We all know there are a variety of social media apps, so many, it makes our heads spin. For students, these apps are used as a communication tool with friends, for my generation, we use FaceBook and Instagram to show off our vacations, kids and grandkids. Though these days, we show how we are doing in quarantine, what we are baking, eating for dinner, treasures we have found while sorting through closets. Students use snap chat and of course tik tok the latest rage. As a consultant, along with my colleagues, we caution our students to take great care in what they post, and with good reason.
While I have attended many conferences where admissions at very many universities say they don’t check students’ online presence, there are enough who do check. And, with the fact more and more schools are test optional for the class of 2024 and 2025, allowing for a truly more holistic approach to college admissions, it just may be that schools will look at some social media accounts. Here are several case scenarios that might play out in an admissions office:
- Some admissions offices during the admissions process won’t look at social media accounts, it just takes too much time.
- Some universities may check a student’s online presence when a student is on the cusp of an admissions decision.
- Some universities do check social media and if anything is bothersome, the student could be denied admission.
- Some admissions offices say checking social media is all an urban myth.
- Public universities don’t check public media citing infringement on free speech and truly lack of time.
Social Assurity (socialassurity.com) is a company delivering student centric social media training to high school students to craft solid social media presence states that 75% of university admission offices do check the social media account of their applicants. With more universities going test optional, will more universities be checking social media? Perhaps.
However, this past week, two students had their acceptances rescinded due to making racist comments in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. Students, even accepted students at university, need to keep in mind, what they post may have consequences. The students who posted these heinous posts were not sought out by the university, but it was brought to the attention of these universities from some sort of online presence. One university rescinded an offer based on the fact that the “offensive racially charged posts do not reflect the university’s values”. At another university, a student’s offer was rescinded in a similar manner.
Three things come to mind:
- Students need to mind what they tweet, snap chat, instagram, tiktok, etc.
- Students and parents need to take a hard look at a university’s mission statement and make sure that it matches their values before making an application to the school as well as accepting their offer
- Get into a good social Media Mind Set: get some social media guidance. Not only is it helpful for university admissions, but it will be helpful for summer jobs, internships, and jobs beyond university. Contact: Social Assurity: socialassurity.com
Here is the article in detail about two students who had their admissions rescinded. It would not be surprising if there were a few more rescinded offers.
Read it with care.