I have been reviewing the Nichols College website and talking with peers regarding the topic of whether or not the college site is egotistical. Many people that I talked to feel that it is hard not to be egotistical when you are trying to compete with other similar businesses. Let's be honest, Nichols College is trying to stand out amongst the 100's of colleges not only nationwide, but worldwide as well.
After reviewing the site, though, I think that it is safe to say that the messages it is conveying are very one sided. A few times I noticed that many students were pictured next to lengthy text, but were never mentioned within the text. I think that the fact the website does showcase videos of students,talking about the school and their experiences,somewhat diminishes them being too "full of themselves." I do feel, though, the at the school should do more to showcase students throughout the website. In most cases, students wants to hear the opinions of other students. Prospective students know that other students are going to be truthful when discussing their perspective and experience. Many times, prospective students realize that their prospective schools are going to try to hype themselves up as mcuh as they can. It's sad to say, but truthful that colleges are businesses whether they are non profit or not. I think it would be effective if the school set up some sort of open chat or open discussion where prospective students could ask questions and be provided with answers, but the answers be provided by current students. I also think that they school should showcase student testimonials more often.
Mostly, I feel like the Nichols website lacks the proof it needs, in a sense. The college can preach all these great things about itself, but these things mean more coming from someone else's mouth. If students are elated with the school then it's more likely that other people will believe the information on the website. Yes, Nichols is a great school, but like our business classes teach us, when you go into a job interview you need to back up your answers with proof because everybody can claim everything you say about themselves too. I think Nichols need to focus more on proof through their students. Prospective students want to know what other people like them think because chances are that they will have a very similar opinion too.
After looking over the Nichols College website I do believe that it is egotistical because of the importance it has in competing with its competitors, such as Bentley, Babson and Bryant. Three big business schools it talks a lot about the percentages of how many people get jobs once they graduate from Nichols. The one way message that Nichols College is sending out is that “your success is our business” they want to be the reason why people are getting jobs and starting careers at an early age. As a distinct buyer of this product (school) I would like to see more interaction among the students. I want to know what the students of Nichols College are doing with their time at the school. If some of them have great internships that are worth talking about and have a great name behind it I believe that they should be announced and known what they are doing. This will allow for potential buyers as well as alumni to understand what is going on the campus of Nichols, instead of just data. Interaction is extremely important. This can also help out for the high school students that are interested in coming to Nichols. It gives them an outlook that college just isn’t about going to class and reading text books, it is about going out and putting what you learn in the classroom and applying it to real life experiences. For example my internship at Gillette Stadium, I am able to take what I have learned within the classroom over the past three/four years and using that in the workplace.
Adj. 1. egotistical - characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance When talking about College web sites being egotistical I believe that the author David is trying to say that instead of helping the buyer such as alumni, current day students, current day students parents, high school students and commuters it will just show off the aspects of the college that the college itself wants to see. David is trying to say that the buyer’s aspect is way more important than the college may see itself. 1. When looking at the Nichols Web site I see some good and bad egotistical acts. I see many pictures of the students, showing that we love ourselves in a way but to me that is good because when choosing a college you want to be able to relate and see what other students look like. One of the first things that you see when looking at the Nichols web site is the percent employed from Nichols College. This is important for current day students and parents because it is showing that Nichols is being effective with its job in teaching students. I think that even though this might be an egotistical act, it is important for Nichols to promote they in any way possible. I also feel that Nichols is egotistical with its new student center being built, they push this building by showing what it will already look like but telling the students how much money has already been put into it and by showing the students how much it is going to increase the campus. 2. As a student and one of the “distinct buyers” I would like to see you tube postings of Nichols and the students to show activities and what is done. To add to that I feel that the web site could should case these activities such as events and clubs on the web site for students. I also think by adding pictures of the professors on the web site would help to, this way if a student did not know who they were going to see or who another person was talking about they could go on the web site and look them up to feel more comfortable or connect a name to face. Content that I feel high school students would enjoy would to be a better and updated virtual tour, this way the students would be able to see where they are going to live and eat. It would also be easier for them to show their friends and their families were they are going to start the next four years of their lives. This could also promote Nichols College without them even having to do anything, all one excepted student has to do is show another high school friend to spark an interest in coming to see the college themselves. I feel that since the new web site has come out the content in general can compete with other colleges much better, our pictures and information are much more seen and are in better detail. When looking at other schools web sites such as Curry and Endicott I can see that now Nichols can answer a lot more unanswered questions and gives Nichols the reputation it deserves. There is always room for updates but at least now Nichols College can compete when it comes to their web sites and offers a great feeling of being a part of the Nichols community.
The Nichols website is egotistical. It tries to send the message across that it is a prestigious top of the line business school. In reality Nichols is a great business school however it is not Harvard or Stanford. Nichols is a small business school with a strong reputation in the business world but not as strong as the top of the line schools. One of the most evident things the website has are the percentages of students who get jobs. I know for me that was something that drew me in because who wants to go to school and not get a job? I do believe that the Nichols website needs to be egotistical. The website needs to boast the college's achievements to better compete with colleges and universities who have a more prestigious reputation and who are in the same league as Nichols like Bentley or Babson.
