In this day of the internet, you must realize that anything out there on the web is fair game. Some schools have actually gone the route of assigning one staff member to just check out online profiles. The last thing you want the admission committee to see is that photo of you at the underage keg party. It’s a perfect opportunity to verify that you really are the person represented in your application. You stated you play the violin and there is a photo of you in the orchestra. You stated you love classical music, but your page is all about punk rock, hmmmm. Bottom line, put your best face forward and make your parents proud.
colleges want to know you in person as much as possible with limited time period. if you are not going to play sports for college or other specific roles that the school may want you to participant, you only have maximum of 10 min to meet the admissions office on paper.
Yes, it is possible that what you post online in social media can affect your chances of getting accepted and can even cause an offer of acceptance to be withdrawn. Here is the golden rule: never post anything on Facebook or any other space that you would be embarrassed for your grandmother to see or read!
As a former admission counselor I can tell you that admission offices simply do not have the time to check every student’s facebook page or twitter feed. However, in cases where something just was not right, I would take a few minutes and check a student out of facebook just to see what they were up to in there spare time. Did a student’s facebook page ever cause me to deny a student? NO. But, that information coupled with some other not so great things might not help. So clean up your facebook page a little. If you would not want your mother to see it, then you do not want an admissions officer seeing it either.
Can what you post on Facebook affect your chances of being accepted? Yes. Be sure to take any offensive or illegal activities OFF of your Facebook, this includes photos as well as posts. Why take the risk?
Absolutely. You can be sure that many college admissions officers are on Facebook and many look at what you put on Facebook. You should look at any social media as a professional representation of you – especially during the college admissions process. No profanity, lewd or suggestive photographs, or other things that might turn a college or university off.
Would it offend your grandmother? Then don’t post it.
While your Facebook friends may “Like” that you checked in at Dave and Busters the night before your chem final and that your relationship status is “complicated,” the person in charge of your college admissions status may not be impressed. And yet new studies indicate that admissions folks are almost as likely as your friends to be perusing your Facebook page, meaning yes – those pictures of you celebrating your win at last month’s beer pong tournament might have greater consequences than just the wrath of your mother.
Students, you continue to believe that you can control your social media exposure with your privacy settings. To a certain extent, you are correct. Another factor is that most college admissions officers don’t have time to ‘stalk’ you on Facebook. However, remember that technically, anything you post is really on the world-wide-web! I have seen the repercussions of students who thought no one was paying attention to their posts and/or photographs! The dean of admissions of a selective university made a call to our building principal about a student’s posts. How did the dean find out? A competing student/family made contact and directed the dean to the site! There was a lot of explaining to do from that student. Don’t, for a minute, think college admissions isn’t sometimes cutthroat. When it comes to college admissions (and getting jobs), not everyone on Facebook is a ‘friend’!
Most admissions officers will tell you that they do not spend time trolling social media to see if you have been up to no good. So does it matter what is on Facebook and if you have been tagged in a photo that you wish had never entered cyberspace? A resounding YES. You are creating a profile of yourself that will never be erased. Your future employers will have you vetted on line. No joke. Where your Facebook matters today is if you are in the running for a scholarship or an honor award. You stand a very good chance of being vetted. There have been scandals where ill meaning peers have alerted admissions offices to disastrous Facebook postings. To sum it up, if you wouldn’t want an admissions officer or your grandmother to see something about you on Facebook then it shouldn’t be there in the first place. Clean up your profile and make sure that you do have a respectable email address.
A new study presented at the annual meeting of American Educational Research Association by the doctoral candidate Aryn Karpinski of The Ohio State University and co-author Adam Duberstein of Ohio Dominican University, finds that college students who use Facebook have significantly lower grade-point averages (GPAs) than students who do not use the popular social networking tool.
Yes. Colleges are looking mature, responsible citizens with high moral character. Keep your facebook page as private as possible to avoid any statements or pictures, by you or anyone else, that may be interpreted otherwise.
