The truth is, you’ll never going to know whether or not the admissions officer reviewing your application is going to check your social media accounts or not. 

The latest Kaplan survey found that 66% of admissions professionals polled consider an applicants’ social media FAIR GAME. If they check, (usually Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube) it’s often to learn more about an applicant that might pique their interest but doesn’t fall into the “Definitely Yes” pile based on their application alone.

So, why are they checking and what are they looking for?

Most say that if they do look online, they’re interested in an applicant and want to learn more about that person.  In fact, 38% of admissions officers report that they’ve found something in their online research that has had a positive impact on their view of the applicant.  On the flip side though, 32% of admissions officials report that what they’ve seen online has led them to view the applicant in a more negative light.

While the likelihood of an admissions officer doing an in-depth study of an applicant’s social media doesn’t happen all the time, that doesn’t mean it’s not impossible.  Furthermore, you are never going to know if that rejection is a result of something you posted (the same way rejection letters don’t tell you that you didn’t get in because your test scores or GPA wasn’t up to snuff).

So, when it comes to what teens are sharing online, even if they have privacy controls in place and believe that what they’re sharing is private, they need to remember that once we make something digital, we lose the ability to control the content – we never know who might screenshot our content and post it elsewhere or share it in a way that could affect our digital footprint. 

Admissions sabotage is a real thing (when someone, typically an applicant or their parent who is competing for a spot at the same school, anonymously informs admissions about questionable online behavior of a competitor) and when colleges get that information, they often follow up on those tips.  Young people don’t understand that just because they aren’t using their real name or have multiple profiles on a site, doesn’t mean they won’t be discovered.

The long and short of it: make sure that your digital footprint is in order BEFORE you apply to college (or for a job)!

If you have questions about your accounts or your child’s accounts and want to make sure that everything is in order BEFORE admissions begins, contact Your Digital Guardian for our pre-college and employment prep solutions.