Survey of 2,000 Freshmen Finds Majority Discontent with College Choice

A December 2008 survey by CollegeClickTV of 2,000 freshmen on 50 college campuses in the United States found 56 percent unhappy about some aspect of their college decision. The company said it’s taking on this challenge using the Web: Can Web 2.0 and social software help applicants get a more accurate picture of colleges and universities before they choose?

The company’s Web site offers streamed interviews with students, college-specific blogs, and other content and social networking features aimed at providing information that can help college applicants weigh their upcoming college choices. Glenn Pere, founder and CIO of CollegeClickTV, told Campus Technology, “Campus tours give you a very biased view of each campus--prospective students are led on the same route, and told generic, scripted facts about the school. What students don’t get, are real, unscripted stories and opinions. CollegeClickTV.com brings students the answers to questions they wouldn’t get on the standard campus tour: Is campus food good enough to splurge on the expensive meal plan? How’s Greek Life? Is it hard to find a parking spot on campus?” Pere points to the Web site’s 30,000 unscripted interviews with students, faculty, and others such as local merchants as a way applicants and their parents can access another view of the college environment and hopefully make more informed decisions.

CollegeClickTV has formed partnerships with U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and CliffNotes to build more content and attract Web site visitors. It plans to have information on some 400 US-based campuses online in the first quarter of 2009.

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