Last week, I wrote a short post about how colleges are using social media to connect with students. It’s a game-changer in college recruiting. Small colleges can level the playing field and stand out from the crowd by using social media. Unknown colleges can establish a presence and draw in students who might never have even known they existed.

US News-Education published an article today listing 5 ways that colleges are reaching high school students. Here’s a short summary:

1. QR Codes–Hamilton College created a fall admissions poster featuring only a giant QR code, which led visitors to a custom welcome page. Students on high school campuses responded positively to this “cool” recruiting technique.
2. Video chats–Ohio Wesleyan University hosts four or five group video chats during the academic year for parents and students, with each chat having a theme.
3. Facebook Contests–Misericordia University used university bookstore gift certificates as prizes to incoming freshmen who replaced their Facebook picture with the college logo. It was a way to expand their reach and monitor the conversations that “friends” were having about the picture.
4. Tweeting behind the scenes–Texas Tech used Twitter to cover a photo shoot story included in their annual recruiting material. They actually created a hashtag and made the photo shoot an event as opposed to just a piece of mail.
5. YouTube video series–New School in NYC has created a series of recruiting videos entitled, “Are You New School?” These videos feature students discussing uncommon topics like the dating scene or being overwhelmed by the size of the city.

If you have a college-bound teen, look for these innovative ways that colleges will be connecting with your student. An innovative, forward-thinking college might be a perfect fit for your student and a great place to educate an innovative, forward-thinking student.