How Social Media can affect you getting into College
Students at Bellwood-Antis have integrated social media into their everyday lives.
What you need to know before applying
It’s no doubt that the effects of social media are creeping into every corner of our lives. So much in fact, a growing percentage of college admissions are checking up on applicants through their online profiles.
If you’re thinking that this is too enormous a task, you’re right; for the most part, college admission boards are looking at students in one or more of the following categoies:
- Specific interests
- Academic awards
- Criminal records
- Scholarships
- Admissions sabotage
According to educationnews.org “a recent study performed by Kaplan Test Prep, a record number of college admissions officers are looking at the social media sites of prospective students when considering who to admit”
The site continued on to say that “the study, which surveyed roughly 400 college admissions officers across the country, discovered that 40% are visiting the social media pages of applicants when making their decisions. Kaplan first considered this idea in 2008. Since that time, the percentage has quadrupled.”
“Students have been denied acceptance into college because of questionable media posts. High school athletes also need to be aware that athletic recruiters scrutinize the profiles of potential recruits,” said guidance counselor for Bellwood-Antis High School, Mrs. Butler. “More and more admissions departments are looking to social media to get a clearer picture of what a potential student is like.”
Students throughout the school are seemingly aware of their online activity. When asked if they have made any changes to their social media profiles with college admissions approaching, many students replied no.
“I have never posted anything that could get me in trouble before so I haven’t changed a thing,” stated Bellwood-Antis senior, Cory Parson. “If you can’t be mature on social media, than you deserve to be judged by colleges.”
Nate Mackereth, another senior at Bellwood-Antis felt similarly.
“I just post what I think is funny and interesting. I don’t really put any emotion into any of my posts, so it isn’t a real representation of me,” said Nate. “(Colleges) are interested in how a person will represent their school as a whole, not just academically. I’m not too worried because my name isn’t associated with most of my social media, but I usually do think about who is looking at my posts.”
With so much of our time being spent online, it is not unreasonable to assume these profiles are accurate depictions of who we are as people. And as technology grows in leaps and bounds, it seems only natural college admission boards will look to social media to get to know their potential students better.
