Real time means realtime...

It is no longer ok to lag behind in communications. People want updates immediately, they want them on the fly. Twitter is a new servic, which is skyrocketing to be one of the most popular internet sites, that allows people and organizations to give real time updates seen by all of their "followers". Colleges have not been slow to jump onto this trend and are now using twitter as a recruiting device, and giving potential students regular updates.
Some notable Universities with twitter accounts are; Harvard, Hofstra, Johns Hopkins University, Marquette University, and Penn State University.

Another way that Universities are mobving towards real time recruiting is subscribing to text messaging services like clubtexting.com, where they can have potential students sign up for text message updates. The time of waiting to check emails is no more. SMS or "text messages" over cell phones are one of the most widely used communication with over 75 billion texts per month and that number increasing 250% per year.

The University of Michigan has a service that students can sign up for in order to receive updates on important dates and deadlines for the application process. They are an early adopter to a trend that I believe we will see more and more consistently. A bulk sms messaging service is extremely cheap and the realtime information that an organization will be able to deliver is easily worth the cost.