How many admissions officers are using the internet to screen applicants? What kind of online behavior affects a student’s admission to the college of their choice, and how can students prepare their online footprint for inspection, CBS New York reports? According to Kaplan Test Prep [1], who tracks such things, schools are “increasingly discovering information on Facebook and Google that negatively impact applicants’ acceptance chances.” In a 2012 survey, 27 percent of admissions officers said they use Google to screen applications, and 26 percent reported looking at Facebook pages. Google taps into not only Facebook, but a student’s activity on Twitter, Google Plus and personal online blogs. Use of online media among recruiters is even higher than admissions counselors, with 87 percent of colleges citing Facebook as one of their resources, 76 percent using Twitter, and 73 percent viewing a students’ YouTube clips. … Does looking at students’ online materials constitute an invasion of privacy? It’s easy to make a case that any material you have shared with the world via online publishing can no longer be called “private.” However, 69 percent of schools that have crafted a policy on the matter are declaring social media off-limits.
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