facebook and college admissions
Does your Facebook profile represent the kind of person that you would like to portray to college admissions officers? If not, you may want to make some changes. Recent studies show that more and more college admissions officers are turning to Facebook to get information about prospective students. Check out these ways to let your Facebook profile work for (rather than against) you in the college admissions process.
Use the information section to your advantage. The information section on Facebook has several areas where you can showcase your individualism and appeal to college admissions officers. Include activities in which you are involved, such as volunteering, fundraising for charities, playing sports, playing instruments, etc. In the favorite books and movies sections, keep the fun stuff but also add titles that will display your intellectual side. Hint: Consider books/movies that you have enjoyed from your high school English classes.
Display appropriate photos. Be smart with your photo albums and tagged photos on Facebook. To really impress admissions officers, create albums that demonstrate your scholastic and extracurricular activities (i.e. don't be embarrassed to post pictures of yourself at a recent awards ceremony or band recital). You can also post pictures of yourself hanging out with friends but be sure to choose ones that don't incriminate you in any inappropriate or illegal activities. Ask your friends not to tag you in these kinds of pictures either. If you choose to display questionable photos (not recommended), change your privacy settings to where people whom you don't want viewing your pictures can't see them.
Censor your applications. You can make your Facebook entertaining and keep it clean at the same time. There are many applications on Facebook that are fun to use, but they sometimes display inappropriate content. Popular applications such as flair and bumper stickers can occasionally have profanity-laden or offensive content. You want admissions counselors to view you in a positive light, so ditch any flair, bumper stickers, or other apps that are in poor taste.
Post content carefully. Be cautious about posting negative content on your profile, especially about the admissions process. Many admissions counselors look at your postings and may place more emphasis on what you write than even the pictures you display. Don't bash the admissions process on your status updates and don't have discussions with your friends via wall postings about which schools are better than others, etc. Doing so will only make you look pessimistic in the eyes of the admissions counselors.
With the majority of high school students having a Facebook profile, it's no wonder that college admissions officers are picking up on the social-networking phenomenon. College admissions is a very competitive process, so you should use every avenue to your advantage, including your Facebook profile. For more information about Facebook etiquette, check out Social Networking Sites: Etiquette and Safety.
Posted: 11/6/2008