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How to Help New Students Succeed with a Mobile Campus App

John Bertoli / John@bertolimarketing.com
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Create Personalized Mobile-First Experiences for Your Campus - Modolabs

New student orientation can be overwhelming for everyone involved, but particularly for students and their families. It is quite common that first-year students won’t return for their sophomore year; recent retention rates show that 1 in 3 freshmen drop out after their first or second semesters. 

It’s important that colleges have processes in place to better acclimate incoming freshmen, transfers, and graduate candidates to an unfamiliar environment. From meeting new dorm-mates to touring campus to registering for classes, students need an all-access approach to know where and when they need to be.

Many universities are addressing this key event and putting students on the path to success – and families at ease – by adding a New Student Orientation (NSO) module to their mobile campus apps. A recent study found that 94% of US consumers aged 18-24 own a device. The best way to meet new students where they already are is through an easy-to-use app. 

The NSO Starter Kit offers an engaging and seamless mobile experience for first-years. Through Modo Campus® and the NSO Starter Kit, you can quickly set up a fully functional New Student Orientation module to provide incoming classes with a single access point for essential orientation information. Equipped with the knowledge they need, such as orientation checklists, campus maps, and connections to orientation leaders, students experience an easy transition to college life at a time that can be isolating and complex.

Rather than keeping students buried in their phones, it provides them with opportunities to socialize. Not only do students have access to event schedules, social network feeds, and resources from student organizations, they also receive push notifications that help facilitate communication among their new classmates.

Let’s take a look at how the University of Massachusetts Amherst implemented an orientation module to better serve their incoming students. UMASS Amherst created modules that were specifically geared at students arriving for orientation. The app featured first-week need-to-knows such as registration information, orientation sessions, roommate info, room swap options, and health, multicultural, and academic resources.

Not only did their campus mobile app help incoming students navigate their new surroundings, but it also encouraged students to remain engaged throughout their college journey. With continually updated resources for campus organizations, event calendars, searchable campus maps, and more, students have everything they need right at their fingertips.

Along with UMass Amherst, schools including Pepperdine, University of Central Florida and Notre Dame have effectively used NSO modules to welcome new students and their families to campus. 

We put together a webinar to share the secret to their success.

Tune into this on-demand webinar to learn:

  • Five steps to creating a great first impression
  • How to encourage mobile campus app use from day one
  • The value of adding new student orientation into your official university app
  • What the app experience is like for both students and app administrators

Watch the on-demand webinar today so you know how to set new students up for success!

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