Gradschools.com Survey Reveals Over 4,000 Prospective Graduate Students Internet and Media Habits
Chester, PA, April 21, 2000 -
A recent survey conducted by Gradschools.com, (http://www.gradschools.com), the leading online directory of graduate school programs, revealed the Internet and media habits of prospective graduate students.
The survey was posted on the Gradschools.com web site and received 4,160 responses in a four-week time period. The majority of Gradschools.com users are college juniors and seniors or recent graduates.
"We conducted the survey with the intention gaining more knowledge about our users," said Mark Shay, president and founder of Educational Directories Unlimited (EDU), "The response, however, was phenomenal. We are very pleased with the results of this survey and the insights we have gained."
According to the survey, 95.1% of respondents use the Internet once or more a week. When asked, "What do you believe are the most effective ways to reach a college student?" 22.5% cited the Internet. The Internet surpassed TV, Newspaper and Radio as the most effective way to reach a college student.
The survey also asked how often the respondent clicks on banners that are of interest to him/her. Twenty-nine percent stated they sometimes do, 33% stated they frequently or often click on banners and 38% rarely or never do.
The survey results found that 70.4% stated that search engines are their primary method of doing research online. A whooping 52.7% of respondents cited Yahoo! as the search engine/index they used most often while AltaVista.com trailed behind in second place at 9.9%.
As for traditional media, some surprising results were revealed. Out of 3,357 users who responded to the question "What type of advertisements influence you the most", 52.7% stated that TV commercials had the most influence over their purchasing decisions. Print advertisements came in second at 24.6%, radio came in third at 9.5% and online advertising trailed behind at 4.0%.
When asked about their reading habits, only 18% of respondents frequently or often read college-oriented magazines, while 54.3% frequently or often read non-college oriented magazines. The top five non-college oriented magazines were Time, Cosmopolitan, Newsweek, People and National Geographic respectively.
"The results of this survey confirmed our beliefs that web marketing is the most effective way to reach students provided the content is of high quality," said Shay, "We are committed to deliver a product that meets their needs and survey's such as this guide us."
About Educational Directories Unlimited
Educational Directories Unlimited (http://www.edudirectories.com) is a unique college-oriented marketing firm that achieves a dynamic blend of academic purpose and commerce. Among EDU's computer-based recruiting tools are several comprehensive directories: Gradschools.com, Studyabroad.com, Distance.Gradschools.com, English.Studyabroad.com and Studyabroadworldwide.com. The company's success had been through reaching college students and prospective students through a variety of marketing vehicles on-campus and on-line. Through all of their professionally managed services, EDU continues to grow as a leading on-line college marketing service, connecting students with programs. For more information on the Student Survey, or on EDU's services in general, please contact Mark Shay by phone at 610-499-9200, via e-mail at mshay@gradschools.com.
Media Contact:
EDU Media Contact: Matt Ulmer, e-mail: mulmer@edudirectories.com