When college students scroll by faculty web sites or social media feeds, they aren’t simply checking containers or gathering info. They’re in search of a spot that feels proper, a campus the place they’ll see themselves studying, rising, and belonging.
For a lot of college students, that gut-level “Can I see myself right here?” is the query that issues most.
Current analysis factors to a transparent reality: when college students see themselves mirrored in your supplies, they’re extra possible to concentrate, attain out, and take the following step. It’s all about exhibiting college students that their experiences, identities, and desires belong in your campus (Henderson, Mazodier, & Khenfer, 2024; Pew Analysis Middle, 2022).
As one twelfth grader informed us: “I needed to see individuals like me within the movies. It made me really feel like I might really slot in there.” (These quotes are taken from RNL, Halda, & Fashionable Campus, 2025).
Why illustration and authenticity matter
Illustration goes past {a photograph}. In line with Ruffalo Noel Levitz and Halda (2024), simply over 75% of highschool college students worth communications that replicate their age, background, or identification. The necessity for relatable tales rings very true for first-generation college students, who typically fear about whether or not they’ll slot in or discover their group.
Authenticity just isn’t one thing that may be faked. TeenVoice (2025) discovered that younger individuals rapidly discover when a university is simply placing on a present. They search for originality, consistency, and a way that an establishment cares about greater than tuition {dollars}. McKee, Dahl, and Peltier (2023) reinforce this level: personalization builds loyalty when it feels actual and related, however it rapidly backfires when it comes throughout as intrusive or manipulative.
Seeing your self just isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s a client expectation. Practically three quarters of individuals say illustration in advertising issues, and two thirds usually tend to interact once they acknowledge themselves in what they see (MarketingCharts, 2022).
What the analysis tells us
Taken collectively, the analysis paints an image of a era that craves personalization however is not going to sacrifice authenticity to get it. Gen Z college students need faculties to grasp who they’re and what they worth, however they recoil when personalization looks like surveillance or a gross sales pitch (McKee et al., 2023; Peter et al., 2025).
One other clear theme is that illustration with out inclusion falls flat. College students discover when brochures or movies present just one sort of scholar (Henderson et al., 2024). Seeing individuals who look, assume, or stay like them issues, however so does the sense that their values, psychological well being, fairness, and sustainability are shared and supported by the establishment (Silva & Krikheli, 2024; Pew Analysis Middle, 2022).
As one scholar put it: “I don’t care in case your campus seems good if I can’t think about myself there. Present me the individuals, not simply the buildings.”
In different phrases, personalization isn’t just about utilizing a scholar’s identify in an e-mail. It’s about exhibiting them a group the place they belong and a future they’ll think about themselves getting into.
Social media and video content material: serving to college students join and film themselves in your campus
For a lot of college students, social media is the entrance door to your establishment. The 2025 E-Expectations Report discovered that over half of scholars contemplate social media the primary and most vital level of connection throughout their faculty planning course of (RNL, Halda, & Fashionable Campus, 2025).
The place college students spend their time:
- Instagram: 63% use; 53% have seen faculty content material
- YouTube: 50% use; 26% have seen institutional content material
- TikTok: 49% use; 32% have seen institutional content material
- Fb: 35% use; 28% have seen institutional content material
What pushes college students to hit “observe”? Posts about scholar life, actions and golf equipment, utility ideas, major-specific tales, dorm life, and, most significantly, college students who look, sound, or really feel like them, with tales highlighting range and the worldwide scholar expertise being significantly influential. (RNL, Halda, & Fashionable Campus, 2025).
And essentially the most resonant tales are sometimes the least polished. TeenVoice (2025) stories that college students favor natural, student-created posts over shiny, extremely produced campaigns. As one twelfth grader defined: “I preferred when college students confirmed what it’s actually like right here, not simply the right sunny days.”
If {a photograph} is value a thousand phrases, then a video is likely to be value an utility. And letting college students take the lead could be transformative. When establishments hand the digital camera over and let college students doc a “day within the life,” it builds belief and a way of actual connection.
