80% of College Admissions Officers Check Out FACEBOOK Pages of Applicants for Admission

Mary Setliff, Principal

Facebook is a 21st Century phenomenon.  It can be the penultimate preserver of connections.  This is the wondrous part about being a Facebook user; it  keeps one in touch with people who would otherwise be a fading memory.  Facebook can expand the world of its users if navigated skillfully and appropriately, with safety being first and foremost.  But using Facebook is also about discretion in anticipating who might be reading one's Facebook page.

Many students have Facebook pages with and without parental permission and/or knowledge.  This is not an endorsement of allowing kids access to Facebook or not.  Students cannot access Facebook here at Esperero.  However, it is important to know how your child's online image can affect his/her future.  I am not going to address the huge concern about cyber-predation in this entry, although the suggestions on how to make a Facebook profile private will help with safety, too.   What I want to focus on is how your child's Facebook page may portray an unintended image to certain audiences that he or she has not anticipated.

A Kaplan Survey of College admissions officers, cited in the Huffington Post,  found "80% of college admissions officers use Facebook to check out students who have applied to their schools."  One Harvard admissions officer posted a response to the question:  Do high school students' Facebook profiles affect their college applications?  She responded that "a student's online presence absolutely prejudices me." Here's the link for the article (double click on the title):  Facebook and College Admissions

I have a colleague in Phoenix who consults students applying to highly selective colleges and universities.  She was a counselor for years at an Eastern prep school and knows all of the ins and outs of the college application process.  One of the first things she does is look at the student's Facebook page.  She then coaches the student on how to adjust the privacy settings on the account. This is essential.   She also suggests deleting any images and postings that might cause a student to be inaccurately portrayed.

 Employers and HR directors look at Facebook all of the time.  Young people sometimes forget what is posted on their pages.  They also may lack the filter that tells them if something is appropriate or not.   It's important, as parents,  to guide students in making good decisions early on in their career as  Facebook users.

If you have additional questions, please give us a call at ECMS.  Clicking on the link will take you to the Facebook help center and explain the privacy control options:
FACEBOOK PRIVACY CONTROLS

HOW TO CONTACT ME:
Mary Setliff, Principal 209-8100

HOW TO CONTACT OUR CTI:
Rachel Maleski, Curriculum Technology Integrator 209-8117