How social media is impacting University admissions

1. think twice
before you post
How social media is impacting University admissions
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2. Did you know...
Your online presence may be impacting your chances of
gaining admission into your dream school
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3. A recent study by Kaplan revealed that out of 381 college admissions
officers surveyed, “31 percent said they had visited an applicant's
Facebook or other personal social media page to learn more about
them.”7
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4. “What we're also hearing between the lines is the need to get a slightly
more nuanced picture of an applicant and social media can actually be
very helpful with that because it's unstructured. There's a degree of
being unscripted" that stands out to admissions officers.10
-Yariv Alpher, Executive Director, Kaplan Test Prep
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5. 30 percent of the admissions officers in the Kaplan study said “they had
discovered information online that had negatively affected an
applicant's prospects.”7
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6. Some high schoolers
do not realize that
comments they
casually make
online could lead to
negative
consequences7
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7. In 2012, the admissions office at Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif.,
became aware that a prospective student had posted offensive comments
about one of his high school teachers on Facebook7
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8. Angel B. Perez, Pitzer's
dean of admission and
financial aid commented:
“We thought, this is
not the kind of person
we want in our
community. With about
4,200 applications
annually for a first-year
class of 250 students, the
school can afford to be
selective. We didn't
admit the student.”7
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9. “A lot of admissions officers are very
young and technology-savvy”7
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10. Some students
adopt
pseudonyms on
social media to
disguise
themselves from
college admission
officers1
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11. Photo retrieved from Pexels
While some students
do the opposite…
and try to “beef up” their
pages during admission
season6

12. These students believe it will help to distinguish
themselves in an ocean of hopeful candidates6
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13. Yariv Alpher, executive director of
research for Kaplan Test Prep, recalls
a student who used Twitter to
describe facilitating a panel on
LGBTQ rights. This was not
something the student had included
on her college application.10
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14. "It shows diversity, it shows initiative, it shows leadership,
and it stood out positively to an admissions officer.”10 says
Alpher about this students use of social media
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15. Today there are many tools available to
students and parents who are concerned
about maintaining a positive digital
footprint
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16. The Social U is the first
and “only technology
platform that scans and
grades a student’s social
media” for the kinds of
posts that can make
college admissions
officers or potential
employers scratch their
head9
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17. “Whether it’s drinking, drugs, sex, profanity, or other character-
tarnishing behaviors, The Social U will flag it, offer advice, and let
students and their parents decide what to do.”9
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18. “In an effort to help high school students avoid self-sabotage
online, guidance counselors are tutoring them in scrubbing their
digital identities.”7
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19. “Sanitizing social media
accounts doesn't seem
qualitatively different than the
efforts they already make to
present the most appealing
versions of themselves to
colleges.”7
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20. “For better or worse, social media has become an established
factor in college admissions, and it's more important than ever
for applicants to make wise decisions.”8
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21. "Be mindful of what you put out there. ... So when
in doubt, leave it out.”10
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22. Works Cited
1. Jacobs, Peter. "The Majority Of College Admissions Officers Do Not Check Applicants' Social Media Profiles". Business
Insider. N.p., 2013. Web. 2 June 2017.
2. "Kaplan Test Prep Survey: College Admissions Officers Say Social Media Increasingly Affects Applicants’ Chances".
Kaptest. N.p., 2017. Web. 2 June 2017.
3. Ronson, Jon. "Feed Frenzy". The New York Times Magazine. N.p., 2015. Print.
4. Rosen, Jeffery. "The Web Means The End Of Forgetting". The New York Times. N.p., 2010. Web. 2 June 2017.
5. Silverman, Rachel, and Lauren Weber. "The New Résumé: It's 140 Characters; Some Recruiters, Job Seekers Turn To
Twitter, But Format Is A Challenge; Six-Second Video Goes Viral". Wall Street Journal. N.p., 2013. Print.
6. Singer, Natasha. "In College Admissions, Social Media Can Be A Double-Edged Sword". The New York Times. N.p.,
2013. Web. 2 June 2017.
7. Singer, Natasha. "They Loved Your G.P.A. Then They Saw Your Tweets". The New York Times. N.p., 2013. Print.
8. Somers, Darian. "Do Colleges Look At Your Social Media Accounts?". U.S. News. N.p., 2017. Web. 2 June 2017.
9. Teare, Chris. "Don't Let Social Media Hurt Your College Or Career Start". Forbes. N.p., 2015. Web. 2 June 2017.
10. Wallace, Kelly. "Surprise! Social Media Can Help, Not Hurt, Your College Prospects". CNN. N.p., 2017. Web. 2 June
2017.