Survey: Most College Admissions Officers Don’t Actually Check Applicants’ Social Media Presence

Nearly 67% of college admissions officers believe it’s fair to check applicants’ social media to aid in admissions decisions—but most don’t actually check.

Kaplan’s 2023 college admissions officers survey found that only 28% of admissions officers have actually checked applicants’ social media, despite the majority considering it fair game. 33% of admissions officers view checking applicants’ social media as an invasion of privacy. Admissions officers from 205 top national, regional, and liberal arts colleges and universities were polled for the survey.

“Kaplan has been tracking the role of social media in the college admissions process since 2008 and it’s long struck us that there’s a wide disconnect between the percentage of admissions officers who say they’ve visited applicants’ profiles and separately, those who say it’s within their rights to do so,” says Christine Lilley, executive director of college admissions programs at Kaplan. “While many consider it to be an invasion of privacy, others say they just don’t have time to do it, while still others tell us that they get all they need by evaluating prospective students on the traditional admissions factors like GPA, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, admissions essays, and extracurriculars.”

“Our research additionally shows that when admissions officers do visit applicants’ social media pages that they are much likelier to find something that negatively impacts their chances of getting in than helping them.”

HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

While most colleges won’t check your social media presence, experts say it’s still important to scrub your online accounts in the case that an admission officer does check. There’s even an opportunity to bolster your application with a strong social media presence.

“Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and other outlets can provide the compelling visual support that mere words in a resume or essay cannot,” Tiffany Sorensen, an admissions expert and contributor at US News, says. “Whenever possible, add relevant and concise hashtags to your posts so that they turn up more in search results. If you are a musician or an actor, for instance, consider posting pictures of your performances. If you are an athlete, upload a video of yourself performing well during a game. If you do volunteer work, share something that shows you working in that capacity. Doing so lends credence and weight to your application.”

Additionally, Sorensen recommends using social media platforms to demonstrate your interest in specific colleges.

“You can interact with schools in multiple ways, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter,” Sorensen says. “These represent direct and convenient portals for showing interest before ever visiting the campus or completing an interview.”

Sources: Business Wire, US News