In terms of what I would like to see on the website I would like to see more about the classes and teachers. Going into College personally I didn't know what I wanted to do and being able to see what was involved for the majors would have helped me tremendously. Seeing pictures from classes that show what can be expected would have helped to give me more of an idea what to expect when it came to classes. For high school students showing more about what the school has to offer from pictures of the dorms and other facilities to events could draw peoples attention. Showing off the things that make Nichols fun can take the focus off the location and draw more students in to want more information and hopefully help to sway their decisions.
I have been working in the admissions department here on campus for four years now, and I have seen the website and the school grow. I would defiantly agree the Nichols website is very egotistical. We are a business school and we are one of the top business schools around this area, so why not put up numbers about our success and about the number of students that get jobs after graduation. I agree with Jon in the sense that we are not Harvard, but at the same time I think students get that and this is an elite school for the price. We have a lot of connections from the alumni, and that just continues to grow. In this economy it’s a very competitive environment in the business world, from an individual perspective but also as a business perspective. I believe that Nichols has to be egotistical and really put out there messages out there to attract students to come here. They have gotten better and better at this, over the last few years since I have been attending this school the number of incoming students has been on the rise. I would like to see more virtual tours and more virtual items on the website, Pictures can show a lot but I believe that a lot of people would enjoy little clips and audio sessions. The Admissions department has done a wonderful job with posting a virtual tour on the website which helps out with those high school students who live far away. I was fortunate enough to live close by to campus so I was able to come on campus to multiple events and met with multiple professors and I fell in love with the school. High school students want to see more of the pictures from clubs and organizations as well, they do care about the academic side of campus but ultimately there is going to be a lot of down time in between classes so by showing the students the things they can be involved in will be very helpful.
We are a business school with a community of approximately 1600 students; I would hope our website is somewhat egotistical in terms of conveying that Nichols and their students are the best! Each one of us Nichols graduates will go on to pursue a job where our main competitors will be those students from NASCAC schools and IVY's where they have the upper hand because of there degree. Its not necessarily a main concern of many to compete with a student for a job who may have graduated from Princeton, but I for certain would want my future employee to pick a Nichols College student over a graduate of Curry or Becker for instance.
Yes, the Nichols College website is one sided but that is how we can compete with other colleges who have a similar criteria for acceptance. A productive way to get a good perspective on how the dynamic of Nichols works, go onto the Nichols Athletics page, see who we compete with, the write ups on games played and one of the most important aspects of sporting events: fan support or number of people in attendance. I find that athletics shows what kind of school spirit one has and the support students have for their peers.
The important things I came across on the Nichols site were the ability to engage in clubs.. But who is involved? How many people are in these groups? Do students really involve themselves in these extra curricular activities? The content on the Nichols site has greatly improved since my freshman year; however, I feel it would be influential to include how intimate Nichols is. We see the same 400 people each day roaming center road, going to the dining hall, studying in the library and eating meals in Lombard. We are not a big school where we have to park 2 miles away to get to class and those are not the people we want to attract to Nichols. We can be egotistical about being a Bison, lets make sure its done in the right way, to attract the correct students who will benefit our community
In my eyes Nichols website is egotistical. On the website it shows the success rate for the graduating class’s from early years to stand out from other business schools. Sense we have such a high success rate it should be shown like it is. Its like you don’t put your GPA on your resume unless its higher than a 3.0. Although Nichols isn’t like a Harvard it is known as a great business school that professors from the business fields come to teach their real life experiences instead of just though a textbook. The website is also easy to get around. For an example there is pull down tabs for high school students, current students, and the people that have graduated. I feel like from looking are Nichols website to other competitors such as Bentley or Babson Nichols stands out in it’s a great place to come learn from the text but also learn from someone that has seen the good days of business and the not so good days. I feel like the website is good but there can be some changes made to make it better. First off I wish there was a pull down menu for classes like a description and a background of the professor who teaches the class. And more videos of students talking about the school. I feel like the photos that are on a slide show are great and all but I don’t want to just listen to the president talk. That link should switch like the photos do and have students talking. I do like for the 3 years that I have been here the website changes and gets better and better every year. When I was a first year student the website was so bad. And now they are taking all the right steps of marketing the school better. I feel like this is bringing in more students at the end of the day.
I believe that the NC website is not egotistical in the sense that it is not concerned with showing “off” the way they see themselves. In my perspective it is the absolute contrary. It tries to involve alumni, current students and as well as engage potential students and their parents.
However I think that it does not do a good job in building a relationship with a potential student, high school or transfer. High school graduates that are looking for a college are very important for the business of a college and therefor are to be treated very carefully.
They want to see and “experience” the college before they even apply in order to understand beforehand what they will be facing. This is where YouTube should come in. Posted videos of athletic events, socials and an interesting class could help students and their parents create a relationship with the college.
