Get your emojis ready! Teachers around the country are now sending texts to high school seniors to keep them on track for college, reports Education Week. West Virginia launched a pilot program this year alerting students about deadlines on registration, financial aid, student orientation and more via text. The texting begins in January of their senior year and continues into the summer before their freshman year of college. 

Minnesota, as well as nonprofit organizations in St. Louis and New York City, are also taking on the initiative, says the article. The initiative is set for students who might not get academic guidance at home.

"We wanted to connect students with college support staff earlier," says Jessica A. Kennedy, assistant director of communications at West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. "When students transition from high school to college, they don't have anyone to reach out to in the summer. They are scrambling to build new support systems and want more."

Specialists say contacting students through text messaging is "quick and easy."

"It's kind of overwhelming with paperwork," says Samantha N. Fox, student resource specialist at Marshall University in West Virginia. "This helps them keep things in a timeline." Fox says she texts students about special events once they get on campus to help them stay involved.

Read more about texting programs here. 

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor