A Funny Way to Say What School Means

When your schoolhouse'due south website (the homepage, in particular) has high bounciness rates, you may exist left thinking: Was it something I said?

And quite possibly, it could exist.

When families are searching for an contained schoolhouse, they're looking for the all-time place to invest in their child's future, education — and of course, their money. Think about your schoolhouse's value proposition. If every other schoolhouse tin can easily use the exact same words or terms you're using — like "close-knit community" — how is that going to fix y'all apart?

It goes without saying that the following ten words and phrases aren't necessarily bad, or should be dropped altogether. Rather, we're urging you to go those artistic gears turning to think of your schoolhouse-specific synonyms to these broad and general terms.

Think of each give-and-take this way: show; don't tell.

1. Tight-Knit Community

What it means: As a minor independent schoolhouse, students and teachers piece of work closely with one another, support one some other and learn from one another.

Why you shouldn't apply it: Even the biggest independent schools boast a shut-knit customs between kinesthesia and students, athletes and academic all-stars, seniors and freshmen.

What y'all could say instead: Consider the most unique aspect of your close-knit community. Is it your kinesthesia-to-pupil ratio? Is it the fact that all students must participate in arts and athletics across academics? Is it an almanac event that brings students together as ane?

In this example from St. Mark's School in Southborough, MA, rather than saying "tight-knit community," the schoolhouse shares the valuable outcomes of their deliberate, small, community.

Another skillful example comes from Hotchkiss Schoolhouse, whose "A Delivery to Each Other" statement makes a powerful bear on when accompanied by this candid photo.

2. Easily-On Learning

What it ways: Your school offers enough of opportunities beyond lectures and textbooks to get the feel they need to succeed.

Why you shouldn't use it: Hands-on learning is no longer a differentiator, but a standard. Today, parents are comparing the hands-on experiences offered by different schools.

What you could say instead: What kind of experiences practice you offering that are easily-on? This example from Seattle Country Twenty-four hours is unproblematic, merely constructive. Curiosity is sparked by wonder, which is sparked past hands-on learning. The school'southward apply of photos and videos to stand for the hands-on experiences that spark curiosity and wonder are perfect!

3. Academic Excellence

What information technology means: Your school offers a broad-range of academic programs that strive to challenge and prepare students for success in school and across.

Why you shouldn't use information technology: Academic excellence and rigor are buzzwords in the realm of independent school marketing. Permit's be real: families won't invest in an education that'due south anything short of excellent or rigorous.

What y'all could say instead: Prospective families care most about how your academics help students evolve.

If your school is known for its academic excellence, like The Hun Schoolhouse of Princeton, be as creative in your word choice every bit they are.

One of the best means to do this is with indisputable, hard facts and success rates. Infographics, like this one from the Academy of Notre Dame's homepage, address important stats prospective families care most.

Bated from an infographic, a college matriculation slider or graphic is an easy way to testify the outcome of your school'south academics.

four. Outstanding Student / Faculty Relationships

What it means: The relationships formed between students and faculty volition inspire students to learn.

Why yous shouldn't use it: What is educational activity without student and faculty relationships? Thie vague statement can be said by any private, public, or lease school. Yous need to point out what makes your faculty relationships special.

What you could say instead: Focus on getting quotes that talk about the way student and faculty examples alter and shape the experience at your schoolhouse. Because relationships are nigh people, words crafted past your marketing team but won't have the same touch as something real and authentic — like this series of quotes on Landon School's homepage.

v. Athletic Excellence

What it ways: Your athletics are tiptop-notch.

Why you shouldn't utilize it: Prospects who are looking to join a stellar athletics plan may have already been recruited to your schoolhouse, or are looking for proof that they're joining a winning squad. "Athletic Excellence" is a pretty vanilla way of describing ane of the most vibrant components of your school's culture and community.

What you lot could say instead: Information technology's okay to boast. We give big kudos to Baylor School here, who tells it like it is.

6. Unique

What it ways: The term "unique" literally means to be the only i of its kind or unlike annihilation else.

Why you lot shouldn't employ it: Using the word "unique" is a great fashion to say that you're not unique. Every school is unique in its own way. Using a word similar this on your site is a cracking mode to bore a website visitor actually fast.

What you could say instead: Think well-nigh what is i special tradition your schoolhouse has that no other ane does? What is something that can be said nigh your school that no one else tin claim? Focus on your history, location, faculty, and offerings.

