W.N. asks: Like all their friends, my children spend a lot of time on social media. Not everything they post presents them in the best light. Do colleges look at applicants’ social media posts and factor them into their admissions decisions?
The short answer is: They can. Colleges reserve the right to review social media content in determining whether a prospective student’s character fits with their institution. There have been notorious examples of students being admitted to prestigious institutions only for an unfavorable post to cause that institution to rescind their offer of admissions. Is this a common occurrence? Not at all. Does it happen? Yes.
With that said, the majority of institutions are not initially scouring every applicant’s social media accounts prior to making an admissions decision. This becomes a more common practice post admission – when schools are solidifying their enrollments and incoming class, wanting to ensure their admits have integrity and character that fit with their institution. My advice is simple: Students are welcome to engage with social media. They just need to be mindful of what they post and who could see it. If they wouldn’t feel comfortable with an admissions officer seeing it, they should think twice about posting it.
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