School choice considerations and the role of social media as perceived by computing students: Evidence from one University in Manila

This descriptive study utilized a validated questionnaire that gathered data from freshmen of two different school years. Demographic profile, marketers (i.e., source of information of students about the school), influencers (i.e., significant others that persuaded them to enroll in the school), level of school choice, and level of consideration in deciding to enroll in the university in terms of different institutional image indicators were gathered from the two sets of respondents. The study aimed to determine whether there were similarities and differences in the data collected from the respondents. It was revealed that there were similarities and differences in the data in terms of demographic profile, marketers, influencers, level of school choice, and level of consideration in deciding to enroll in the university. Thus, the first null hypothesis stating that there is no significant difference in the level of consideration of the previous and current freshmen in terms of level of preference was rejected. The second null hypothesis stating that there is no significant difference in the level of consideration of the previous and current freshmen in deciding to enroll in the two Universities in terms of the institutional image indicators was partially rejected. It was also revealed that social media served as popular and effective marketers. However, its influence to persuade the respondents to enroll in a school was minimal. Recommendations were also presented.