With enrollment for MBA programs making a slow but steady comeback after the somewhat stagnant 2011 and 2012[1]^,[2], it seems that the recovery from the 2008 application boom[3] is well underway.  Throughout this process, however, there will be programs that are more successful at recruiting quality talent than others.  What will be the means of communication that prospective students prefer, on what devices are those messages being consumed, and how does social media impact a prospective student’s decision?  TopMBA’s recently released a study[4] on student’s preferred research methods might provide some insight on where MBA programs want to focus their energy.

Official business school websites are chief online resource –

• While surprising to the more skeptical, students generally trust the information they find on school sites.
• Often, this is the only resource students come into contact with when making their decision.
• The main points of interest are coursework descriptions and financial aid information.

Prospective candidates prefer emails –

• We can expect students to be fairly predictable in turning to email as a primary form of communication.
• Interestingly, this is a two way street, with students preferring email for both inbound and outbound communication.

Social media well-placed to increase significance –

• Even with all of the attention social media gets and a segment of students listing social as an influencer in the decision process, it has limitations.
• With language barriers and the variety of different social media platforms in use it is difficult to make massive social campaigns work.
• Successful programs will recognize the importance of targeted messages directed at their local audience.

Smartphones play a significant role, but traditional devices still predominate –

• While smartphones and tablets have forever changed the way we consume content the vast majority of research is still on traditional laptops and desktops.
• Even though there have been massive developments in the delivery of mobile content it has yet to impact the research done for this major life decision.

Candidates can’t find everything online –

• The information age has made finding the right program easier than it was even just a decade ago but there is still need for human interaction throughout this process.
• Every candidate is unique and a program’s messaging can only go so far in satisfying every prospect’s needs.
• In those circumstances in which additional information is needed and an email is not readily available, students still turn to the trusty old telephone.

For the full report in all of its detail visit TopMBA.com [http://www.topmba.com/system/files/pdf-uploads/finding-the-right-mba-report-2014_0.pdf].