The answer to this question is that it depends to which school you are applying. For a number of schools it is all about your academic courses and your scores as to the admissibility of large portion of their applicants. However, if you are applying to a more selective school or an Honors College program or any institution that does a more thorough application review where they dig deeper into their applicants’ materials, the type of information you put on your FB page may influence their perception of you. Whether it makes the difference between your acceptance or not isn’t clear. That also would depend on the sum of the parts of the student’s application to really know if FB would be the tipping point. My sense is that FB posts may put up a “red flag” about a particular student that would lead a school to dig even deeper into the students record but it would not be FB that would sway the decision to a deny as much as it would be a deeper issue uncovered due to the further investigation of the admissions officer tipped off by FB that might cause such an action. A sound piece of advice to many of the students out there would be that if you would not want the information you post on FB to be broadcasted on the nightly news then I would not recommend you putting it up on FB. Some things are best left between you and yourself or you and your intended audience and you can’t always be guaranteed this is the case if you are putting the information in an environment that is not 100% under your control be that FB or any other social networking site.
While admissions officers may not check EVERY applicant’s facebook page, you should operate as though whatever you put online is fair game. Even if you have your page set to private, you should consider what your profile picture says about you. Are you making a crazy face or doing something questionable? What are you wearing? If that one photo is all an admissions officer will see if they search for you on Facebook, what kind of first impression does it make? Post with caution – not only will this be applicable for your college applications, but also down the road when you are applying for a job!
Depends on what you post! Don’t post any comments or pictures that you wouldn’t want to see in the newspapers. FB privacy is one thing, but friends can re-post what you post. If it’s even a little scandalous, keep it off the Web – where it will live forever. And don’t let your friends post pictures/comments that you don’t want admissions (among others) to see.
Admissions officers can and do review online presence of potential students. Facebook is just one online medium that can be reviewed by admissions officers. It is important that students represent themselves in a responsible manner on and offline, as admissions officers are looking to create a class of students that conduct themselves in an ethical and mature manner.
While admissions officers aren’t creating fake Facebook profiles or searching for individual students, they do receive anonymous “tips” regarding inappropriate student conduct online. Often, schools are obligated to investigate and offers of admission may be revoked. Use the “grandparent test”—if you wouldn’t want your grandparents to see it, don’t put it online! This applies to your blog, Facebook profile and photos, Twitter tweets, and LiveJournal posts. You can use the Internet to express yourself and show admissions committees your passion. If you’re a photographer or artist, post pictures. Musicians, start a MySpace page devoted to your music.
As you transition to adulthood, your online persona (including your email alias) will become potentially more public and definitely more important. A 2008 Kaplan survey of admissions officers found that 10% of them had looked at applicants’ social networking profiles and that at least one school had rejected an applicant on the basis of statements he made online. Unless something bothers them about an application, admissions readers usually won’t search on your name, but employers often do. Yet you are unlikely ever to find out if that party photo got you rejected, so keep your online identity clean.
Few college admissions offices have the time, resources or inclination to routinely scour the internet and social media sites for incriminating information on applicants. However, most admissions officers I have spoken to acknowledge that they do occasionally check Facebook or google students if there is something in an applicant’s file that is inconsistent or raises a red flag. Remember, it isn’t appropriate to post anything that could be considered abusive or demeaning to another person. Nor should there be profanity, references to or photos of drugs alcohol or illegal behavior. Always use privacy settings and do not “friend’ admissions officers.
Colleges are receiving more applications than ever and it is competitive to get a spot. Knowing that, you should put your energy and effort into making sure you are academically prepared and submitting the strongest application possible. When it comes to Facebook, be smart about your privacy settings and you can control exactly who has access. But, regardless, be aware of how your Facebook posts may be interpreted by someone who doesn’t know you. You should also know my friends/colleagues who are admissions officers tell me they are too swamped to be checking college applicant Facebook profiles.
Admissions officers barely have time to review each application, let alone dig around the internet for more dirt to consider. That said, they might Google an applicant if the file raises questions. If a student mentions starting a national club, for example, an admissions officer might search for the student or the club to confirm its existence. This could lead them to a Facebook page. As a general rule, don’t post anything on the internet that you wouldn’t share with your parents, teachers, priest, or the checker at the grocery store. Make your entire account private and remember that if you “like” a college page, or “friend” an admissions rep, they can see your profile.
