One Tip That Will Help You Be More Authentic With Gen Z

As digital natives who have grown up in an era of social media, Gen Z values honesty and authenticity a lot. Their radar is constantly on the lookout for fake and what they refer to as “polyester.”

Unfortunately, most prospective students continue to feel like many of the communications and marketing materials they receive during their college search don’t paint a realistic picture of the college experience. They only highlight and focus on the positives.

You and I both know (and so do students), that no college experience is perfect and without its challenges. The reality is, life gets messy at times, including when you start to gain more independence and freedom.

One way that admissions counselors, tour guides, and marketers can come across as genuine and authentic is by telling more stories about challenges and failure.

When a college admits that things aren't always perfect, students say it instantly feels more human and relatable. It acts as a counterweight to fake perfection.

I encourage you to make it a priority during high school visits, college fairs, campus tours and events, as well as in your enrollment communications to tell stories of current students who struggled with common things like the transition to college classes and college level learning, making new friends, living with a roommate for the first time, being homesick, time management, or learning how to be independent and accountable.

Furthermore, tell those stories through the lens of your current students. Peer-to-peer vulnerability is infinitely more impactful.

Talk about what the student learned from their experience and what resources or support systems on your campus helped them persevere.

Being open about common challenges and normalizing failure will enhance your credibility and reassure the student that setbacks, troubles, and complications are a normal part of the learning and growth process.

What story or stories do you need to gather to help aid your conversations and make it feel like you’re delivering a more honest and authentic point of view?

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