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Greetings,
I've been a real newshound lately and have come across a lot of stories about social networking. The most recent report I read was one from the National Association for College Admission Counseling. It stated that one quarter of colleges surveyed indicated that they used Web search or social networking technology to locate information about prospective students. Most of the schools reported using these search engines to verify information or research students who were candidates for scholarships or high-demand programs. Although there were no reports of schools checking every application, as websites like Facebook and MySpace become more and more popular, it's important that students understand the role the websites may come to play in college admissions.
In another survey I read, Kaplan, Inc., found that 10% of admissions officers from the top 500 colleges acknowledged looking at social-networking sites to evaluate applicants. Of those colleges, 38% said that what they saw "negatively affected" their views of the applicant.
In fact, Jeff Olson, the head of Kaplan's research department, even commented, "The social networking frontier is a bit like the Wild West for colleges and universities—everyone is trying to figure out how to navigate it."
While many schools are determining how to use this new technology to their advantage, now is the time to start counseling your students to be aware of the information on their Facebook and MySpace profiles.
As you talk to students and walk them through the college admissions process, help them see how they can use sites like Facebook and MySpace profiles to their advantage. It's just one more tool we can help students use to open more doors to higher education.
Until next time,
La Toya Sykes, Director
Outreach and Access Awareness
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