UW-Green Bay Using Snapchat To Inform Students Of Acceptance

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay applicants are finding out they’ve been accepted in a more social way – through the mobile application Snapchat.

It’s an almost immediate way to let students know of their acceptance, said UW-Green Bay Social Media Specialist Jena Richter Landers, who works out of the admissions department.

“We see that they’re screenshotting them,” Landers said. “We’ll see that they’re sharing them in their own personal stories. We’ll get excited selfies back. It’s a great way to celebrate with them.”

This fall marks the first time the university is using the app to alert applicants they’ve been accepted.

Katie Vlachina, the admissions department’s social media intern, said using apps such as Snapchat is a good, modern way to communicate. Plus, it’s fun.

“You can screen chat this and it’ll have our name on it and it’s kind of just a fun way to say, ‘Hey, I received this in addition to my packet and my email,” said Vlachina, who is a graduating senior studying communications.

UW-Green Bay still mails acceptance packets with an acceptance certificate suitable for framing.

Other UW System schools also use Snapchat and other social media platforms as universities and colleges are competing for a dwindling number of millennial students.

Katelyn Santy coordinates recruitment for UW-Green Bay and said the number of potential freshmen is shrinking.

“Certainly population plays into this, so if the population decreases of quote unquote ‘traditional age,’ we consider that another innovative way so we can meet the needs of students,” Santy said.