Millikin’s admission website has come out in the top 100 sites in the nation according to the National Research Center for College & University Admissions (NRCCUA).
According to their website, NRCCUA is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping prospective students discover if a college education or direct career path is the easiest and most beneficial option for them. Their goal is to provide information for students in order for them to be able to make educational, occupational and financial aid decisions.
NRCCUA’s 15th annual My College Options Enrollment Power Index (EPI) was released through MyCollegeOptions.org. This year’s EPI looked at 36 criteria in four main categories: ability to find desired information, personal contact with admission staff and students, online interactive tools and website design and navigation.
Based on the 100 point scale used for judging, less than 45 percent of post-secondary institutions received a grade of an A or a B. Millikin was one of the few who received an A.
Director of Undergraduate Admission Joseph Havis said, “We put a lot of information online but we make sure that it is not just fluff, that it is there for a reason, you don’t get lost, it’s not difficult to find things [and] its relevant.”
One reason that Millikin’s website is special is because it is tailored to prospective students. Just as current student have a myMILLIKIN account, prospective student have their own account that is made based on their application.
“We are able to look off of their applications, how they responded and put content blocks of
information or videos of information from the areas that they have said they are interested [in],” Havis said.
This technique ensures that prospective students are seeing the parts of Millikin that they are more interested in. It connects them with the school and lets them know what is going on on campus even if they aren’t there.
Another unique aspect of Millikin’s admission website is that it has a checklist for students that allows them to see what is left for them to do. This keeps student on track and makes sure that the incoming freshmen don’t miss any deadlines.
Although NRCCUA believes that Millikin has one of the top admission sites, some Millikin students do not agree.
“I must admit that I am surprised that our admission website is ranked top in the nation,” freshman nursing major Elizabeth Aloysia said. “I think visually the layout is okay, but I often felt like I couldn’t find all the information I was looking for. Sometimes, I think it was because the information just wasn’t there, but more often it was because I just couldn’t figure out where I needed to go.”
On the other hand, freshman vocal performance major Emily Wheeler said, “Millikin admission website was easy to navigate and easy to complete. Part of the reason I applied to Millikin first was because the application process was the fastest . . . Millikin was definitely the best!”
Millikin is not planning on resting even though its site is ranked among the top in the nation. They plan on continuing to think up ideas on how work out the little kinks and how to improve their admission website.