It is no secret that social media has become the new avenue for snooping. It is astonishing the amount of information that is accessible, but technology changes so quickly that it can be difficult to take notice. That said, it is naive to think that colleges are not checking your Facebook page to learn or verify information about you.
One word of advice? Don’t! If you are wondering whether your parents would like the picture, do not put the picture up. In the long run, having the school of your dreams see you out late at a party is not worth having your friends see the album. Truthfully, many schools have begun to use Facebook as the go-to source on how to get the real story on their flood of applicants.
Why give any school a reason to tell you no? In this economy, and with an ever-increasing pool of highly competitive applicants, something seemingly insignificant can give someone else the bid. The Wall Street Journal did an article on this very topic two years ago stating that 10% of schools checked on Facebook. In the last two years there is no doubt this number has likely tripled. Furthermore, the more competitive the school, the harder to pick from the large applicant pool and the more likely the school will travel further to find something negative.
At the very least, up the privacy of your Facebook. You may even consider going through your friends list. If you do not even know where you have met people, it may be time to delete them. They will not receive any notice of the transaction. Facebook is a place to communicate with friends, and keep in touch with family. But Facebook drama? Not worth it.
Final Note: While you are cleaning up your Facebook, Google yourself. It is just as likely that colleges will search for any news following your name.
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