The short answer is a resounding YES! College admissions officers are extremely tech savvy and they know that this generation of prospective students is using social networking sites like Facebook all the time so they need to be in tune with it as well. Conscientious students should manage their online presence to ensure there is nothing inappropriate or compromising. Anything that is on the internet is in the public domain. Students should not post anything that they wouldn’t want a college, prospective employer, teacher, or parent to see. There is always a way for people to access this information.
Most admission offices do not have the staffing resources to constantly check student online social media postings. However, students should be aware that anything posted can be seen and reported by others to a college and future employer. Each situation is different and can result in a variety of consequences, depending on the nature of an inappropriate posting. These consequences can result in denial of admission to college, legal ramifications, school expulsion or suspension and even loss of scholarship. Students are encouraged to use discretion and caution when using social media with friends, family, school or others. Many colleges utilize twitter, Facebook and other online forums so they embrace these interactions with students, but think of it as if you sent them a hand written letter or standing in front of them on campus. You probably want to make a good impression in those settings and therefore should think of the online social media as extension of that experience.
The majority of college admissions officers do not have the time to include an exploration of Facebook and other social media in their decision criteria. However, there are situations when colleges may review online activities such as: Applications for prestigious college scholarships, recruited student athletes may receive a review of online activity by the coaching staff, students interested in selective programs such as honors colleges within a university, students that referenced blogs, videos, portfolios or other online projects in their application, and applications for campus jobs including tour guides and resident advisors. Be smart and make sure your online presence represents you well.
Using “The Social Network” can have consequences in the college admissions process! Although admissions officers don’t have time to regularly access applicants’ Facebook walls, a fair percentage of them do look at prospective students’ profiles. Still, students need to realize that if it’s public, it’s possible to see compromising items. If told about something that adversely reflects on your integrity or your behavior, admissions officers may go to Facebook to check it out. If you think it’s inappropriate – whether it’s a photo or a comment – don’t post it! The best advice is to clean things up and keep things private.
Never have I heard a story in which Facebook helped a student in the admission process. In most social networking admission tales the applicant’s Facebook page stomps all over what was a careful application. Even if a student controls what he posts, he cannot control what a friend posts. On the other hand, a student’s homepage has, in the case of at least one student, helped him not only gain admission but receive a large scholarship. His website chronicled the launch of an urban scout troop and the series of events that led him to the idea.
It is possible that comments posted on social media sites, including facebook, could impact your admission decision. Admissions counselors at Illinois are tech savvy and monitor our official presence on social networks daily. More than likely, your engagement on such sites would only be reviewed if the admissions counselors had a reason. For example, we may search your page if another student/parent reported a disturbing post or you wrote something questionable on our admissions/university page. We understand these are social sites, but if any content is posted that could be perceived as threatening or hurtful, we have an obligation to look into it.
Admissions folks neither have the time nor the desire to spend hours checking profiles, but it’s possible for a scorned girlfriend or an extremely competitive classmate to sabotage you. Pictures of your cherished beer can collection or unflattering party photos will do you a disservice. In the college admissions race, view your profile as your grandmother might, and clean up any language and photos she might find offensive. My grandmother used to say “Wear clean underwear in case you get into an accident and have to go to the hospital.” You don’t want to get caught wearing ripped boxer shorts!
Listen to what Thomas Reason, then Associate Director of Admissions at U.W. Madison posted a few years ago concerning MySpace. “Be careful what you put out there in the public eye. We at Madison will not go looking for it, but if it ends up in our lap, it will be hard to ignore. Exposing oneself or being passed out with one eyebrow shaved off doesn’t make a “real” good impression of one’s character.” He continued with “I think it is also worth mentioning that a lot of strange and nasty things go on. Example: Other vindictive students/parents forwarding things on (to colleges) that they’ve found out about others. Yes, it’s nasty out there.”
Be smart, be vigilant, and be mature as you post on Facebook. It is important to know that many admission counselors are just a few years older than you. All are members of the technology generation which make lives very public. It is a wonderful vehicle for illustrating contributions you’ve made and special accomplishments you’ve enjoyed with organizations. Keep the information current and consider postings that might reflect the kind of involvement the college might expect from you as a member of their community.
