I have read for the last few years that college students – and job applicants – should be very careful about what they post on Facebook. In fact, I’ve posted a Wall Street Journal article called College Applicants, Beware: Your Facebook Page is Showing. That article was written in 2008 and cited many admissions people looking at Facebook. One would assume that the number has only increased. So applicants: information on the Internet is public domain. Post wisely, and make your postings about achievements and not wild activities.
On my wall, I posted an article from the Wall Street Journal called “College Students, Beware: Your Facebook Page is Showing.” That article was written in 2008, and it makes very clear that admissions officers then surveyed looked at Facebook when sorting through candidates. One would suspect that the number is even higher these days. So applicants, please beware. Use Facebook wisely and post your successes – not your mischief.
Yes, college admissions and scholarship manager check the online profiles of applicants. A student’s Facebook and Twitter can tell you a lot about that student and can help determine whether or not the student is acceptable to their standards. To check whether your online status is appropriate look through the comments, pictures, status updates, and links. Would you be comfortable if your parents and teachers read them? If not, delete, delete, delete.
Keenly aware that with each passing year the high school population is becoming more and more tech-savvy, college admissions officials are diving into the ever-growing ocean of social media. Admissions officials can now be found on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. A recent survey conducted by the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth that surveyed hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States found the following statistics:
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.
If there is something in the application that indicates a closer read is needed, Facebook may be consulted. Some offices actually appoint a staff member to routinely check applicant’s profiles on the internet. Facebook can quickly validate an impression or clarify a discrepancy in an application. In the age of the internet, it is all fair game.
They can and they do. In addition to your facebook profile, you should Google yourself and make sure your online presence is professional.
Short answer:
They might. The media is full of stories these days about students whose less-than-impressive antics have been revealed to colleges through social media. You can never be sure if a college will check your Facebook profile, so why risk it? Keep your public photos and comments PG-13.
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.
The answer is maybe or probably.
Some do, so if there’s sexually explicit or drug related stuff, you could be SOL (Surely Out of Luck)!
The last poll I saw was that 30 percent of admission officers say they look at Facebook and other social media profiles and pages. That is a pretty large number, and I think it will continue to grow.
Recent surveys have shown that many admissions officers review Facebook profiles (some have that number as high as 80%). You can protect yourself by setting your privacy settings or by simply having an appropraite Facebook page. Be smart about what you put online, as employers will also be searching your web profile in coming years.
I can’t answer this for every college, but for me, NO. I don’t have time. Most colleges will say the same thing. I will not base an admissions decision on whether or not you have a lot of facebook friends, or how awesome your facebook page or photos are.
Sometimes they do and that fact is certainly something that prospective applicants should be aware of. Student can view a school’s Facebook page and get better insight into life at the school, but the school can do the same and that approach can give the school better insight—for good or ill—into the life of the prospective student. This generation has been cautioned about the hazards and the ramification of the on-line profile that they may, however unintentionally, create, and those warnings are certainly applicable to the college admission process.
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