Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.
Raul Herrera/Staff Writer
Students and their social media profiles once again are topics of discussion when it comes to university admissions. A Kaplan Test Prep survey found that the amount of college admissions officers who have reportedly searched applicants on Google or Facebook has increased.
According to the 2012 survey, 27 percent of officers reported that they had used Google to discover more about their applicants, 26 percent claimed they had used Facebook. This year, 29 percent have used Google and 31 percent have used Facebook.
Luisa Havens, vice president of Enrollment Services, declined an interview due to her eventful schedule. However, an admissions clerk advised Student Media that the Admissions Office does not have the time to check applicants’ social media profiles.
Salvador Dajer, junior finance student, was once a dual enrollment student from Ronald W. Reagan Doral Senior High School. When he applied to the University, he did not consider the possibility of his social media profile being checked.
“It did not cross my mind back then, though it doesn’t surprise me now,” said Dajer.
[pullquote]As new technologies develop, social culture must also evolve and adapt. Your Facebook page is a window into your values, your interests, how you carry yourself and how you manage your relationships with others. [/pullquote]
Seppy Basili, vice president of College Admissions and K-12 Programs in Kaplan Test Prep, claimed in the survey’s press release that there is a greater “acknowledgement” of the fact that some universities check social media profiles.
The same press release noted that another Kaplan survey pointed that 75 percent of students surveyed that were headed for college did not seem too concerned if an admissions officer would search for them on Google.
However, Dajer believes that students should maintain a clean Facebook profile.
“I believe you should always be conscious of the visibility of your behavior on Facebook, whether you’re concerned about friends, family [or] potential employers,” said Dajer.
The Kaplan survey found that there has been a decrease in the discovery of negative content by admissions officers. In 2012, 35 percent reported discovering content that would negatively affect the application of students. This year, the number is at 30 percent.
Dajer mentioned his concerns on whether or not such a practice can be dangerous.
“I personally believe this issue can be an invasion of privacy. Biased employers or university admission workers may discriminate based on attributes not disclosed within applications,” said Dajer.
– raul.herrera@fiusm.com
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