I do not specifically know of students who have been advantaged or disadvantaged by what is posted on their sites. There are plenty of stories stating that prospective schools and employers do look to see what is posted with negative outcomes. I am sure that with thousands of applicants they look only if alerted and I have heard that some schools do actively search sites for inappropriate behavior, poor language and other alarming information. Remember that colleges and universities are looking for responsible students to “fit” into their campus.
In my experiences knowing college admission counselors, I can assure you, they’re way too busy to spend time scouring social networking sites. On the other hand, we also know how rapidly and widely information travels. It is very possible your behaviors on these sites could become known to your college even if colleges don’t go looking. So, why take the chance? If you have ANY hesitation as to the appropriateness of material you have posted, take it down! What gauge can you use? Try assuming your college will see your post. If that will embarrass you, don’t post it.
A 2008 NACAC survey revealed that 85% of admissions offices use social media to recruit students, and 17% reported that they use social networks to research students. I recall an incident where an applicant’s blog postings contributed to the revocation of their acceptance. Several admissions counselors have revealed to me that they or their interns review applicants’ social media content. This is a step not all colleges have the time to take, but things are moving in this direction. To be safe, use the “grandma rule”…if you wouldn’t want grandma to see it, don’t put it on Facebook.
Do they or don’t they? No one – except admissions officers themselves – knows for sure whether they peek at applicant Facebook accounts. Given that a NY Times article by Sarah Perez noted that “30% of today’s employers use Facebook to vet potential employees,” I’d say the chances are pretty good that some do. Emory University professor, Brian Croxall, offers the best advice I’ve ever seen at The Chronicle of Higher Education (http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/six-steps-for-checking-your-facebook-privacy/30402) about how to protect your Facebook privacy. Then there’s the tongue-in-cheek, but oh-so-wise suggestion that to be safe, use the “Grandma test:” never put anything on Facebook that you wouldn’t want Grandma to view.
Admissions Officers are curious folks. Sometimes, something in an applicant’s file will grab a reviewer’s interest and they may want to learn more about the student. They may search on google or on Facebook to see if they can get more information. Students need to remember that images and statements on the web are not private and are often much more permanent then they realize. If they would hesitate for their mother to see it or read it, they should probably not put it there for the world, or an Admissions Officer, to see.
In September 2008, Kaplan surveyed 500 top colleges and discovered 10% of the admissions officers had investigated Facebook sites, discovering, in almost 40% of the cases, questionable content that reflected negatively on the candidate. That was three years ago. Facebook reviews are far more prevalent today and many junior admissions officers are savvy, inveterate users, who, if they need to, can find you on the Web. If you must post something risqué (raucous parties, inflammatory remarks, drug or alcohol use), out of peer pressure…, make sure your privacy settings strictly control access. Otherwise, yes, you are gambling your candidacy.
The short answer to this question is yes. Facebook, for all its social utility and amusement, can also expose you, your life style, and habits in ways you never imagined. Just like an inappropriate email address can cause admissions officers to wonder about whom they’re dealing with (like [email protected] for instance), photos of drunken parties or embarrassingly intimate poses can raise questions as well. Admissions officers are incredibly busy people and while they may not have time to fish around Facebook for incriminating information, students are often surprised by the ways in which their social networking information finds its way to admissions desks. Use good sense and judgment when posting any information.
Yes – what you post on Facebook can really hurt your chances of acceptance at college, finding an internship or a job. Why? Because posting anywhere on the Internet is akin to putting up a billboard on every major highway in the world; it’s not private. If you post inappropriate material or denigrate others online, you are letting the world know that this is who you are. College admissions officers, residential life deans and potential employers are watching and checking. And it’s not just Facebook. YouTube, blogs, Myspace – anything that identifies you is accessible. So, post the positive, eliminate the negative
You should have absolutely no expectation of privacy online. Your words and pictures should not portray unethical, illegal, or unflattering behavior. Even with the privacy settings you (hopefully) place on your own account, when posting on another wall, you don’t know who might read it, save it or maliciously use it against you. While I doubt admissions officers have the time to look you up on Facebook, why risk it. As my mother always says, don’t put anything in writing that you would be embarrassed to have your grandmother read 10 minutes, 10 weeks, or 10 years from now!
