Summary
The University of Arizona is one of the best universities in the state of Arizona, being ranked the second best. With this ranking they want attract many sorts of people to give them a chance at applying to a university like up in coming first gen students. In order to gain these students UOA uses strategies like audience and inhabiting/ engaging in social roles on their website to grab the attention of their main audience.
Analysis
In order to attract up in coming college students to their school they switch into different roles throughout the websites to further relate to the students and get a deeper connection with them. For example, when going into the first-year student admissions one of the many paragraphs they include are paragraphs called “student stories”. They add these paragraphs in the admission tabs to make it more likely for interested students to see it. Once clicking on the paragraphs, it then displays many “student stories” about the people who have joined the University of Arizona. One of the very first stories that pops up is “First gen guide to Applying and accepting” (UOA ss) and by doing this they can further connect to their main audience. They also add other stories that may appeal to other students who are interested in this university like informational stories such as “tips for your campus tour” (UOA ss) and student life stories like “the university of Arizona bucket list” (UOA ss). By adding these many different stories, it broadens their scope of people so they can attract not only their main audience but many other students that may feel interested. It also helps the authors switch or morph into the roles of the students/audience to relate to the students and come off as more friendly, making it seem like they are just like the reader. By switching into the role of the student/friend it builds trust and welcome which could make the students who are thinking of applying here more likely to join the University of Arizona which is one of their many focuses.
Another way that they try to convince more students to join their university is through one of the many APATSARC strategies called audience. When it comes to audience strategies, they try to get a good understanding of what they think their audience needs to further connect to them by providing their needs. Some of the needs that the authors provide can be found straight away on the homepage of the website. For example, the authors provide easy access to financial aid by putting it on the first page of the website. The authors also add “academic calendar and deadlines” right next to financial aid since it is something that is also important. By putting these specific needs on the first page it makes the reader understand that the authors know some of the basic needs that students want, while simultaneously expressing their audience awareness.
Overall, when looking at the website the authors display audience awareness in many of the different pages. One example is displaying the wants of their readers. The authors realize that not all the students are school/book driven and that the students need a good environment in order to attract people to their university. By knowing this the authors add a school life section to make the readers know that it is also a university that allows fun and leisure. They add sentences like “you’ll find fun options at the global center” (UOA sl) and “nice spots to meet friends” (UOA sl), emphasizing the welcoming nature of the school’s environment.
Response
While looking at all the things that the authors convey like the environment, the first gen audience, and their main focuses it almost feels like the authors strategies are working on me. The university heavily pushes the idea of them being very affordable and having “10,000 + first gen students” (UOA fyso) which are one the main things I look at in a university. I am a first gen student myself and it is nice feeling knowing that there are people battling the same hardships as me. One of the main values I have is having fun and making new friends. Knowing that there are first gen students in the university like me makes it easier to follow my values since it is easier to make friends with the people you relate to the most. The University of Arizona also has an engineering program that I would love to join since that is what I am majoring in. Having that major in a university also helps with another value I have which is joy. Being happy is my biggest concern and if there is a school that has engineering, which I would love to learn, I would happily join it.
Work cited
University of Arizona. UOA. Retrieved March 21, 2023, from
https://www.arizona.edu/