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Richy Damraur from Zinch discusses the recent findings of a survey conducted of over 500 prospective and current graduate students. The results will help you understand how students prefer to be communicated with, how frequently they prefer be communicated with and through which medium(s). Zinch will also discuss a variety of new and exciting avenues to find and engage with prospective graduate students.
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Graduate Student
Perspectives
JUNE 2013
Reaches over 8,000,000 college students and working professionals
Zinch registration population in-line with US population
Over 9 million connections between students and their right-fit colleges and
universities over the past 3 years
Chegg reaches 35% of current college students
Methodology
Background: To gain greater insight into potential graduate students’ decision
making process and tools in selecting which school to apply to and attend
Methodology: Survey invitations were emailed to Chegg students taking
upper division courses
Survey Dates: February 2013
Total Respondents: 519
- Intenders (college students planning to attend grad school): 76%
- Current or past Graduate Students: 23%
28%
12%
5%
12%
43%
Not planning on attending graduate school
A current graduate school student
A recent graduate school graduate
A college graduate and plan on attending grad school
Graduating college this year (or next) and plan onattending grad school
Grad School Intentions
Majority are graduating college or soon plan to attend grad school
Grad School Intentions and Status
Q1. I am…
Excluded from analysis
Intenders
Current Grad Students
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
35%
2%
3%
2%
5%
2%
7%
14%
30%
19%
5%
5%
8%
9%
12%
13%
15%
16%
Other (please specify)
Law School
Engineering
Fine Arts (MFA, Writing)
Social Work
Medical School
Teaching
Sciences (e.g., chemistry, biology)
Business School
Grad Student Intenders
Current Grad Students
Common Fields
MBA and Science are the most common fields for grad school fields
Fields of study in grad school
Q20. What type of graduate program will/ do you attend?
Nursing, speech pathology, counseling, etc.
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
6%
14%
18%
21%
28%
38%
39%
48%
Other
I want to defer student loans
I want to teach higher education
I am interested in research/ specialization
The economic climate is bad; it’s a good time to get a graduate degree
A graduate degree is expected in my field
I want to stay in school/keep learning
My career choice requires a graduate degree
Graduate School Decisions
Graduate School helps further careers and desire to keep learning
Factors influencing decision to attend grad school
Q2. What factors influenced your decision to apply to graduate school (or attend)?
Prestige, higher pay, employer pays for degree
Current graduate students are more likely than intenders to say
the economic climate prompts their degree (36% vs. 26%)
51% of intenders say their career choice requires a
degree, versus 40% of current
• Graduate School helps further careers and desire to keep learning
Factors influencing decision to attend grad school
• My career choice requires a graduate degree
• A graduate degree is expected in my field
• The economic climate is bad; graduate degree ideal
• I am interested in research/ specialization
Graduate School Decisions
6%
28%
38%
47%
80%
36%
32%
33%
Q2. What factors influenced your decision to apply to graduate school (or attend)?
12%
37%
44%
56%
61%
72%
What influences your decision to go to graduate school in the U.S. versus China?
Standard practice to study abroad
U.S. graduate degree will provide me more opportunities
Prestige of studying abroad
U.S. graduate degree is more relevant in my field
Want to experience life abroad
Easier to get admitted to top U.S. school
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
14%
10%
21%
17%
38%
31%
20%
28%
13%
8%
Before attending college
Freshmen or Sophomore year of college
Junior year
Senior year
After graduating from college
Grad Student Intenders
Current Grad Students
Grad School Attendance
Intenders are deciding to attend graduate school earlier than current students did
When decided to attend graduate school
Q3. When did you decide that you were interested in applying to graduate school?
