While some universities check the social media accounts of students applying for college, and some experts advise using social media as a means to apply to college, news reports say that a university is actually using social media to announce acceptance results.
Local CBS affiliate WSPA reports that the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is now using Snapchat to inform applicants that they're accepted to college on top of traditional acceptance letters. Snapchat allows users to send messages, photos, and videos.
Using messages called "Snaps," UWGB's admissions office informs high school seniors if they're accepted into the higher education institution. Why Snapchat? It's because high school students love the social media app, a school official says.
"Students love Snapchat. The age group that we're looking to really connect with, they're on Snapchat all of the time," Jena Richter Landers, UWGB social media specialist, said.
It's very obvious that high school students love using Snapchat. Young people are often glued to their smartphones, and are using the social media platform to share moments with friends. And that's what the school wanted to take advantage of: their preference for the social media app.
Of course, the school still sends the traditional email and packet to inform students and their families of the acceptance, but the school decided to use Snapchat to let students know they're accepted in a quicker, more connected way.
"They would definitely get a snap before they'd get their mail packet," Katelyn Santy, a worker in UWGB's admissions office, said. "Students get the snaps pretty immediately because it's a place where they are they spend a lot of time there."
Since UWGB started using Snaps as a means to tell students that they're accepted, the results have been very evident: they see students getting very excited to go to college.
"They'll screenshot the snap and they'll respond with an excited selfie," Richter Landers said.