While most college admissions people don’t often have time to check social network sites, in cases where there is something in a student’s application that would give them pause, it does happen. I have seen Facebook photos of: obviously inebriated students guzzling hard liquor, students showing off their intricate, home-made bongs, and students posing proudly with stolen street signs. It would be wise for college applicants to go through their on-line sites and remove any photos or references to any risky or illegal activities. Party photos or friends’ comments about sexual exploits do not create a good impression as well.
A “picture may be worth a thousand words” but are these the words you want admissions officers to hear? Admissions officers are busy people, and most will not take the time to search for you on Facebook unless they have specific concerns. Perhaps something on your essay raised a red flag, or a recommender might have included something troubling in his comments. Disciplinary issues noted on the application could send the admissions officer to check you out on Facebook. Be discreet about what you post on public websites. If you’d be uncomfortable having your grandmother see it, it probably doesn’t belong.
Keep it PG! Delete any uploaded pics (or “tagged” ones) that might show alcohol, illegal substances or sexually suggestive poses. Remove any questionable posts that display a lack of tolerance. Set your Privacy Settings so that only your confirmed “friends” can have access to your profile. And last, relax! Admission officers are too busy reading and holistically evaluating your college applications, not searching for you on Facebook (but don’t go “friend-ing” them either…not appropriate!). In the selective sea of competitive students, why rock the college application boat?
Colleges work hard to stay abreast of the entire spectrum of technology both for recruitment and the gathering of student information. Research shows that 21% of colleges use Facebook in these ways. Just like any other business, all colleges need to be at the top of their game in providing easy and attractive access to prospective students not just nationally but internationally. As for students, many report finding excellent information by linking to enrolled students. They feel they can get straight forward answers to their questions and receive the type of information they need to make an informed decision – information that might not be provided by the admissions office.
Do admissions officers look up every student’s page? No, of course not – how could they with 30,000 applicants. But you can’t control the behavior of others – what if a jealous friend were to send a Facebook link to an admissions office in an attempt to sabotage your application? This was a major scandal this year at Choate and several students were expelled/suspended. Though it’s not the norm for admissions officers to actively search out information on a student, they could, especially if there were any warning signs from recommendation letters or any other school information. Admissions officers want students who are upstanding citizens in every way – a salacious Facebook page would be counter to what they are looking for.
You should think of anything you post on the web as accessible by anybody – including college and university officials. Will they access it? Probably not in most situations, but it depends. At some institutions – generally private and smaller, but not always – someone may try to confirm whether or not something you share on your application is true or significant. Facebook could be one place they look. Think more broadly about ‘admissions’ though…also consider your interests in being ‘accepted’ by particular groups, clubs, sororities/fraternities, etc.
As the age of the admissions officers become younger and younger, facebook and other social networks are simply part of their culture. It used to be that admission offices would have a lot of hoops to get through to even access this information. Now many grandparents have a facebook account. While there aren’t many schools actively searching students facebook accounts for incriminating information, when you look at who is working in admission there are often many students. Some student could be from your school of hometown. Play this out and it wouldn’t take much for inappropriate behavior to reach the eyes of someone in an admission office. Best case scenario is to play it safe!
Although, if you have indicated on your application that you have done something exceptional, like written a novel, invented something spectacular, or won a prestigious national award, the admission officer might Google you to verify the information. The search could direct them to your Facebook page, so be careful. Young alumni interviewers have been known to search the social networks pages of the students they are about to interview. Always remember anything you post on the internet is there forever.
One of the important things to keep in mind about selective college admission is that those evaluating applications are real people – often under 30 years old and often Facebook users themselves. Though the evaluation process typically focuses on what is required of applicants – your completed application, transcript, SAT scores, essays, and letters of recommendation – there are no standard professional guidelines that discourage admission officers from viewing an applicant’s Facebook page. So why risk having something posted on your Facebook page that reflects poorly on you? A personal quality that colleges like to see in ALL applicants is good common sense. Use it in all your interactions with public websites.