Although when comparing NC website with Endicott and Wesley I have to say the NC website has much more depth, is better presented and definitely targets the 5 distinct buyer personas the book talks about.
NC social network is also clearly presented on the site.
In my opinion parents like to see that a college is successful, so the stats that Nichol posts on their website about the percentage of students that get a job after graduating or becoming a CEO, are directed to them as well as to existing and potential students.
They also show the successful rate of Alumni which makes those proud of themselves.
I also like the fact that Facebook and Twitter are very interactive, I believe these are key areas where current students should be involved but are not (including me).
Students can go on the website and check what type of food will be served at the dining hall; they can go on the events calendar and see in all the events in an overview, little things like this matter.
As I mentioned before it is important to engage the buyer. In this case the parent I believe should have the option to experience 1 -2 classes at Nichols College online (on the website; YouTube link).
Generally I like the way the website is set up and how it interacts. I would not consider the website “sticky though “, with sticky meaning you want to go back to the website on a frequent basis. I do not see this as a major problem, since this type of business is not highly dependent on the frequent rate of people revisiting the website. It is rather focused on maximizing communication, getting students to apply as fast as possible, effectively and efficiently informing target audiences. But what in my opinion is missing is creating a relationship with the buyer.
I do not believe that the Nichols College website is egotistical, but I do believe it provides false information. If you take a look on their website their biggest emphasis is the fact that a high percentage of students get jobs after leaving the college. What they fail to do is provide success stories of those students, so the question is "Is it true? and if it is, "Where is the proof?" It makes an effort to engage the potential student, but it does not do a very good job at this. The information on the website lacks in detail and often when students arrive to Nichols nothing is like what it says on the website. As a "distinct buyer", when I get to the homepage of the website the first thing that sticks out to me is the "About Nichols" tab which is located on the left hand side, reason being is before I do anything else I want to know about the college itself, the main focus and what will I get out of my 4 years in attending. Immediately my answer is found in the 91% of students that supposedly get a job. This informs me that if I chose to attend Nichols College I am pretty much guarenteed a job. Right away that puts Nichols College in the front of my college selection based on that simple statistic. Flaws in the website that I see is that it really doesnt explain what their is to do on campus besides go to class and play sports. As I watch the slide shows it tells me about Nichols being affordable, the number of Varsite teams, and the fact that they give you the tools to succeed. As a high school student you is going to be living on campus, they want to see what they are actually going to be doing in their spare time outside of class. That is an area that potential students want to see. Ways that they could change the website would be have more students talking about what they like about they school, what they will get out of being there, what was the real reason they chose Nichols over all the other schools. These are questions that a high school students will have when looking at websites.
Egotistical can be defined as "the tendency to talk about oneself excessively," or "believing oneself to be better and more important than others." With that in mind, it appears as though colleges and universities need to be egotistical to a certain degree because that is what "sells" the institution.
For this discussion, I compared the Nichols College website to the Bryant University website. I was surprised to see that Nichols, a small-scale institution with 1,500 students was seemingly less egotistical than Bryant, a well-known university totaling 3,100 students. Although it is considered to be a top institution for business education in New England, Nichols is not as widely recognized as schools such as Bryant, Bentley and Babson (commonly dubbed "The Three B's of Business"). Because of this, I would have thought that Nichols would be more egotistical in order to create a "bigger and better" image for itself.
What I like most about our website is that it provides real, concrete evidence that supports our catch-phrase, "Your Success Is Our Business." The website captures the attention of visitors with stats such as "91% of 2011 Grads Employed Within Six Months," and "1 in 10 Grads Becomes a CEO or Corporate President." In addition, the website provides various supporting articles and success stories of Nichols grads. Bryant's website does just the opposite. Rather than providing facts, it tries to capture the viewer's attention with headlines including "World-Class Facilities," and "Technological Innovation." I am not saying that these two factors are not important or relevant during the college search process, but are they proof of a solid business education?
I think Nichols College (as well as its website) has the right idea. As I mentioned earlier, I like how it demonstrates PROOF that Nichols is a leader in business education through statistical information and success stories. I would also like to make note of the message from President Engelkemeyer that is displayed on the home page -- this is an excellent marketing strategy. When students (with the help of their parents) are searching for a school, they want to feel a personal connection to the institution and the belief that they are choosing the right place. Not only does this message from the president provide a sense of comfort and personalization, but it demonstrated the close-knit community that Nichols College prides itself on being.
