College admissions experts give social media tips
Google yourself. Curate your online photos. The general rule of thumb, as one private high school advises its students: Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see.
Guidance counselors have warned college applicants for years to mind their social media posts but can now cite a high-profile example at Harvard University, which revoked offers of admission to 10 students for offensive Facebook posts.
Colleges rarely revoke admission for online offenses, but social media’s role in the college admission process is a growing reality. Here are some experts’ tips on what to post — and not post — if you’re trying to get into college.
What research shows
Research from Kaplan Test Prep suggests online scrutiny of college applicants is increasing. Of 365 admissions officers surveyed, 35 percent said they check Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to learn more about applicants, according to a poll released in February. Kaplan Test Prep has conducted annual surveys on the subject since 2008, when 10 percent of admissions officials said they checked applicants’ social media pages.
The Harvard case highlights that “admissions doesn’t necessarily end at the acceptance letter,” says Yariv Alpher, executive director of research for Kaplan, the testpreparation company.
The case included jokes about the Holocaust and sexual assault that were shared on a private Facebook group for incoming Harvard freshmen, according to The Harvard Crimson, which broke the news earlier this month.
Harvard has declined to comment but says it tells new students that admission offers can be withdrawn if their behavior calls into question their maturity or moral character.
The grandmother rule
San Francisco University High School seniors are given a warning each fall to clean up their online presence — and nix any posts they wouldn’t show Grandma, said Jon Reider, director of college counseling at the elite private school.
“The mythical grandmother is held up as an icon of moral standards,” Reider said.
Another word of wisdom: Don’t make jokes online.
“Unless you are certified as being the funniest kid in the class, don’t be funny,” Reider said.
“A sense of humor can be dangerous online.”