While the majority of college admissions officers do not rifle through students’ Facebook accounts, this practice has trended upward over the past five years, especially at selective colleges and universities. In a recent Kaplan Test Prep survey, approximately 26 percent of (selective college) admissions officers reported regularly checking the Facebook pages of their applicants. Nearly 35 percent reported discovering something that negatively impacted an applicant’s chances of admission. Important takeaway: never post anything on your Facebook account that you would not freely share with your prospective colleges.
In admitting students to campus communities, admission committees consider objective measures of achievement but also factor in subjective elements like good citizenship and social maturity. Given such holistic evaluation, students send in supportive letters, articles touting successes and links to personal blogs. Conversely, when confronted with evidence that students behaved badly and were immature enough to broadcast it, colleges can hardly ignore it. Occasionally rival classmates and meddlesome parents send information anonymously, and sometimes young admission officers spending free time in the same networking environment as applicants, seek it out. Students should therefore be prudent in evaluating their online presence.
College admissions officers are generally way too busy for Facebook but, if they have a question or concern, they may look you up. Since many young, tech-savvy people work in admissions, and because you don’t know who your Facebook friends know, you should never have a comment or photo visible or linkable that does not pass “the grandma test”. That means no pictures, links, or posts (even as a joke) aboutpartying, drugs, sex, guns or anything else that could be misinterpreted bysomeone who does not know you. Keep it clean. An admissions officer (or grandma) may be checking!
Although many admissions office personnel are not as tech savvy as they might wish to be, the student volunteers and workers in the office are, and often the search for student applicants on Facebook falls to them. Many candidates are definite – they are accepted or rejected for obvious reasons – but many more fall in that middle range, so that additional information that can be gleaned from viewing a Facebook page can help the committee make a decision. Inappropriate or compromising content such as party pictures that could be embarrassing should be deleted, going back as far as might be necessary.
If you don’t think your grandma would approve of what you posted on Facebook, don’t post it! That means if there is anything that is illegal, immoral or just plain a bad idea, just keep it to yourself.
While Facebook postings may seem harmless, unflattering student postings on their Facebook pages indeed have the potential for negatively impacting one’s chances of gaining admission into a college or university. A college-bound student should therefore not engage in Facebook dialogue containing expletives, hate speech, or sexually-suggestive language. In like fashion, a student should not post photographs of themselves that they would be embarrassed for their parent or someone else whom they respect, to view. Admissions staff viewing Facebook pages of this type can informally make negative assumptions about your character, your fit for their institution, and ultimately, your admission to their institution.
Most admissions counselors have neither the time nor the inclination to surf Facebook for posts by prospective students. We don’t want to be “friends” with applicants and we don’t want to know everything they do in their private – albeit public via social media – lives. Who does? Parents of would-be college roommates, that’s who. Once housing assignments are released, many go online to check out students who will leave an indelible mark on their child. (I still remember some of the things my freshman roommate taught me.) If parents don’t like what they see, they call us and demand a switch.
It can also hinder students in keeping acceptances. As travel budgets and resources are cut in college admissions offices, many are enhancing their social media focus to connect with students. Recently, I heard two Admissions Deans discuss how posts cost students; one an acceptance and one a scholarship. One posted about an underage, illegal activity he planned on providing his freshman year; his acceptance was rescinded. The other trashed the college, disappointed that she wasn’t accepted to her first choice school. She was being considered for a substantial scholarship, which was awarded to another student because of her post. Why take the risk?
It’s hard to believe that anyone who uses the internet or social media, especially a teenager who is preparing to apply to college, could have missed the message that anything (pictures or words) posted on the internet, emailed, texted, or tweeted could be seen, and possibly misinterpreted. Since the high school records of college applicants are essentially under the microscope during the admissions process, it makes sense that other records (i.e., items posted online) might be scrutinized as well. After all, what’s the point of putting your best foot forward for four years while in school, if only to trip and stumble when posting online?