Half of intenders decide to pursue graduate school during or before Sophomore year of college
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
9%
6%
12%
12%
20%
25%
28%
46%
54%
Other (please specify)
Guidance counselor
Friends
A family member is in the field/ strongly encouragedme in this area
Professional networks
Undergraduate professor/faculty
Post degree earning potential
Growth in job opportunities in this field
I developed an interest as an undergraduate student
College and Job Opportunities
Interests in college and job opportunities influence area of study
Factors in deciding field of study
Q4. What influences what you chose/choose to study in grad school? (select all that apply)
Lifelong dream, passion
Intenders are 38% more likely than current graduate students to say they develop an interest as an undergraduate student (58% vs. 42%)
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
3%
7%
14%
34%
5%
19%
31%
45%
Hired a tutor
Offline test prep course
Online test prep course
Purchased book to study for test
Grad Student Intenders
Current Grad Students
Books are Still the Top Tool
Books are still the top tool for test prep; online prep is higher among intenders
Admissions test preparation
Q5. What steps did you take (or plan on taking) to prepare for admissions tests (e.g., GMAT/GRE etc.)? (select all that apply)
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
61%
62%
68%
69%
Specializedtopic/professor/area of
interest
Ability to receive a scholarshipor stipend
Affordability
Location
Location and Affordability
Locations and affordability are top factors on where to apply and attend
Influencing Factors on where to apply
Q6. What influences which graduate schools you apply/applied to and ultimately decide(d) to attend? (Please select all that apply for each phase) (among grad student intenders)
50%
57%
61%
66%
Specialized topic/professor/areaof interest
Ability to receive a scholarship orstipend
Affordability
Location
Grad Student Intenders
Influencing Factors on where to attend
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
16%
21%
21%
22%
24%
28%
36%
41%
44%
68%
Alumni organization
Career center site
Social media (e.g., twitter,…
In person help at career center
Magazine or online publications
Graduate school fairs
School visits
Professor recommendation
Search Engine
University websites
University Websites
University websites are most often used to research grad schools
Tools used to research which grad school to apply
Q7. Which of the following did you use/are you using to research graduate schools to apply to and ultimately attend?
1 in 5 used social media for research
Intenders applied to 3.6 schools on average.
Current grad students applied to 2.5 schools on
average.
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
19%
19%
25%
30%
31%
35%
38%
40%
40%
44%
Alumni from the graduate program
Alumni from my undergraduate school
Professional networks
Counselor
Current students in the graduate program
Fellow students in area of study
Admissions staff from the school (at fairs, events, etc.)
Friends
Family
Professor
Professors and Family/Friends
Professors and Family/Friends most influential in school choice
People influencing where to apply
Q8. Whom did you speak with when deciding which graduate schools you would apply to and ultimately attend?
Social Media Gaining Importance
A lot 8%
Some 24%
Not much/ not at
all 68%
Where to apply
Not much/ Not at all
68%
Q9. How much influence does social media (e.g., facebook, LinkedIn) have in your search for a graduate school and which school to ultimately attend? Q10. Which social media do/did you use for your grad school decision?
Social Media gaining importance
Influence of social media Social Media used for grad school decision
72%
6%
12%
18%
None
A lot 6%
Some 18%
Not much/ not at
all 76%
Not much/ Not at all
76%
Where to attend Younger students (<30 years) are 40% more likely to use social media than older students (28% vs
20%)
6%
6%
12%
31%
54%
Social Media gaining importance in China
Q9. How much influence does social media (e.g., facebook, LinkedIn) have in your search for a graduate school and which school to ultimately attend?
Q10. Which social media do/did you use for your grad school decision?
Influence of social media Social Media Used for Grad School Decision
A lot 15%
Some 60%
Not much/ not at
all 25%
Where to attend Zinch
Renren
Sina Weibo
A lot 20%
Some 66%
Not much/ not at
all 15%
Where to apply
Nearly 90% say social media had an influence on where they applied and attend
Social Media Gaining Importance
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
Factors in Deciding Where to Apply
Q11. What else influences your decision on which schools to apply to?
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
29%
40%
43%
57%
I did not researchscholarships/financing
Online searches (e.g., Google, Bing)
Government sources
School websites/materials
Financial Aid
Schools and government resources are most used for researching financial aid
aid
Q14. How did you research student loans/scholarships for graduate school? (select all that apply)
Tools used for researching loans/scholarships
Current grad students more likely to use government
sources than grad student intenders (50% vs. 40%)
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
7%
3%
4%
24%
38%
53%
81%
Other (please specify)
text
social media
personal interviews/visits
phone calls
direct mail
Email is most used form of contact during application, admissions, decision process; In-person contact and email communication most satisfactory
Grad School means of contact
Q17. What type of communication did you receive from graduate schools during the application process or when you were deciding where to attend? Q18. How would you rate the communication you receive(d ) from grad schools during your application process through deciding what school to attend?