After looking at the Nichols College website with the question of whether it is egotistical or not, I realized that it is very egotistical. Of course, every possible student wants to be able to look at a college website and want to know what measure of success they will be able to have at Nichols, so it makes sense. I think that a ton of other information is important such as the college experience as Arsen mentioned, but I can't imagine that on the home page of the website. I feel as though Nichols could have a normal home page with directories to different links, or they could have it jazzed up with information such as the 91 percent employed statistic. They obviously took the second route, and I think they should because when someone is thinking about their choices in colleges they will remember Nichols as the college with successful students. I also noticed an article about a current senior who just landed a job. Even though obviously that is that particular person's achievements, she is a soon to be graduate of Nichols so they are "showing her off". Underneath the pictures are banners of sentences, and here are a few I noticed as egotistical. "One in ten grads become CEO or Corp. President", "91% of grads employed in 6 months", "Signature business skills ..launch business education". I also counted that the word "success" is mentioned quite a few times on the home page.
If I'm looking onto a college website, I'm most likely looking for information about the school, or looking to do something. It is always a nice added bonus to be able to see some statistics of how I may be successful if I go to that college, so I'm going to look for that from now on out of curiosity. To a high school student, I don't think 91% of student employed means much to them. I think that the pictures of students enjoying activities, pictures of faculty, sports, are all things high school students might want to see if they're on the Nichols website. Some kids are really into the distant future but they are most likely thinking about their life in the next year and how it will be. As college juniors and seniors we are highly impressed with our job placement because we know how tough it is to get jobs in the economy, so reading facts like that is music to our ears. I don't think so much to high school senior. I think they will want to see more of what a current Nichols college daily life is like- how are classes/staff, activities, dorms, sports, etc.
Yes we are an egotistical website, can you blame Nichols for being this way. The college is run like a business and in business as most of us have learned the most import aspect is that the business will turn a profit to remain successful. Egotistical is showing off in a light better than others. That is exactly what Nichols does. We show off our strengths constantly, small classroom size, dedication to a career focused business education, division 3 athletes that can handle both sports and the classroom, and most importantly Job placement rates at the highest rate.
The Nichols College website is very one-sided. The first reason is the statistic of how many students are currently employed following graduation. The initial statistic on the website and latest article of 91 percent sounds phenomenal sounds great, but then as you start to take a deep dive into the facts it turns out that its not representative of the grade as an entirety as not every senior has take the survey and secondly takes on factors such as grad school or part time work. Now regardless of the economic situation of this country many students want to see full time jobs and accurate statistics would show Nichols to be on par with multiple schools not above and beyond.
What Nichols does do accurately is its portrayal of the school as a close knit community. Nichols does operate this way and uses this to advantage. I believe the website does sell the school as a quintessential small New England School. Additionally we stress the high numbers of student athletes on campus who can handle both successfully. We point out these strengths as something that sets Nichols apart.
Still the website needs to use its statistics more accurately. I think many students and event prospective students are still in the stage of comparing the old and new website and see the dramatic increase in content, accessibility, and current information. Therefore the room for improvement is still at a relatively low margin.
I do not believe the Nichols College website is egotistical, as it is a college website which tries to promote the benefits of our school. Would you want to attend a college or university that did not find anything to pride themselves on, has no positive or motivating message, and doesn't show the institution at its absolute best? Most likely not. Though it is indeed a one-way message, information chocked, The Nichols website provides support and useful details to our potential customers: perspective students. An incoming freshman or transfer student has the ability to learn about our major offerings, the college's strong business core curriculum, and the kind of residence hall that can become their next home. I have worked with Freshman at orientation for a few years, and I can attest that these (minus "where are the parties")are the facts and information they continuously want to learn more about. Why not provide the tools to succeed directly from the start, and at the convenience of our buyers fingertips?
Do you remember browsing the Nichols webpage prior to your arrival to Nichols? The majority of you like myself, probably experienced the dare I say 'pre-portal' days. The dated format we once supported lacked in all of the allure and features that have been specifically created to benefit the current students.
No one likes change. Which is most likely why the portal did not receive an outstanding ovation from the entirety of our community at first. It was definitely a transition to take every resource the student once had (circa WebCT), and then replace it with a foreign, new system. However, after my adaptation time, I have begun to love the portal. It has become a central hub for on-campus resources. It even takes into account the ever-busy lives of our extremely involved students, and allows them to schedule in every hour of their life alongside their class schedule. I consider the portal to be my 'distinct buyer' site. The portal is interactive; definitely not a one-way message.
The main webpage of Nichols is our marketing. It is designed with the future and new families of Nichols at mind. It is not a site really for us. I do not need to know whether there is 'Life in Central MA', because I already live it everyday. Instead, I use the portal to access e-mail, research a campus department, or get the latest news scoop.
What I would like to see from the Nichols site, is a stronger link or presence to our alumni. The current site: http://community.nichols.edu/ simply lacks in excitement. It does not make me really care that in three short months I too will be a part of this alumni community. I want my Alma Mater to be a cherished and familiar place. How about a portal for the alum, where they can use message boards to stay in touch with classmates, or connect directly with a current senior entering the business world? I would like to see a more hands on approach besides how Homecoming 2011 went.
I have been reviewing the Nichols College website and talking with peers regarding the topic of whether or not the college site is egotistical. Many people that I talked to feel that it is hard not to be egotistical when you are trying to compete with other similar businesses. Let's be honest, Nichols College is trying to stand out amongst the 100's of colleges not only nationwide, but worldwide as well.
