Students Tell Their Own Stories

With the old adage of "show, don't tell" as a
guide, seven Duke undergraduates have begun blogging about their experiences to
help Undergraduate Admissions showcase student life on campus.

The student bloggers are another tool for the admissions
office to use campus experiences as a way of attracting prospective students.

"Ultimately, no one can describe the Duke undergraduate
experience better than the students themselves," said Christoph Guttentag,
dean of undergraduate admissions. 
"The details of day-to-day experiences can sometimes be the most
telling or the most evocative. 
Duke students have wonderful opportunities and incredible experiences,
and we want to find the best way to share those with prospective
students."

The seven bloggers come from a variety of backgrounds,
majors and class levels and include one international student from Thailand.
The postings began Sept. 30 with the students introducing themselves.  The first items included thoughts from
Latrice Coleman studying abroad in Florence and first-year student Sarah Haas
remembering move-in day.

"I really want to be able to give prospective students
a real and tangible perspective on what it is like to be a college student,
and, specifically, what it is like to be a Duke student," said Haas, who
said she wanted to tell stories "outside of brochures and Admissions
websites."

"I remember going through the application process and
picking a college, and I would have loved to have been able to read a student
blog like this one. It's something that would have definitely interested me as
well as possibly affected my decision -- college brochures and tours can only
go so far! I like the idea of authentic blogs sharing what is really going on
at Duke, what excites the students as well as what should excite prospective
students about choosing a university like Duke."

Cara Rousseau, social media manager for Duke, said
admissions is looking for the little moments of campus that only students can
describe.  Several of the
upper-class students are experienced bloggers through DukeEngage and other
programs. All received some basic training at the beginning of the year,
Rousseau said, but the most important advice was for the authors to find their
own voice and be authentic.

Guttentag said the main audiences for the blog are
prospective students, their parents and alumni.  He added the blogs will be a great way for alumni to learn
what current students are doing.

Duke students already have significant roles in student
recruiting activities as P-frosh advisers, student ambassadors and other
programs. 

However, he said he expects the blogs will resonate with
prospective students.  For one, the
blogs enable high school students to interact directly with current Duke
students.

"There are other ways that prospective students and
their parents can experience Duke, including visiting the campus,"
Guttentag said. "But there's nothing like students speaking directly, and
I think the student bloggers will present the diverse activities and
perspectives of our undergraduates in a particularly useful way."