Higher education has its own language, but for first-generation families, that language can sound like a locked door. From jargon and acronyms to deficit-based labels, colleges often communicate in ways that confuse the very students they hope to include. This piece unpacks how words quietly shape belonging — and how marketers and enrollment leaders can rewrite them to open more doors.

Everyone talks about A/B testing, but most enrollment teams save it for the highest-stakes moments. That’s backwards. Incomplete applicants are the perfect place to test voice, content, and conversion strategy. Here’s how to turn this overlooked segment into your most actionable enrollment lab.

After a year of secret shopping as a student and parent, I uncovered what most colleges get wrong about text messaging. Generic, one-off blasts don’t build trust—thoughtful, timely, personalized texts do. In this episode, we explore what works, what doesn’t, and how to make SMS a real relationship builder.

We say it all the time: “Parents are important,” but how often do our actions actually reflect that? Walk through specific, tangible strategies for making parents feel seen, heard and empowered to help their student say yes.

Higher education websites are often dense and impersonal. What if these websites could work more like Amazon?

Your homepage isn’t your only first impression. Students land on major pages first—are yours built to convert?