50%
52%
60%
67%
37%
41%
37%
25%
phone calls
direct mail
personal interviews/visits
Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied
Satisfaction with communication Interest Meetings, Open House Invitation
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
4%
6%
7%
13%
13%
33%
11%
12%
18%
43%
25%
45%
9%
11%
41%
21%
24%
13%
76%
72%
34%
23%
38%
10%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
text
social media
personal interviews/visits
direct mail
phone calls
Weekly or more often
Monthly
Less often than monthly
I do not want this type ofcommunication from potentialgraduate schools
Students Want Email
Students want email as most frequent communication. Direct mail follows.
Preferred frequency of contact
Q19. How often do you want graduate schools to communicate with you while you are deciding where to apply and ultimately choosing a graduate school program?
Among social media, students prefer:
Facebook (23%)
LinkedIn (21%)
Twitter (17%)
Respondents represent minorities and are representatively spread throughout US
Male, 22%
Female,
78%
Female, 78%
Gender Ethnicity
4%
1%
2%
7%
15%
22%
56%
Other (please specify)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific…
American Indian or Alaskan Native
Asian
Hispanic/Latino
African American
Caucasian
Top States
Respondents
CA:17%
TX:8%
NY:8%
FL:7%
IL:7% PA:5%
MI:4%
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
Similar Considerations in School to Attend
Q12. What else influences your decision on which school to ultimately attend?
$37
$46
$48
$15
$6
$10 $30
$142
$35
$120 fast food
restaurants
clothing
movies
music
gaming
personal care
groceries
travel
gasoline
6%
4%
47%
42%
3%
3%
26%
69%
Yes, I successfully negotiatedan award amount up
I tried to negotiate but the award didn’t change
No, I did not try to negotiate
Not applicable, have notreceived offers
Intenders
Current
Students Receiving Offers
Majority of student who receive offers do not try to negotiate
Q15. Did you try to negotiate the scholarship or award offered you by specific graduate schools? (This includes asking one school to match an award offered by another school)
Negotiation of award offered by grad schools
Current students’ average award much higher than
what intenders are offered
($16K vs. $7K)
Key Insights
Students choose to attend graduate school because it is required or expected in
their career. 4 in 10 want to stay in school to continue learning.
College students apply to 3-4 graduate schools on average.
Graduate school intenders are beginning their search and decision-making
process much earlier than current graduate students.
Location and affordability are the top factors determining which graduate
schools students apply to and ultimately attend. University websites and search
are top research tools. Social media influences 3 in 10 students on where to
apply.
Email is most commonly used by schools to contact students.
Students are open to receiving email most frequently and prefer it over all other
means of contact except in-person visits.
Zinch is an online network that connects colleges and universities to best-fit students globally
Over 12MM students worldwide have
Used Zinch/Chegg to connect with schools
Zinch recruits for 800+ institutions &
750+ graduate programs
Zinch/Chegg
International Outreach
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Zinch Turkey:
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Broadcast your message to a database of over 350,000 users on Zinch.cn
Zinch has teamed up with NAFSA to create a series of 9 white papers that give you deep cultural perspective on recruiting in China
Protect your brand with Zinch’s Brand Monitoring service for any suspicious activities
Zinch.cn has tapped into China’s social media outlets boosting your brand recognition
Zinch has partnered with Mezun to help students find the right opportunities in the US
Recruit best-fit students by establishing filtering preferences and criteria with our experts
Zinch has partnered with Al-Jamiat to help students find the right opportunities in the US
Recruit best-fit students by establishing filtering preferences and criteria with our experts
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Thank you!!
Presenter: Richy Damraur Account Executive [email protected] 435-760-2470 http://www.zinch.com/admissions-officers http://youtube/gNskSoPkc9c