As well as, digital excursions have turn into greater than only a pandemic workaround. Seventy-seven p.c of scholars use them, and one in 5 says a digital tour made them more likely to use (RNL, Halda, & Fashionable Campus, 2025).
Sensible methods in your enrollment supplies
- Audit for illustration and authenticity
Look at your pictures and movies. Do they replicate the variety of your college students and the scholars you wish to welcome? Hold tone and messaging constant throughout all platforms so college students know what to anticipate (TeenVoice, 2025; MarketingCharts, 2022). - Characteristic genuine scholar voices
Invite college students to create movies, share testimonials, or run social media takeovers. Past the Stress analysis reminds us to deal with college students’ anxieties, particularly round psychological well being, belonging, and security, utilizing an empathetic and relatable voice (Pew Analysis Middle, 2022). - Match content material to the enrollment stage
- Early: reels about campus life, membership highlights, and “tips on how to apply” ideas.
- Software: program-specific success tales and monetary help walkthroughs.
- Yield: dorm excursions, roommate introductions, and mentorship spotlights.
- Exhibit your function
Make your establishment’s values seen. Present dedication to fairness, sustainability, or group service in phrases and motion (Silva & Krikheli, 2024). - Personalize your storytelling
Section messaging by the place college students are of their journey, what pursuits them, and who they’re. Share totally different tales with totally different audiences so everybody can see themselves as a part of your group (McKee et al., 2023; RNL, Halda, & Fashionable Campus, 2025).
What actually issues
Serving to college students see themselves and imagine they belong goes past advertising technique. It’s about exhibiting actual individuals, telling constant and authentic tales, and making your values seen. When illustration and authenticity come collectively, they construct the belief that strikes college students from simply seeking to enrolling.
Learn the E-Expectations Report
How will you improve engagement with potential college students? How one can you higher align your recruitment methods with their expectations. Discover all this and extra within the E-Expectations survey of college-bound highschool college students, with findings on:
- What they anticipate from faculty web sites
- Which communication channels they like
- How they use AI within the search course of
- How they worth video when studying about campuses
References
- AACSB Worldwide. (2022). What Students Want From Business Schools. AACSB.
- Eg, R., Tønnesen, Ö. D., & Tennfjord, M. Ok. (2023). A scoping review of personalized user experiences on social media: The interplay between algorithms and human factors. Computer systems in Human Habits Stories, 9, 100253.
- Henderson, C., Mazodier, M., & Khenfer, J. (2024). Diversity in advertising and consumer connection to society: Implications for leading brands. Journal of the Academy of Advertising and marketing Science. Advance on-line publication.
- MarketingCharts. (2022, January 5). digital/social-media-119371″>Client Pattern: Gen Z Seeks Extra Authenticity in Social Media. MarketingCharts.
- McKee, Ok. M., Dahl, A. J., & Peltier, J. W. (2023). Gen Z’s personalization paradoxes: A privacy calculus examination of digital personalization and model behaviors. Journal of Client Behaviour, 1–18.
- Peter, R., Roshith, V., Lawrence, S., Mona, A. E., Narayanan, Ok. B., & Yusaira, F. (2025). Gen AI – Gen Z: Understanding Gen Z’s emotional responses and brand experiences with Gen AI-driven, hyper-personalized advertising. Frontiers in Communication, 10, 1554551.
- Pew Analysis Middle. (2022, November 16). Connection, Creativity and Drama: Teen Life on Social Media in 2022. Pew Analysis Middle.
- Ruffalo Noel Levitz, & Halda. (2024). 2024 College High School Student College Planning Report. Ruffalo Noel Levitz.
- Ruffalo Noel Levitz, Halda, & Fashionable Campus. (2025). 2025 E-expectations Trend Report. Ruffalo Noel Levitz.
- Silva, C. S., & Krikheli, M. (2024). The Influence of digital Advertising and marketing on Gen Z Client Habits and Determination-Making Course of (Grasp’s thesis, Umeå College). Umeå College.
- TeenVoice. (2025, July 30). Teens Want Brands to be Authentic, but What Exactly Does That Mean? TeenVoice.
