On College: Social Media

On College: College admission offices using social media, Internet to look at students

By Purvi S. Mody

Daily News columnist

Posted: 09/26/2011

Every year, I do an online search of my students to see what college admissions officers might find if they do the same.

One student had multiple pictures of herself visibly drunk. Another student had written mean things on his Facebook wall about a teacher who was writing one of his letters of recommendation.

One student was tagged in a photo with three others giving the middle finger and laughing at the camera. One student insulted the football teams of three colleges he was applying to.

One made racial slurs against minorities while writing about wanting to give back to his community. Another student congratulated another for getting arrested.

All of these students thought that they made their social networking profiles private. But simply typing in their names in an online search revealed their virtual personas -- personas that colleges are increasingly interested in.

Every year, there are stories about how colleges look to social media to get a holistic sense of a student applicant. For students who work so hard putting their best foot forward on college applications, it's critical to remember that submitting an application is no time to relax -- it's the opposite.

Here are some tips to make sure that every interaction a college has with you is positive.

1. Make sure your online profiles are completely private. I realize this sounds obvious, but making your Facebook private does not mean that someone cannot see photos of you posted by others unless you deliberately choose that functionality. And if you tweet, do so cautiously.

2. Use the Internet to show positive traits. Post photos of you with your family and friends having clean fun. Start a blog about activities you have been involved in or about your take on current issues.

3. Know that if you become a fan of a college, that college becomes part of your network and will have access to your entire profile -- unless you specify otherwise.

4. Disengage from any groups that can be seen as negative, and join ones that accurately and positively show your interests. Instead of "I hate school," join "Salsa dancing rocks."

5. Google yourself and see what comes up. If someone else has the same name as you, put in your initial on your applications and on your online pages.

6. Make an appropriate email address; a simple address with your first and last name will do. An address using sexygurl69 will leave an impression you don't want to make.

7. If you put your cell phone number on your application, make sure that your voice mail is simple and doesn't have loud background music. And every time that phone rings, pick it up thinking that it's the admissions officer from your dream school.

Don't pick it up when you are in a car with all your friends. And don't pick it up during school hours, and especially if you are in class.

And never let someone else pick up your phone. I called a male student once to confirm an appointment, and his girlfriend picked up. She rudely demanded to know who I was and why I was calling him. Your choice of friends shows your sense of judgment.

8. If you put your home number on your applications, make sure that everyone in the house knows that colleges might be calling you -- even your little brother who may occasionally pick up the phone. Also, have a voice mail that works and check it every day.

Technology, for all of its virtues and its ability to connect people together, opens the doors to your private life. Before the Internet, colleges relied solely on the information in applications and letters of recommendations. But even with the openness of the Internet and social media, you still have a choice in what colleges see.

When I do my searches, I am also often happily surprised with the results: a picture of a student playing with several puppies at a local pound; a poem a student wrote about her best friend; a video of a student singing in a talent show.

Purvi S. Mody is co-owner of Insight Education, an educational consulting firm that helps students throughout the Bay Area to achieve their educational goals. Email her at purvi@insight-education.net.