ReplyDeleteAfter reviewing the site, though, I think that it is safe to say that the messages it is conveying are very one sided. A few times I noticed that many students were pictured next to lengthy text, but were never mentioned within the text. I think that the fact the website does showcase videos of students,talking about the school and their experiences,somewhat diminishes them being too "full of themselves." I do feel, though, the at the school should do more to showcase students throughout the website. In most cases, students wants to hear the opinions of other students. Prospective students know that other students are going to be truthful when discussing their perspective and experience. Many times, prospective students realize that their prospective schools are going to try to hype themselves up as mcuh as they can. It's sad to say, but truthful that colleges are businesses whether they are non profit or not. I think it would be effective if the school set up some sort of open chat or open discussion where prospective students could ask questions and be provided with answers, but the answers be provided by current students. I also think that they school should showcase student testimonials more often.
Mostly, I feel like the Nichols website lacks the proof it needs, in a sense. The college can preach all these great things about itself, but these things mean more coming from someone else's mouth. If students are elated with the school then it's more likely that other people will believe the information on the website. Yes, Nichols is a great school, but like our business classes teach us, when you go into a job interview you need to back up your answers with proof because everybody can claim everything you say about themselves too. I think Nichols need to focus more on proof through their students. Prospective students want to know what other people like them think because chances are that they will have a very similar opinion too.
After looking over the Nichols College website I do believe that it is egotistical because of the importance it has in competing with its competitors, such as Bentley, Babson and Bryant. Three big business schools it talks a lot about the percentages of how many people get jobs once they graduate from Nichols. The one way message that Nichols College is sending out is that “your success is our business” they want to be the reason why people are getting jobs and starting careers at an early age.
ReplyDeleteAs a distinct buyer of this product (school) I would like to see more interaction among the students. I want to know what the students of Nichols College are doing with their time at the school. If some of them have great internships that are worth talking about and have a great name behind it I believe that they should be announced and known what they are doing. This will allow for potential buyers as well as alumni to understand what is going on the campus of Nichols, instead of just data. Interaction is extremely important. This can also help out for the high school students that are interested in coming to Nichols. It gives them an outlook that college just isn’t about going to class and reading text books, it is about going out and putting what you learn in the classroom and applying it to real life experiences. For example my internship at Gillette Stadium, I am able to take what I have learned within the classroom over the past three/four years and using that in the workplace.
Adj. 1. egotistical - characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance
ReplyDeleteWhen talking about College web sites being egotistical I believe that the author David is trying to say that instead of helping the buyer such as alumni, current day students, current day students parents, high school students and commuters it will just show off the aspects of the college that the college itself wants to see. David is trying to say that the buyer’s aspect is way more important than the college may see itself.
1. When looking at the Nichols Web site I see some good and bad egotistical acts. I see many pictures of the students, showing that we love ourselves in a way but to me that is good because when choosing a college you want to be able to relate and see what other students look like. One of the first things that you see when looking at the Nichols web site is the percent employed from Nichols College. This is important for current day students and parents because it is showing that Nichols is being effective with its job in teaching students. I think that even though this might be an egotistical act, it is important for Nichols to promote they in any way possible. I also feel that Nichols is egotistical with its new student center being built, they push this building by showing what it will already look like but telling the students how much money has already been put into it and by showing the students how much it is going to increase the campus.
2. As a student and one of the “distinct buyers” I would like to see you tube postings of Nichols and the students to show activities and what is done. To add to that I feel that the web site could should case these activities such as events and clubs on the web site for students. I also think by adding pictures of the professors on the web site would help to, this way if a student did not know who they were going to see or who another person was talking about they could go on the web site and look them up to feel more comfortable or connect a name to face. Content that I feel high school students would enjoy would to be a better and updated virtual tour, this way the students would be able to see where they are going to live and eat. It would also be easier for them to show their friends and their families were they are going to start the next four years of their lives. This could also promote Nichols College without them even having to do anything, all one excepted student has to do is show another high school friend to spark an interest in coming to see the college themselves.
I feel that since the new web site has come out the content in general can compete with other colleges much better, our pictures and information are much more seen and are in better detail. When looking at other schools web sites such as Curry and Endicott I can see that now Nichols can answer a lot more unanswered questions and gives Nichols the reputation it deserves. There is always room for updates but at least now Nichols College can compete when it comes to their web sites and offers a great feeling of being a part of the Nichols community.
