Social Media: Friend or Foe to Your College Application

We can’t hide from it, social media is EVERYWHERE!  We’ve all heard stories how social media postings have resulted in athletes getting kicked off of sports teams for violations of athletic codes, and by this time we are aware that job seekers need to manage their online identities as well since social media has become an additional reference source.  What about for College Admissions?  Have you given that any thought?  You should! 

College Admissions Offices are social media savvy. According to Kaplan Test Prep’s 2012 survey of college admissions officers, more then 35% who’ve checked Google or Facebook have discovered information that negatively impacts an applicant.  This has more then doubled since last year. The most common social media sites used by college admissions officers are still Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Information that can negatively impact college bound students is what you’d expect: references to drugs and alcohol, bullying, nudity, and accusations of plagiarism. So what can you do, other then make good choices and avoid situations that put you in a compromising position?  Kaplan recommends:

1.     Limit your profile search-ability so search engines won’t link to your profile.  Go to Account - - Privacy Settings - Apps and Websites - Public Search (Edit Settings) and uncheck "Enable Public Search". Or, if you just want to limit parts of your profile, go to Edit Profile and select the privacy level (Public, Friends, Only Me, Custom) for each profile data point.

2.     Control who can contact you on Facebook. Set your controls so only people who have a mutual friend can contact you. Click Account - Privacy Settings - How You Connect and select “friends of friends.”

3.     Take control of tagging on your profile. Facebook's default settings allow friends to tag you in their photos, profile posts, and even check you into places. (Does anyone else find that creepy?) Change these settings so only friends can see these posts. Go to "How Tags Work" under Privacy settings and opt out. You can also choose to review all tags before they are linked to your profile so that your friends don't have the chance to link embarrassing party photos without your permission.

*Read the entire Kaplan article on how to manage your social footprint. 

The bottom line…be smart!  It’s not just what you are posting but what others post about you.  Manage your online identity!!!!

Crystal Anderson is the president of Crystal Clear College Planning, which helps Seattle-area families plan financially and academically for college. Learn more about our free local workshops on planning for college.