, prospective students are forced to engage with institutions through a screen.
However, software platform Wisr—recently acquired by educational consultant EAB—is looking to build peer to peer connections and allow prospective students to understand the environment at select institutions.
“Students who haven’t had that opportunity to make the connection may not have actively considered that school or may have actually given up on the idea of going to college at all,” said Chris Marett, president of EAB’s enrollment and advancement marketing services.
Through mutual pairings, students can connect with peers who share similar interests. Additionally, faculty members can answer students’ questions and provide more details about existing majors and courses.
Over the last few years, 75 institutions have become involved and over 75,000 students have used the platform, according to Marett.
“The schools very much believe that those interactions are making a difference in helping students understand what life is like on campus,” he said, “with the ultimate goal of they want to welcome more of these students to campus as students in the future. They feel like it is a compelling platform for creating those connections, which ultimately leads to enrollment on campus.”
After joining Wisr last month, 945 admitted students at Indiana University (IU) have engaged with the platform.