The Nichols website is egotistical. It tries to send the message across that it is a prestigious top of the line business school. In reality Nichols is a great business school however it is not Harvard or Stanford. Nichols is a small business school with a strong reputation in the business world but not as strong as the top of the line schools. One of the most evident things the website has are the percentages of students who get jobs. I know for me that was something that drew me in because who wants to go to school and not get a job? I do believe that the Nichols website needs to be egotistical. The website needs to boast the college's achievements to better compete with colleges and universities who have a more prestigious reputation and who are in the same league as Nichols like Bentley or Babson.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of what I would like to see on the website I would like to see more about the classes and teachers. Going into College personally I didn't know what I wanted to do and being able to see what was involved for the majors would have helped me tremendously. Seeing pictures from classes that show what can be expected would have helped to give me more of an idea what to expect when it came to classes. For high school students showing more about what the school has to offer from pictures of the dorms and other facilities to events could draw peoples attention. Showing off the things that make Nichols fun can take the focus off the location and draw more students in to want more information and hopefully help to sway their decisions.
I have been working in the admissions department here on campus for four years now, and I have seen the website and the school grow. I would defiantly agree the Nichols website is very egotistical. We are a business school and we are one of the top business schools around this area, so why not put up numbers about our success and about the number of students that get jobs after graduation. I agree with Jon in the sense that we are not Harvard, but at the same time I think students get that and this is an elite school for the price. We have a lot of connections from the alumni, and that just continues to grow. In this economy it’s a very competitive environment in the business world, from an individual perspective but also as a business perspective. I believe that Nichols has to be egotistical and really put out there messages out there to attract students to come here. They have gotten better and better at this, over the last few years since I have been attending this school the number of incoming students has been on the rise. I would like to see more virtual tours and more virtual items on the website, Pictures can show a lot but I believe that a lot of people would enjoy little clips and audio sessions. The Admissions department has done a wonderful job with posting a virtual tour on the website which helps out with those high school students who live far away. I was fortunate enough to live close by to campus so I was able to come on campus to multiple events and met with multiple professors and I fell in love with the school. High school students want to see more of the pictures from clubs and organizations as well, they do care about the academic side of campus but ultimately there is going to be a lot of down time in between classes so by showing the students the things they can be involved in will be very helpful.
ReplyDeleteWe are a business school with a community of approximately 1600 students; I would hope our website is somewhat egotistical in terms of conveying that Nichols and their students are the best! Each one of us Nichols graduates will go on to pursue a job where our main competitors will be those students from NASCAC schools and IVY's where they have the upper hand because of there degree. Its not necessarily a main concern of many to compete with a student for a job who may have graduated from Princeton, but I for certain would want my future employee to pick a Nichols College student over a graduate of Curry or Becker for instance.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Nichols College website is one sided but that is how we can compete with other colleges who have a similar criteria for acceptance. A productive way to get a good perspective on how the dynamic of Nichols works, go onto the Nichols Athletics page, see who we compete with, the write ups on games played and one of the most important aspects of sporting events: fan support or number of people in attendance. I find that athletics shows what kind of school spirit one has and the support students have for their peers.
The important things I came across on the Nichols site were the ability to engage in clubs.. But who is involved? How many people are in these groups? Do students really involve themselves in these extra curricular activities? The content on the Nichols site has greatly improved since my freshman year; however, I feel it would be influential to include how intimate Nichols is. We see the same 400 people each day roaming center road, going to the dining hall, studying in the library and eating meals in Lombard. We are not a big school where we have to park 2 miles away to get to class and those are not the people we want to attract to Nichols. We can be egotistical about being a Bison, lets make sure its done in the right way, to attract the correct students who will benefit our community
In my eyes Nichols website is egotistical. On the website it shows the success rate for the graduating class’s from early years to stand out from other business schools. Sense we have such a high success rate it should be shown like it is. Its like you don’t put your GPA on your resume unless its higher than a 3.0. Although Nichols isn’t like a Harvard it is known as a great business school that professors from the business fields come to teach their real life experiences instead of just though a textbook. The website is also easy to get around. For an example there is pull down tabs for high school students, current students, and the people that have graduated. I feel like from looking are Nichols website to other competitors such as Bentley or Babson Nichols stands out in it’s a great place to come learn from the text but also learn from someone that has seen the good days of business and the not so good days.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the website is good but there can be some changes made to make it better. First off I wish there was a pull down menu for classes like a description and a background of the professor who teaches the class. And more videos of students talking about the school. I feel like the photos that are on a slide show are great and all but I don’t want to just listen to the president talk. That link should switch like the photos do and have students talking. I do like for the 3 years that I have been here the website changes and gets better and better every year. When I was a first year student the website was so bad. And now they are taking all the right steps of marketing the school better. I feel like this is bringing in more students at the end of the day.
I believe that the NC website is not egotistical in the sense that it is not concerned with showing “off” the way they see themselves. In my perspective it is the absolute contrary. It tries to involve alumni, current students and as well as engage potential students and their parents.
ReplyDeleteHowever I think that it does not do a good job in building a relationship with a potential student, high school or transfer.
High school graduates that are looking for a college are very important for the business of a college and therefor are to be treated very carefully.
They want to see and “experience” the college before they even apply in order to understand beforehand what they will be facing. This is where YouTube should come in. Posted videos of athletic events, socials and an interesting class could help students and their parents create a relationship with the college.
