Research

Who decides, and what are they trying to get done?

Our six personas tell us who applies and who enrolls. They don't tell us why someone moves from "someday" to "this term", or who else is in the room. Parents are the clearest gap, and jobs-to-be-done research is how we close the rest.

From the C360 personas

Six personas, three different decision-makers

AnnotationDerived from Salesforce data from '22–'26.

Persona	Applicants	Applicant → student	Median age	Who decides	Top reasons	Quiz that fits
Fresh Grad, Full-time Learner	29%	5.8%	18	Parent pays and approves	Affordable 47% · Quality 44%	Parent's guide + program fit
Fresh Grad Who Works	18%	8.2%	20	Self, with family	Flexible 55% · Affordable 46%	Digital-college fit
Returning Learner	3%	11.3%	23	Self	Flexible 62%	Digital-college fit
Working Adult, First Degree	14%	9.8%	28	Self (spouse for 21%)	Flexible 71%	Role fit + digital-college fit
Transferee, Full-time Learner	7%	28.8%	21	Self, often family	Flexible 62%	Transfer check + program fit
Working Transferee	25%	22.1%	27	Self	Flexible 73%	Transfer check

Source: PERSONAS.md (derived from Salesforce data from '22–'26; 38,206 applicants, 5,212 students). "Who decides" is our hypothesis, to be validated in the JTBD interviews.

Decision-makers

Parents: the audience we stopped seeing

Yes, parents need their own track. Fresh grads are nearly half our applicants and convert worst. For the full-time ones, 74% come from households earning under ₱10k a month. The 18-year-old fills in the form, but the family decides whether it's affordable and "real" college.

We used to know when a parent inquired: 11,508 inquiries were flagged "Parent" between 2022 and 2024. In 2025 that dropped to 7, because the lead form stopped asking. So today a parent's inquiry looks like a student's, and admissions talks to the wrong person.

Where we could link a parent's inquiry to their child's application, the child enrolled at 25.7% vs 13.3% for everyone else. It's a small, biased sample (288 people, only families who used the same contact details), so treat it as a signal, not proof. It's still worth a campaign.

What to do: bring back the Parent / Student flag, run a parent campaign in SHS graduation season, and let the parent's quiz hand off to the child's.

See the parent campaign →

47%

of applicants are recent Grade 12 grads, converting at 5.8–8.2%PERSONAS.md

11,508

parent-submitted inquiries, 2022–2024 (7 in 2025: the field stopped being captured)C360 c360_inquiry.submitted_by

25.7% vs 13.3%

applicant → student when a parent inquiry is linked vs not (n = 288; biased sample)C360 c360_person.parent_inquiry_count

75%

say family is their top priority (lifestyle survey, 2022–24)PERSONAS.md · Psychographics

Payer / approver

Parents of fresh grads. Care about legitimacy, cost, jobs. Want something to forward.

Parent's guide quiz

Co-decider

Spouses of married working adults (21% of Working Adults, 20% of Working Transferees are not single).

Share-your-plan link on the study-plan result

Sponsor

Employers (YGC-Ayala discount, BPO partners). Not a quiz audience; a B2B motion.

Funding question flags 'employer may sponsor'

Jobs to be done

JTBD research using Pathfinder (post mvp)

Why: every quiz starts with "their question". Our data shows what people pick (flexibility, price, quality) but not the moment that made them start looking, or what almost stopped them. Those moments are the best Q1s, ad hooks and interstitials.

What it isn't: a months-long study. We already have strong who data. We need 15–20 conversations about the why.

Bonus: once live, the quizzes become a quantitative JTBD survey. Every Q1 ("What brings you here?") tells us which job is most common, by channel and persona.

Proposed plan · Post-MVP, using Pathfinder

Switch interviews, 15–20 × 45 min. 5 working adults who enrolled this year, 4 transferees, 3 fresh grads plus 3 of their parents, and 4 people who applied but didn't enroll.
Timeline, not opinions. First thought → passive looking → active looking → deciding → first day. What pushed, what pulled, what worried them, what almost kept them where they were.
Mine what we already have. Messenger and web-chat transcripts, admissions call notes, and the "why MMDC" and LMF answers in C360.
Output. 4–6 job statements with their forces, turned into quiz Q1s, interstitials, result promises and ad hooks.

Working hypotheses (to validate)

Built from persona data and the "why MMDC" answers. Each card shows how the quiz would use it.

Working adult without a degree

"When I keep getting passed over because I don't have a diploma, help me earn one without losing my income, so I can move up and provide for my family."

Push

Promotion needs a degree; stuck at rank-and-file (55% of LMF respondents)

Pull

Online, flexible, a Mapúan degree

Anxiety

Can I keep up after a 40-hour week? Is an online degree respected?

Habit

"Next year na lang." A stable job feels safer than change.

In the quiz: Q1 names the tension (work vs school). Interstitial answers the 'can I keep up' anxiety. Result gives a pace, not a pitch.

Working transferee

"When I stopped college to work and it still bothers me, help me finish without starting over, so I can finally close that chapter."

Push

Unfinished degree; co-workers with diplomas moving ahead

Pull

Finish online while working; credit for past units

Anxiety

Will my units count? Will I drop out again?

Habit

Sunk cost; the old school's paperwork is a hassle

In the quiz: Ask why they stopped (the old push is the new anxiety). Be honest about credit: only 16% of transferee students show credited courses.

Fresh grad (and the family behind them)

"When I finish senior high and we can't afford to move to the city, help me get a respected degree from home, so I can land a good job and help my family."

Push

Cost of relocating; family needs them close or earning

Pull

Study from home; scholarships; tech careers

Anxiety

Is online 'real' college? Will I be alone? Can we pay every term?

Habit

The nearby state or local college everyone attends

In the quiz: The learner picks a program; the parent gets their own quiz. Funding is asked early so aid-needers go to the funded path.

Parent or guardian

"When my child is choosing a college, help me be sure it's legitimate, affordable and leads to a job, so we don't waste money our family can't spare."

Push

Child graduating; relatives asking 'saan mag-aaral?'

Pull

Child stays home; lower living costs; Mapúa name

Anxiety

Legitimacy, discipline without a classroom, total cost, device and internet

Habit

Face-to-face college is the 'proper' choice

In the quiz: Ask the parent's priority and worries; show a matching proof screen; give a guide they can forward to the child.

Career shifter curious about tech

"When I see tech jobs paying more than mine, help me find out if I could actually do one before I commit years and money."

Push

Pay ceiling in BPO / retail; night shift fatigue

Pull

Salary ranges; remote-friendly roles

Anxiety

I'm not a 'tech person'; I'm too old to start

Habit

Short courses feel safer than a degree

In the quiz: Role-fit quiz with workday scenarios. 'No experience needed' interstitial for beginners. Result shows roles and pay.

Forces of progress: push and pull move people to switch; anxiety and habit hold them back. A good quiz answers the anxiety at the moment it shows up.