Caution: College Admissions Peeking At Facebook Profiles

       If you are considering applying to collegeHere are a few tips to follow:
add a review of your Facebook or MySpace profile1. Regularly review your profile and remove anything
to your to- do list. While employers have beenthat may not impress college officials: Check the
checking the online profiles of job applicants for alanguage/grammar used and any photos or anything
number of years, a Kaplan survey this fall indicatedyou may have downloaded to your site for
that college admissions officers are beginning to visitappropriateness. Would you be embarrassed if the
the social networking websites of applicants forinformation on your site was splashed on the front
admissions. Kaplan surveyed 320 admissions officerspage of your local newspaper?
and reported that 1 in 10 had looked at applicants2. Update your site with positive information about
social networking site.yourself: Made the Honor Society? Named the lead in
      Twenty-five percent of the officers statedyour school's play? Post it to your MySpace or
the information on the students profiles had aFacebook site!!
positive effect on the applicants admissions process,3. Use the privacy setting on your site: Although this
for 38% of the admissions officers stated thatis not completely fool-proof, it can provide you with
students profiles had a negative effect.some protection from unauthorized viewing.
      Although only a small percentage of college4. Check your friends sites for any negative
admissions offices are reviewing social networkinginformation or photos about you and ask that they
websites as part of the admissions process, it isbe removed.
important that students be proactive and make sureSo remember to manage your online profile so that it
their online persona is a positive representation ofwon't derail your college plans.
who they are.