Student and Parent Focus Groups

Hardwick-Day and Strategic Resource Partners team up to offer colleges and universities the opportunity to observe focus groups of prospective students and parents as they are queried about issues of concern to enrollment officers. 

Kevin Menk, SRP's professional discussion facilitator, is a pro at putting people at ease and getting them to talk about:

• what colleges or universities they are considering and why;
• the most important characteristics in the decision equation;
• reasons for rejecting colleges or universities;
• parents’ and students’ preferences for colleges to communicate with them;
• their perceptions of specific colleges;
• benefits of attending specific colleges; and
• barriers to attending.

In the current economic environment, family finances, paying for college, and college costs are fodder for lively and sometimes heated discussions.  Focus groups are an opportunity to obtain real-time intelligence about parental willingness to invest in private higher education for their children.  Click here to request permission to view online footage of recent focus groups.

Hardwick-Day and Strategic Resource Partners offer two options: syndicated and single-client focus groups.

Syndicated Focus Groups

The two firms conduct syndicated focus-groups in locations around the country to which individual colleges may "subscribe." Like a season ticket for football or the opera, this option costs less than buying individual tickets.

Typically there are two groups in each location: for instance, one of parents of college-bound high school seniors and one of college-bound younger high school students. Subscriptions are limited to 15 or so colleges to keep the focus tight and enable participants to submit questions while the groups are in progress. After the sessions, Hardwick-Day principals moderate a debriefing session and bring actionable recommendations to the table.   The firm is also able to videotape groups so participants may show them to their colleagues back in the office.      

Contact Carol Stack.

Focus Groups Customized for a Single College or University

For individual colleges, Hardwick-Day recommends conducting four focus groups, two in a primary market and two in a secondary one. In each market, the firm talks with prospective students and with parents of prospective students. Each group lasts two hours and includes six to eight participants.

With each college, our principals determine how to qualify participants. The following is a sample screening list for prospective students, who must:

• currently be a senior in high school;
• be aware of the client college;
• at least be considering attending a private college in the client's state;
• be considering a major the client college offers;
• be articulate and comfortable expressing opinions in a group setting; and
• not have anyone in their household who works for a college or a company that provides consulting services to any college.

Parents of prospective students must have a child who qualifies based on the criteria above (for example) and must be involved in their child’s college decision process. Hardwick-Day can also recruit participants based on income, first-generation status, or any number of other demographic characteristics.

Hardwick-Day and Strategic Resource Partners design the recruiting screeners and topic guides with client input and approval. The principals develop possible positioning alternatives to be tested, secure professional focus group facilities, recruit prospects and parents, provide meals and refreshments to participants and observers, moderate each focus group, provide an honorarium to participants, take notes, provide a DVD of each focus group, and provide a written report outlining key findings, opportunities, and recommendations for quantitative research.

Contact Carol Stack.