Sure it can. Derogatory comments about a deferral or photos of behavior that an admissions office might term “risky” could cause a college to question the persona represented in your application. There’s no doubt that admissions officers have better things to do than view Facebook profiles, but there’s no way to assure they won’t be forwarded something from an anonymous source or an alumnus who encounters something disturbing. It’s never happened to one of my students, but every year I hear a story or two about something that an admissions officer had to investigate with regards to an applicant and a social networking site; in one case the student had already been accepted. Is it a common issue for applicants? No. Can it happen? Yes. If colleges are randomly checking the veracity of extracurriculars and activities, it’s not far-fetched to think they might also start randomly looking at Facebook profiles.
While it is unlikely that a Facebook post is going to be seen by an admissions officer, it could be in the following instances, so do not risk it. An admissions officer looks up your name on the Internet to learn more about an award you won and stumbles onto your Facebook page. Or you are being considered for a prestigious scholarship or special recognition along with your admissions, so to ensure they do not end up looking foolish the college or university does some digging. Finally, you can give ammunition to someone who has a score to settle with you that they anonymously share with admissions. Don’t take the chance.
The answer is maybe or probably.
AB SO LUTE LY!!!! I cannot say emphatically enough how much Facebook, Twitter and just web media in general can positively or adversely affect your college admissions. In fact: Huffington Post, 2/28/2011 – “According to a Kaplan survey of college admissions officers, more than 80 percent of college admissions officers consider social media presence when recruiting students.”
Does it pass your grandmother test? Would your family be ashamed of seeing your photos on facebook? How about your language? If your family will still claim you, then you are good to go.
There is no more privacy-is there? If admissions officers have time to look at your pages, they have too much time on their hands. They should recognize that you are a teenager and do things teenagers do There are things you can do to protect your privacy. First of all, until you are admitted, change your FB name. Get rid of your last name or make a cute name. Second. make your page and all pictures and videos private to anyone who doesn’t know you. Third, use a different email address for colleges than the one you used to set up your FB page. Fourth. HIDE YOURSELF. No one who doesn’t know you should ever be able to see you. I’ve never heard of anyone get rejected from a college because of a FB posting.
The answer is: absolutely. However, the reality is that college admission offices don’t have the time or staff resources to search every prospective student’s Facebook page. That being said, it’s important to remember that if your page isn’t set to be private then everything you post is for public consumption. Use common sense when posting things on your page and shy away from anything that could be viewed negatively. Better safe than sorry.
Yes, more and more colleges are saying that they use Facebook to get a different perspective of the student. You should always be careful what is put on Facebook because not only you friends are able to see what you post or pictures you put on, but anyone can end up finding out what you put on Facebook. You need to be careful. What you post is public information. There may be privacy filters that you can adjust, but legally those don’t hold weight if someone gets your information.
Although it’s unlikely, it could. Keep your profile private and be careful what you post.
Yes! Increasingly admissions offices are considering Facebook pages in addition to the formal materials student submit. Such psn offer insightinto who a student truly is. They may simply reinforce all the official materials but they may also reveal additional things that do not enhance a student’s profile. At a time when schools are trying to decide why they should accept one student over multiple other highly qualified applicants, any information that offers insight–good or bad–into a person’s character or personality can play a role and the new social media is becoming an increasingly prominent part of those determinations.
Kaplan Test Prep conducted a survey recently and found that 24% of admissions officers checked an applicant’s Facebook page and about 20% of admissions officers admitted to “Googling” an applicant! What do you think of those odds?
While it’s true that most counselors at most colleges simply don’t have time to research candidates on Facebook, there are some schools at which counselors do review Facebook profiles. Before you change your status or post on someone’s wall, think about whether you would want an admission committee to see it and whether you’d want that to be their first impression of you.
Short answer:
The best analogy I found regarding posting on Facebook was : if you would be comfortable putting that information on a billboard on the highway – then post it on Facebook
Yes! Please keep your Facebook profiles set to private.
Although a lot of people, both young and old, don’t seem to “get it”, the fact is that Facebook postings are, to a large degree, public property. How do you want to be perceived?
Yes, yes and yes! Make sure all of your social media account settings (Instagram, Facebook etc.) are set to private. Do not post anything that you wouldn’t be OK with your parents, grandparents or teachers seeing/reading.
