Be Careful On Facebook

The number of college admissions officials using Facebook to learn more about an applicant has quadrupled in the past year, underscoring the effect social media has on U.S. culture and academic life, a survey shows. Googling is nearly as prevalent.  More college admissions officials are looking up potential students on Facebook and searching their names on Google, a new Kaplan survey finds. 

The rise suggests a growing acceptance of the practice, despite concerns that it invades student privacy.  "This is the world we live in now," says Paul Marthers, vice president for enrollment at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. "If you were able to find out that somebody misrepresented themselves in their application, I think it could be used to help you make a decision."  Others offer a more positive reason for checking an applicant's Facebook profile. Wake Forest University Admissions Dean Martha Allman says her younger staffers like to see (an applicant's) "digital personality."

Although Syracuse University School of Information Studies professor Anthony Rotolo discourages efforts by admissions officials to "catch" applicants misbehaving online, he encourages them to evaluate a student's digital literacy skills. Given the importance of social media in society, a student with a strong online presence "could be considered a highly qualified applicant by a reviewer who understood the potential value."