New Data-Driven Company Troove Uses Predictive Power Of Alumni Insights To Improve The College Search Process

A new Vermont-based company called Troove has entered the higher education arena with the goal of making college search and admissions more efficient and accessible. Troove helps applicants find their ideal fit, in and out of the classroom, by engaging alumni and current college students in the search process for the first time.

“Today, we all rely on the digital experience of others in how we date, dine and decide what to binge watch next. Troove will use this same technology to match applicants with the schools where people who share their same priorities, values, and interests have already found the success they want,” said Troove founder David Hurwitt.

Troove is powered by AI technology that gathers, mines and decodes experience data for any school to align with the values, abilities, priorities and ambitions of the students entering the admissions process. The company’s methodology includes a series of detailed questions that students answer about their learning and social culture preferences and priorities. This information is compared to data about every school in the country, as well as answers to the same questions from people currently in college and those who have graduated.

Troove rates compatibility by assigning either a Green (High), Yellow (Medium) or Red (Low) score. Green means their learning and social answers are a great fit. Yellow means one or both of their learning or social scores don’t fit very well, and Red means their answers don’t fit well. For each score, Troove will provide an explanation so students can dig further into any areas of concern and can then gather more information from their schools, family, friends, counselors and the internet. Troove’s objective is always to empower and support students with honest, direct and clear information.

“Enrolling and graduating students is often organizationally and culturally misaligned in higher education.  Moreover, the resources available to students in college search are very factual and do not help with the discovery of fit and community,” says Ian Mortimer, Vice President Enrollment Management and Associate Provost for Adult and Online Education at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). “Troove has the potential to fill a big void in college search and improve the efficiency in enrollment management and higher education generally.”

“The average college freshman today is twice as likely to drop out or transfer as they are to graduate on time from their first school,” Hurwitt points out. “We believe today’s best matching technologies can change this and help everyone find their people and their place right from the start.”  This will be especially true for underrepresented applicants, first generation applicants and those with more limited financial resources and support networks. “Today’s system favors those with means and experience around them,” says Hurwitt. “We’re making Troove available and free to all students to make sure more of them can find their best path forward.”

According to Hurwitt, Troove’s mission is to change outcomes by focusing on the right fit and therefore increasing the chances of finishing college as opposed to just getting in, which is often the easier part. He believes students will come to Troove for the best insights into major, career and school matches and schools for the deepest, most diverse pre-qualified selection of future graduates and opportunities to reach and engage alumni.

Hurwitt also stresses that maintaining the trust of students will always be the highest priority. Individual answers to questions are kept completely confidential and while other companies sell all possible names, Troove only ever connects Green matches.

Currently, Troove is working with three institutions in Western New York: Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Geneseo and St. Bonaventure University on a pilot program to engage current students and alumni, and has recently embarked on a digital advertising campaign targeted towards students in the same area with plans to expand nationally in 2022.

Visit www.troove.me for more information.