College Applicants on Social Networking Sites Beware, They “Know What You Did Last Summer.”
May 21, 2009
Students should proceed with caution on social networking sites.
High-school students have enough on their minds with regard to course selection, GPA and exam scores, to name a few. Now another concern adds a challenging dimension to the college application process. Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites can potentially derail a student’s aspirations about getting into the college of their choice.
A recent survey found that approximately 10% of admissions officers routinely review the social-networking pages of their student applicants. More than a third of those that used the online information indicated that what they saw “negatively affected” their views of the applicant – a significantly higher percentage than those that indicated their views were improved, according to the survey by education company Kaplan, a unit of Washington Post Co. With the explosion of social networking sites, it is reasonable to assume that more and more admissions officers will add their review to the entrance checklist.
In this age of the internet, admissions officers may very well reject students because of the content on their social networking pages, even though the majority of colleges surveyed have no policy about when school officials should investigate prospective students’ social-networking sites.
While there is a debate currently taking place amongst admissions officers, students must be wary and remember that there should be no expectation of privacy regarding their online data. After all, once posted, it becomes public information that schools may consider in order to maintain the integrity of their respective institutions.
This recent interest in social-networking sites, on the part of colleges, should prompt many aspiring candidates to carefully review their online habits – including removing or changing some of their material. While privacy settings can certainly be put in place, it’s not unusual for admissions officers to receive anonymous tips about embarrassing Facebook or MySpace material (e.g., such as a picture of a student drunk at an underage party, statements advocating violence or drug use, links to sites expressing racist views, etc.)
Counselors should advise applicants to refrain from including anything that could damage their college admissions opportunities. Special caution should be expressed concerning foul or offensive language, nudity, or photos of drinking and drug use.
Students should behave intelligently, with regard to the content of their social networking sites. Essentially, they should consider whether they would be embarrassed if family and neighbors were to view it – not necessarily their peer group.
The lesson? Go ahead and use the social networking sites to keep in touch with your friends, but remember that your audience may secretly include your #1 college admissions counselor!
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