A recent survey by Kaplan found that approximately 25% of college admissions officers look at an applicant’s social media.
While that percentage is trending downward, that doesn’t mean that social media can’t affect your child’s college career.
Take, for example, the 10 students who had their acceptances to Harvard rescinded after the school discovered their posts on a private, meme-oriented Facebook group that featured offensive content.
There’s also the student who was caught tweeting disparaging comments about her fellow attendees during an information session at Bowdoin College.
If your child wants to avoid this type of situation, then make sure that they are in control of their online and digital presence.
The first step should be to confirm that your child’s social media accounts are set to private.
Your child should also go over their social media posts, including tweets, status updates, photos, and videos to ensure they haven’t posted any content that could damage their chances of being accepted or put their acceptances at risk.
A good rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t say it on TV, don’t post it online.
Names are also important: Twitter handles, YouTube channel names, e-mail addresses. Make sure these are simple and professional.
An e-mail from danksniper1 or a follow from @SlayyyMeBTS is not a good look.
The internet isn’t all bad news. Joining ZeeMee, a social app that connects students with colleges, can help your child create a positive digital presence.
Over 200 schools across the U.S. are actively using ZeeMee. Some schools even ask for a link to a ZeeMee profile in their applications. In the app, students create and upload short videos responding to prompts asked by universities, allowing students to share their stories and giving admissions officers perspectives on students that reach beyond the transcript.
Make sure your child’s online presence highlights the best aspects of who they are. We are all prone to mistakes, especially at a young age, but we shouldn’t let those mistakes compromise our goals.
This upcoming webinar can show you how to get your kid a scholarship or grant to attend one of the top colleges in the country: www.collegeprepwebinar.com.
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