As admissions offices become familiar with social networking websites, college applicants should make sure access to their online personal information is “highly selective.”
Colleges have every reason to use all the tools available to select admissions applicants who will be a good match for their school. Publicly accessible pictures and postings on Facebook.com are fair game for judging applicants who lack the discretion to keep what they don’t want others to see off the web. A Google search of a prospective student’s name could bring up flattering news about service clubs and awards. However, it is more likely that a search on a social networking site will turn up material that incriminates an applicant than flattering facts that weren’t already presented to the admissions office on resumes and applications or in interviews.
It would be unfortunate if colleges are rejecting applicants solely because of poorly considered MySpace.com or Facebook postings or blog entries, especially because teenagers often exaggerate or misrepresent themselves to their peers for various reasons. However, those who know they are applying to schools that will scrutinize their applications — either because the applicant pool for a certain program is small enough to make it practical or the university is exceptionally selective — should pick up a college-level lesson: private profiles.
Young adults know and expect that during and after college, employers, acting perfectly within their right, will look up a job or internship applicant online for a little background information that’s not already on the resume. Smart students realize that the privacy restrictions that are usually offered on social networking sites should be used to keep unflattering information out of powerful hands. Some even decide the benefits of social network entertainment aren’t worth the professional risks.
Boston University says it is not practical to search all of its 35,000 applicants for discrediting Internet information. Still, students should realize nothing is off the table in the ever-more competitive search for qualified college applicants. There are a few words high school seniors should make sure they know and remember, both for the SATs and social networking: discretion, prudence and — for those willing to make a MySpace page into an extended resume — self-aggrandizement.
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