by Eduardo Calderon|News Editor
As students become more viral with profiles on social networks throughout the internet, colleges have started their own use of these networks in admissions.
“Normally if you’re applying to a competitive school, colleges try to find all information and verify the truth about students,” UTSA administrative counselor Jennifer Ehlers said, “It’s another bit of information that can make a person seem real.”
A survey conducted in 2008 found that ten percent of [admission] officers browsed social networking sites to check out their applicants, but the percent has been steadily rising for four years.
Results on these surveys show a negative light on an admission officer checking a Facebook profile.
After college applicant’s social media profiles were examined in the survey, 38 percent of the Facebook profiles were described as “negatively affecting” the view of the applicant.
“Facebook is very revealing, it lets [universities] know what the students and friends are about,” STAN counselor Carri Elliot said, “Facebook can make or break an admittance.”
Universities can make a simple decision on an admittance based off an applicants Facebook page.
“It gives a better view of a student and the type of integrity they have,” Elliot said, “It’s the wave of the future in [admittance].”
Although Facebook can halt an applicant’s dream of entering a college, social networks are not to blame.
“Facebook is not the problem, it’s what students do on Facebook,” Elliot said, “A rule of thumb is make sure there is nothing on there that your grandma wouldn’t want to see.”
Colleges’ use of Facebook should not discourage a student’s use of Facebook, as long as they use it an appropriate way as students should take precaution when applying.
“Clean [profiles] up while applying, and try not to use silly email addresses,” counselor Shar Huffman said.
Besides admissions, colleges can check a students Facebook page for misconduct on campus.
“It can verify underage drinking, inappropriate behavior [that students may have] on campus,” Huffman said.
Sponsoring any university can cause that college access to a social network profile.
“I can see if a student is representing a university in anyway, they would want to verify who [the student] is,” Huffman said, “Facebook can show what they are really like.”
Universities are not the only organization that may check an applicants Facebook.
“Potential job recruiters can check an employee’s Facebook,” Huffman said.
Although Facebook may be a good judge of character, it will not be the only requirement to applying for college or a job.
“Facebook has legitimate criteria to it, but it is not the sole criteria,” Huffman said.