Admissions officers are really not spending their valuable time on potential students Facebook pages to determine what is happening with incoming freshman. That being said, if an admissions officer is so inclined to “verify” what they see in a particular application then yes, be prepared for a passing look from college personnel. And of course, do not forget that if someone is tipped off by and outside source to check on a particular applicant that has been known to happen.
Although I have never had a college admission representative say they definitively check the Facebook accounts of their applicants, you have to be aware they do have the opportunity to check if they choose. You should make sure your account settings are set to private and that your pictures are appropriate. This goes far beyond just college admissions, it is also a good idea to protect your own safety and privacy.
Students need to be aware that some colleges and potential employers look at a student’s FB page. If the posts are responsible there is nothing to worry about but if not …
There are a number of articles written each year about how “scared” students should be of anything they post on Facebook, and how it might affect their admission chances at college. I’m not a believer of this (although, I’m not advocating posting “anything” you want!) since every admissions officer I speak with tells me that they have no time to go on the internet to do a background check on a potential student. When you realize that an admissions officer has between 5-7 minutes to read your application in full, before deciding to admit, deny, or defer, you can see that there is no time to track down Facebook activity.
Yes, so don’t!
Studies have shown there are college admissions officers who will look at a student’s Facebook posts. In general, you should be very careful about what you post on Facebook. Pictures that show a student doing something illegal or posts showing bias or negative speech should be avoided (and not just because college admissions officers can look–law enforcement personnel can also become involved).
The simple answer is possibly. In our opinion, this is enough to be careful about what you post on Facebook and other social network sites. In a recent survey of admission officers at 359 colleges and universities, Kaplan found that 24% of admission officers reported using Facebook or other social network sites to research an applicant in 2011. About 20% used Google to find information about an applicant. Importantly, of those who checked the social network, approximately 12% indicated that posts with such things as vulgar language in a status update or alcohol consumption in photos negatively impacted a prospective student’s admissions chances. Our advice is to eliminate any items on social network sites that do not reflect the best you.
Yes, Yes, and Yes! Don’t put anything on your Facebook page that you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see or read!
This has been a hot topic as of late in the college admissions world. Recent studies have shown that there has been an increase in the number of admissions counselors who are using social media applications like Facebook to research an applicant. As far as whether or not this will affect your chances of being admitted, I would turn the question around and ask you, “do you want it to affect your chances of getting accepted?” After going through all the research, the visits, putting in the time and effort at school, taking the SAT or ACT, do you really want to risk your admission because of a photograph or joke in bad taste? Chances are, it will not happen to you, but what if it did?
Unfortunately technology has spurred a monster in us (society). Your reputation is something that you want to develop over the course of your academic career. Having negative things posted on Facebook can affect your chances of being accepted (if found out). For example: Let’s say you hate your parents, and every adult you have encountered. Someone from the interview process was curious about your behavior during the interview process and decided to look you up. They see nothing but terrible negativity toward the people in your family etc. “How do you think they will respond?” What if an employer were to somehow get a hold of your Facebook page with the same remarks that you posted? You have blown your changes of getting into any reputable college and finding a good job all because you allowed your feelings to get the best of you. Let your reputation shine. Be positive in ALL your verbal/written communication and all will be well.
Yes, it is becoming a common practice for student’s facebook profiles to be looked up by admissions offices. Some offices have interns use their networks to find students who would be inaccessible otherwise. So be careful what you post to facebook, it is there forever and any well connected person or organization can find it. With this said, it isn’t always a negative to have your facebook profile seen. College Admissions officers will go to look at these profiles hoping to find more information to tip the scales in your favor. So if you have a great facebook profile it may be able to increase your chance of being accepted. In short, they do look, so be smart on facebook.
Yes. As the use of social media grows, more and more colleges are viewing applicants’ Facebook pages as additional avenues by which to learn about potential candidates. While it may amuse you and your friends to post questionable, controversial or highly personal information on Facebook, it can also send colleges the wrong messages. Refrain from posting anything in the public areas of Facebook (or anywhere) that you wouldn’t want your grandma/priest/boss to see. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Actually, just post nothing of relevance on FB, it can all speak volumes without your knowledge.
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