How College Admissions Criteria Is Being Affected by Social Media

The use of social media by colleges and employers may increase as time goes on. Although some may say people have a right to personal business, it is not personal if it is posted to the public. To avoid people from looking at one’s social media, keep the page

Fleming tells us how the colleges and universities can look into your social networking sites and use it against you, also how it’s impossible for colleges and universities to keep up with all of their students. She reminds us that the schools are not to release any of the students’ information. How can colleges and universities keep this information private when the students themselves are putting their personal information out there on these social sites?

Higher education law attorney Dana L. Fleming voices her controversial opinion in favor of institutionalized involvement in social network protection in her article “Youthful Indiscretions: Should Colleges Protect Social Network Users from Themselves and Others?” (Fleming). Posted in the New England Journal of Higher Education, winter of 2008 issue, Fleming poses the question of responsibility in monitoring students’ online social networking activities. With a growing population of students registering on social networks like Facebook and MySpace, she introduces the concern of safety by saying, “like lawmakers, college administrators have not yet determined how to handle the unique issues posed by the public display of their students’

For as long as a lot of us can remember people have been using social media. People put a large majority of their lives on Facebook or other social media websites or apps. Since they do that, anyone could go on someone’s account and find out a lot about them. College admissions officers and potential employers do it all of the time. College admissions officers and employers should look at social media accounts because it will help make their decision easier, they can see if the applicant could be a potential embarrassment, and can get a different view of the applicant that’s not on paper.

Social media is defined as websites and applications used for social networking, in other words it is a way for people to interact and express themselves without being face to face. Social media has become a large part of the life of teenagers, who make up most of the population of people who are subjected to using social media in their daily lives. Many college students are faced with balancing their social lives with school and even athletics making priorities a big dilemma for them. College students in America are affected in many ways by social media whether it be their social life, their happiness, or their grades.

Applications, recommendations, and essays; essential keys when starting a new phase in one’s life. But maybe there is one thing a potential student is forgetting to perfect when sending in their submissions: their social media profiles. A survey showed that one in ten admissions counselors at the country’s top five hundred colleges are now viewing social media sites as a component of the admission’s process, as stated in Source A (Cartwright).) Although some believe this practice will lead to unfair discrimination and is an unethical practice, it comes down to a simple factor: if a social media profile is public, it is now public knowledge.

Starting off, the main argument of Alan Finder’s text, “Social Networking”, is stating his position on whether he believes Social Networking is the right or wrong thing to do. In other words, the writer claims that Facebook, MySpace, and other entities contain immature and unprofessional items that should not be on there. The writer supports his claim by pointing out that students post vile photographs and they talk about drinking, drugs, or sexual exploits. He maintains that if colleges or companies do look at your social media accounts, then it shows them how that person is and what kind of things he or she does in their daily life. In my point of view, I believe that Social Networking is a bad idea and no one should have the right to look at something that contains your privacy.

Students who are planning to enroll into a college should clean up their social media before in enrolling and to make this process easier high schools should have days when juniors and seniors log into their social media and start deleting posts that would influence a college admission officer to deny them into the college. In conclusion, colleges should check social media during the application process and to most likely get accepted students in high school should clean up their social

Because adolescents are growing up with more access to social networking, texting and instant messaging on various sites have become prime means of communication. While this is not necessarily bad, many people feel the need to over-share things about their personal lives online. More and more people are using Facbeook and more and more employers are using Facebook to scope out potential employees. If there are inappropriate pictures and comments all over someone’s Facebook page, they are more likely to not receive the job. Some students get in trouble for things they post on Facebook and Twitter. Some users are beginning to notice this and have started deactivating their accounts to regain a sense of privacy. CNN’s article “The anti-social network: Life without Facebook”, states that some students who are trying to maintain a professional image for future employment are deleting their pages.

Most social networking profiles are public, therefore everyone can see them who has access to the internet. Lots of people who use social media are quick to judge from what others post on their pages, or profiles. Colleges admissions officers and employers sometimes look on social networks to learn more about their potential students, or employers. Some people may believe checking someone’s Facebook page or Instagram page is wrong and unfair. However, the employers and admissions officers have the right to check the internet because he or she willingly put the information on the internet. The fact is, employers and college admissions officers should check social networking profiles.

Recently, Johnston was asked by the program’s internship director to select a student intern for the upcoming semester. The program director forwarded the resumes of three students who had applied for the internship position. Johnston, who had previously been a part of the hiring process, first considered the intern candidate’s grade point average, work experience, and career goals. However, this time, she also decided to see if the internship candidates had any social media presence on the Internet. Unexpectedly, all three candidates had social media profiles either on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Two out of the three internship candidates had positive social media presence. They had posted about their student extracurricular activities, work activities, family, and friends. However, the remaining internship candidate, Lisa, had a negative social media presence. Lisa had used the social platform of

(procon.org. 1). Anyway, while we pond on that question, let us discuss why social media discourages students from studying or why students who uses social networking sites don’t do well in school. Besides the fact that students who use social networking sites use them to connect with their family, and long distance friends, proponents of social networking sites may argue that it helps students to do better at school, and that 59% of students with access to the internet report that they use social networking sites to discuss educational topics and 50% use these sites talk about school assignments, according to procon.org (2). However, since these sites are not one hundred percent accurate and reliable, how are we sure that the students who uses social networking sites are actually doing well in their academics and not failing when it is obvious non users of social networking sites perform better. As a matter of fact, what chance does a student who uses social networking sites stand to a student who spends their time outside classroom doing their homework’s, reading their class notes, textbooks, and novels, and spending their time on other things other than on social networking sites? In as much as many of us don’t see the harm social networking sites are having on our students, it is an undeniable fact

According to Renee Fricks, vice president of human resources at Imperial Capital, “Your social media profile can be more revealing that your resume” (Cohen, 10). Social media has become a normal use of technology of an average college student. From Facebook and Twitter, there is a means of connecting students on diverse planes via the Internet. This allows employers to search any potential job candidate’s social media to investigate user’s posts to determine if they fit their position and hold themselves with high moral regard. If students do not monitor what they post, potential employers may be turned away because of inappropriate pictures, conversations, or other behaviors. Learning about proper social media uses can prevent qualified candidates from losing job opportunities.

A second factor, social media could also have a huge effect on education. The use of social networks such as facebook and twitter are very well known, especially by most college students. David Gewirtz realized that some of the people who see a personal social media website could be a friend, potential employer, and even a stranger. Gewirtz warned most students to monitor what they are posting online. He says “ You could be a teenager today who is 15 and say inappropriate things, and then as an adult looking for a job as a CEO.” He is sending people a warning to monitor what they post because what is on that website might potentially ruin a chance of employment. (Michelle 1-2). College

Are we becoming less human with the passing of each day? Have we become too dependent on technology, specifically social media? In this day and age, people have different views on social media. They question its true purpose and its effect on society as a whole. With that said, although there are many thoughts concerning the topic/trend of social media something that is undoubtedly true is that social media plays an active role in the lives of the majority of people. Whether in a positive or negative way, social media influences the lives of all people. However this paper focuses on the effect of social media on college students. It addresses both the positive and negative effects of social media on those in college; focusing on a student’s academic efficiency, social interactive skills, and overall productivity.