Nosotros love this bold statement made by Asheville School on their homepage:

While Asheville School doesn't use the term unique, their claim to fame as i of the "few remaining true pocket-size boarding schools in America" speaks for itself.

Some other instance comes from TASIS Switzerland, who focuses on how their schoolhouse "pioneered" academic travel. If their target marketplace is students who want to travel and learn, they've hit the nail on the head.

Hawai'i Preparatory Academy does an splendid task fugitive cliches and focusing on what makes their campus and academics special to them. Scope out their entire site, and you lot'll never notice a word like "unique," only rather hundreds of photos and video that let the user run across the ane-of-a-king experience for themselves.

7. Beautiful Campus

What it means: Your campus is a desirable place to visit, attend or live.

Why y'all shouldn't employ information technology: Isn't every other school boasting about their beautiful campus? Whether it's by the beach, nestled in the hills of California or tucked in between city skyscrapers, every school'due south campus is special and beautiful in its own way.

What you could say instead: Anytime yous accept the opportunity to plough a substantive like "cute campus" into a sentence that includes a verb like "exploring," you've immediately improved your marketing. Add together in some photos of students existence a role of that campus? You win. This example from Winchester Thurston Schoolhouse is a dwelling house run.

For schools in an idyllic location like St. George's Schoolhouse in Newport, RI, avoid using generic, blanket statements to draw your campus. We dearest how St. George'southward positions itself as "overlooking the body of water."

Hebron Academy, located in Hebron, Mainelikewise avoids the typical campus cliches past challenge the entire New England region as its broad campus for students to acquire, grow, and explore. So, even tho Hebron, Maine may non accept been at the acme of your bucket listing for idyllic locations — but it should be now.

8. Diverse

What it means: Your campus offers a broad multifariousness of programs and opportunities and/or brings together many faculty and students from different cultural backgrounds.

Why you lot shouldn't use it: It'southward tedious and meaningless unless supported by statistics or graphics. Plus, so much tin can exist various — your students, your faculty, your programs. What is diverse? Why? And what is the value it offers?

What you could say instead: Rather than proverb your schoolhouse customs is diverse, show it. The Episcopal School of Dallas addresses variety head-on with the slogan "Unity, not Uniformity," making it easy to infer that even if you're different, you are part of the community. Now that's quite the impact.

Infographics, videos, and photograph slideshows are as well excellent ways to showcase the diversity of your campus community, opportunities and traditions. For international schools, in particular, diversity is an expectation. So, using data tin help set y'all apart from the residual, like UNIS does on their homepage.

9. Innovative

What it means: Your customs features new and original methods of thinking and learning.

Why you lot shouldn't utilise it: Sure y'all recall your academics are innovative, merely compared to whom? A term like "innovative" is completely subjective, and should be saved for truly forward-thinking acts. (Hint: a i:1 plan isn't innovative anymore.)

What you could say instead: What sets yous autonomously? Every school is innovative in its own mode. Which programs does your schoolhouse offering that are the nearly innovative and unique? For the Dunn School, that is experiential education.

ten. Nurturing

What it ways: Your school fosters growth in all areas, both personally and intellectually.

Why you shouldn't utilise information technology: The point of an education is to nurture. Think about how y'all nurture students to thrive; rather than the act itself.

What yous could say instead: Consider your advisor/advisee relationships; a series of classes that are available at your school; your faculty to student ratio; and all other pieces of the equation of student development. Most importantly it should answer the question: what is the event of the nurturing programs at your school?

The International School of Beijing's website focuses on developing the whole child, which is their nurturing arroyo to development and pedagogy.

Nardin Academy's "Ignite Curiosity" slogan hints that their learning surroundings inspires new ideas, thoughts, and desires.

Primal Takeaway

Your school is i-of-a-kind, and the language you employ to describe your campus, academics, athletics, and community should be, too. Have an analysis of your school'southward website content, and if you're using one of these ten vague terms (or ones like it!) consider what words, phrases, photos and videos yous tin use instead to brand an affect.

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Virtually THE Author

Every bit Finalsite'south Director of Demand Generation, Mia plans and executes a variety of inbound marketing and digital content strategies. As a onetime Tv set and news reporter, freelance cinematographer and certified inbound marketer, Mia specializes in helping schools find new ways to share their stories online through web blueprint, social media, copywriting, photography and videography. She is the author of numerous blogs, and Finalsite'due south pop eBook, The Website Redesign Playbook.

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Source: https://www.finalsite.com/blog/p/~board/b/post/the-10-most-over-used-words-on-school-websites-updated-with-new-examples

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