Although when comparing NC website with Endicott and Wesley I have to say the NC website has much more depth, is better presented and definitely targets the 5 distinct buyer personas the book talks about.
NC social network is also clearly presented on the site.
In my opinion parents like to see that a college is successful, so the stats that Nichol posts on their website about the percentage of students that get a job after graduating or becoming a CEO, are directed to them as well as to existing and potential students.
They also show the successful rate of Alumni which makes those proud of themselves.
I also like the fact that Facebook and Twitter are very interactive, I believe these are key areas where current students should be involved but are not (including me).
Students can go on the website and check what type of food will
be served at the dining hall; they can go on the events calendar and see in all the events in an overview, little things like this matter.
As I mentioned before it is important to engage the buyer. In this case the parent I believe should have the option to experience 1 -2 classes at Nichols College online (on the website; YouTube link).
Generally I like the way the website is set up and how it interacts. I would not consider the website “sticky though “, with sticky meaning you want to go back to the website on a frequent basis. I do not see this as a major problem, since this type of business is not highly dependent on the frequent rate of people revisiting the website. It is rather focused on maximizing communication, getting students to apply as fast as possible, effectively and efficiently informing target audiences. But what in my opinion is missing is creating a relationship with the buyer.
I do not believe that the Nichols College website is egotistical, but I do believe it provides false information. If you take a look on their website their biggest emphasis is the fact that a high percentage of students get jobs after leaving the college. What they fail to do is provide success stories of those students, so the question is "Is it true? and if it is, "Where is the proof?"
ReplyDeleteIt makes an effort to engage the potential student, but it does not do a very good job at this. The information on the website lacks in detail and often when students arrive to Nichols nothing is like what it says on the website. As a "distinct buyer", when I get to the homepage of the website the first thing that sticks out to me is the "About Nichols" tab which is located on the left hand side, reason being is before I do anything else I want to know about the college itself, the main focus and what will I get out of my 4 years in attending. Immediately my answer is found in the 91% of students that supposedly get a job. This informs me that if I chose to attend Nichols College I am pretty much guarenteed a job. Right away that puts Nichols College in the front of my college selection based on that simple statistic. Flaws in the website that I see is that it really doesnt explain what their is to do on campus besides go to class and play sports. As I watch the slide shows it tells me about Nichols being affordable, the number of Varsite teams, and the fact that they give you the tools to succeed. As a high school student you is going to be living on campus, they want to see what they are actually going to be doing in their spare time outside of class. That is an area that potential students want to see. Ways that they could change the website would be have more students talking about what they like about they school, what they will get out of being there, what was the real reason they chose Nichols over all the other schools. These are questions that a high school students will have when looking at websites.
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ReplyDeleteEgotistical can be defined as "the tendency to talk about oneself excessively," or "believing oneself to be better and more important than others." With that in mind, it appears as though colleges and universities need to be egotistical to a certain degree because that is what "sells" the institution.
ReplyDeleteFor this discussion, I compared the Nichols College website to the Bryant University website. I was surprised to see that Nichols, a small-scale institution with 1,500 students was seemingly less egotistical than Bryant, a well-known university totaling 3,100 students. Although it is considered to be a top institution for business education in New England, Nichols is not as widely recognized as schools such as Bryant, Bentley and Babson (commonly dubbed "The Three B's of Business"). Because of this, I would have thought that Nichols would be more egotistical in order to create a "bigger and better" image for itself.
What I like most about our website is that it provides real, concrete evidence that supports our catch-phrase, "Your Success Is Our Business." The website captures the attention of visitors with stats such as "91% of 2011 Grads Employed Within Six Months," and "1 in 10 Grads Becomes a CEO or Corporate President." In addition, the website provides various supporting articles and success stories of Nichols grads. Bryant's website does just the opposite. Rather than providing facts, it tries to capture the viewer's attention with headlines including "World-Class Facilities," and "Technological Innovation." I am not saying that these two factors are not important or relevant during the college search process, but are they proof of a solid business education?
I think Nichols College (as well as its website) has the right idea. As I mentioned earlier, I like how it demonstrates PROOF that Nichols is a leader in business education through statistical information and success stories. I would also like to make note of the message from President Engelkemeyer that is displayed on the home page -- this is an excellent marketing strategy. When students (with the help of their parents) are searching for a school, they want to feel a personal connection to the institution and the belief that they are choosing the right place. Not only does this message from the president provide a sense of comfort and personalization, but it demonstrated the close-knit community that Nichols College prides itself on being.
