Social Media & Colleges #Creeping
creeping (verb): learning more about someone by viewing/reading what they post on their social media accounts; the creeper usually remains anonymous by not following or friend requesting the creepee.
See also: lurking.
This post isn’t going to go too deeply into what you likely been told a million times already. You’ve been warned about over-sharing on social media since the days of Myspace. You know not to post inappropriate things, like lewd photos, cursing, or any hint of debauched or illegal behavior. You’ve been told, “You’ll never get into college if you post bad things on the Internet!” It’s all very true. Don’t post anything off-color online – it will only end up hurting you. Even if you select the strictest privacy settings the platform offers, playing it safe and refraining from posting is always your best bet.
However, there is a flipside to the social media thing. What if you use your page, or pages, as one big advertisement for yourself? I know that it’s much more common to post selfies, party pics, and general snapshots of you doing cool things, but consider changing it up. Instead of posting images just like the other ones that typically flood your feed, try something different.
Why not list your extracurricular activities in your Twitter bio? Think about sharing Instagram pictures of charitable causes you’re passionate about. Pictures of your sports teams are great – why not include a caption about what you’ve learned about teamwork and dedication? Did you love a book you just finished or a documentary you just watched? Share it! I know, it might sound cheesy. However, this can give college admissions officers a glimpse into who you are. Remember, set these posts to “public” so that the anonymous creepers can read all about how amazing, involved, and ambitious you are!
But college admissions counselors get bombarded with applications. Do they actually take the time to creep on your social media pages? Well, according to a 2017 survey conducted by Kaplan Test Prep, 35-percent of admissions officers do. One of these officers surveyed even illustrated how someone’s social media made a difference.
“One student described on Twitter that she facilitated an LGBTQ panel for her school, which wasn’t in her application. This made us more interested in her overall and encouraged us to imagine how she would help out the community,” the officer stated.
There is no guarantee that college admissions officers will check out your page. They might never check out your Twitter feed or see what you’ve posted on Facebook. However, they might. And if you can carefully craft your social media presence so that it improves your chances of a college acceptance… why wouldn’t you?
