Thanks for your input but that "marketing strategy" lacks a certain amount of clear execution that I'll be needing to rapidly gain solid market share. Why sit around "hoping" for signups when I can guarantee registrations?

What I'm saying is all opinion, of course -- not tested. But my gut reaction is that giving students ownership over sign-up (as long as the process is very simple) is less obtrusive than having automatic profiles. Anyhow, the real test is what would draw them to revisit the network. Informing them that a profile exists might draw them to the site, but tests nothing about how valuable the site would truly be.