Sources:
1) http://collegestats.org/college/nichols-college
2) http://collegeprowler.com/bryant-university/statistics/
3) http://www.bryant.edu/Bryant/
After looking at the Nichols College website with the question of whether it is egotistical or not, I realized that it is very egotistical. Of course, every possible student wants to be able to look at a college website and want to know what measure of success they will be able to have at Nichols, so it makes sense. I think that a ton of other information is important such as the college experience as Arsen mentioned, but I can't imagine that on the home page of the website. I feel as though Nichols could have a normal home page with directories to different links, or they could have it jazzed up with information such as the 91 percent employed statistic. They obviously took the second route, and I think they should because when someone is thinking about their choices in colleges they will remember Nichols as the college with successful students. I also noticed an article about a current senior who just landed a job. Even though obviously that is that particular person's achievements, she is a soon to be graduate of Nichols so they are "showing her off". Underneath the pictures are banners of sentences, and here are a few I noticed as egotistical. "One in ten grads become CEO or Corp. President", "91% of grads employed in 6 months", "Signature business skills ..launch business education". I also counted that the word "success" is mentioned quite a few times on the home page.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm looking onto a college website, I'm most likely looking for information about the school, or looking to do something. It is always a nice added bonus to be able to see some statistics of how I may be successful if I go to that college, so I'm going to look for that from now on out of curiosity. To a high school student, I don't think 91% of student employed means much to them. I think that the pictures of students enjoying activities, pictures of faculty, sports, are all things high school students might want to see if they're on the Nichols website. Some kids are really into the distant future but they are most likely thinking about their life in the next year and how it will be. As college juniors and seniors we are highly impressed with our job placement because we know how tough it is to get jobs in the economy, so reading facts like that is music to our ears. I don't think so much to high school senior. I think they will want to see more of what a current Nichols college daily life is like- how are classes/staff, activities, dorms, sports, etc.
Yes we are an egotistical website, can you blame Nichols for being this way. The college is run like a business and in business as most of us have learned the most import aspect is that the business will turn a profit to remain successful. Egotistical is showing off in a light better than others. That is exactly what Nichols does. We show off our strengths constantly, small classroom size, dedication to a career focused business education, division 3 athletes that can handle both sports and the classroom, and most importantly Job placement rates at the highest rate.
ReplyDeleteThe Nichols College website is very one-sided. The first reason is the statistic of how many students are currently employed following graduation. The initial statistic on the website and latest article of 91 percent sounds phenomenal sounds great, but then as you start to take a deep dive into the facts it turns out that its not representative of the grade as an entirety as not every senior has take the survey and secondly takes on factors such as grad school or part time work. Now regardless of the economic situation of this country many students want to see full time jobs and accurate statistics would show Nichols to be on par with multiple schools not above and beyond.
What Nichols does do accurately is its portrayal of the school as a close knit community. Nichols does operate this way and uses this to advantage. I believe the website does sell the school as a quintessential small New England School. Additionally we stress the high numbers of student athletes on campus who can handle both successfully. We point out these strengths as something that sets Nichols apart.
Still the website needs to use its statistics more accurately. I think many students and event prospective students are still in the stage of comparing the old and new website and see the dramatic increase in content, accessibility, and current information. Therefore the room for improvement is still at a relatively low margin.
I do not believe the Nichols College website is egotistical, as it is a college website which tries to promote the benefits of our school. Would you want to attend a college or university that did not find anything to pride themselves on, has no positive or motivating message, and doesn't show the institution at its absolute best? Most likely not. Though it is indeed a one-way message, information chocked, The Nichols website provides support and useful details to our potential customers: perspective students. An incoming freshman or transfer student has the ability to learn about our major offerings, the college's strong business core curriculum, and the kind of residence hall that can become their next home. I have worked with Freshman at orientation for a few years, and I can attest that these (minus "where are the parties")are the facts and information they continuously want to learn more about. Why not provide the tools to succeed directly from the start, and at the convenience of our buyers fingertips?
DeleteDo you remember browsing the Nichols webpage prior to your arrival to Nichols? The majority of you like myself, probably experienced the dare I say 'pre-portal' days. The dated format we once supported lacked in all of the allure and features that have been specifically created to benefit the current students.
No one likes change. Which is most likely why the portal did not receive an outstanding ovation from the entirety of our community at first. It was definitely a transition to take every resource the student once had (circa WebCT), and then replace it with a foreign, new system. However, after my adaptation time, I have begun to love the portal. It has become a central hub for on-campus resources. It even takes into account the ever-busy lives of our extremely involved students, and allows them to schedule in every hour of their life alongside their class schedule. I consider the portal to be my 'distinct buyer' site. The portal is interactive; definitely not a one-way message.
The main webpage of Nichols is our marketing. It is designed with the future and new families of Nichols at mind. It is not a site really for us. I do not need to know whether there is 'Life in Central MA', because I already live it everyday. Instead, I use the portal to access e-mail, research a campus department, or get the latest news scoop.
What I would like to see from the Nichols site, is a stronger link or presence to our alumni. The current site: http://community.nichols.edu/ simply lacks in excitement. It does not make me really care that in three short months I too will be a part of this alumni community. I want my Alma Mater to be a cherished and familiar place. How about a portal for the alum, where they can use message boards to stay in touch with classmates, or connect directly with a current senior entering the business world? I would like to see a more hands on approach besides how Homecoming 2011 went.