Challenge: Maintaining Momentum After Events While Supporting Counselors on the Road
As Marquette University focused on attracting admitted students from across the country, regional admitted student receptions became an important opportunity to build connection and excitement. However, once those events ended, the admissions team faced two ongoing challenges.
First, counselors were traveling with significant amounts of merchandise, adding logistical burden to an already demanding travel schedule. Second, while event attendance was strong, the team wanted a clearer picture of which students were continuing to engage after the event and a way to keep the conversation going in a meaningful, student-centered way.
Marquette also recognized that branded merch should feel intentional and high-value, reflecting the importance of the enrollment decision and reinforcing the university’s commitment to admitted students and their families.
Solution: A Choice-Based, Post-Event Experience Integrated with Slate
To address these needs, Marquette introduced a choice-store experience tied to its admitted-student receptions. Instead of distributing items onsite, students received a follow-up email 48 hours after each event, inviting them to select a gift from a curated collection that would be fulfilled and mailed to them.
The store featured several Marquette-branded options (a beanie, blanket, friendship bracelet, and a water bottle with stickers) that allowed students to choose an item that felt personal and exciting. The blanket quickly became the most popular selection, underscoring the value of offering choice.
For Marquette’s team, the decision to pursue this approach was also rooted in confidence in their fulfillment partner, Magellan. As Rose Howard, Director, Enrollment Communication and Marketing Strategy, put it: “This store felt like a no-brainer because we know that Magellan has just as high of standards as we do. We know that families will receive their items packaged correctly.” That trust extended beyond logistics. The partnership gave Marquette a valuable sounding board for their merch strategy. “They help us understand what does well, what doesn’t, and help us better think about the very items we’re giving out,” Howard noted.
This approach eliminated the need for counselors to travel with branded merch while creating a clear opt-in moment for students. Store interaction was captured within Slate, providing the admissions team with an additional engagement indicator beyond event attendance. Armed with data, counselors gained more insight into individual students and developed more informed follow-up strategies based on who took action after the event.
Outcome: Stronger Engagement, Better Insight, and a More Efficient Process
The choice store became a natural and effective way to close the loop on admitted student receptions, and the numbers backed it up. Of the 193 students who selected an item from the store, 128 ultimately enrolled, representing a 67% yield rate. By comparison, the overall yield rate from cross-country receptions and admitted-student lunches was 51%. Store participation proved to be a meaningfully stronger indicator of enrollment intent than event attendance alone: up 16 percentage points from the 51% yield rate among all event attendees.
By reaching out shortly after each event, Marquette extended the conversation and reinforced student interest during a critical decision-making window. And even when a student ultimately chose another school, the experience left a positive impression. As Howard reflected, “In the cases where a student didn’t enroll, it left a positive impact on their college search process.”
Admissions counselors reported high satisfaction with the process, citing reduced travel burden and the added value of post-event engagement data. The Slate instance offered a helpful reality check on student interest and created a more complete picture of engagement across the funnel.
Families responded positively as well, often commenting that the experience signaled how much Marquette valued their student and wanted them to enroll. Howard summed up the broader value of the partnership: “Marketing in higher education is a group effort, and we’re so grateful to have Magellan offer very helpful insight and tools as we work to yield our class.”
Encouraged by the results and the higher perceived value of the experience, Marquette plans to continue this approach in future cycles, pending budget, as a scalable way to support counselors and engage admitted students nationwide.
