“Not Just for Your Friends”
How Online Communities Can Affect College Admissions and More
The days of writing in private diaries with warnings of “KEEP OUT!” are history.
Today’s diaries are publicly available through online bulletin boards, weblogs (blogs), and chat
rooms. Online communities like MySpace and Facebook serve as forums for socializing –much
like the corner hangout of years gone by -- and students are going online in droves to post the
intimate details of their lives with the assumption that only their friends will see it.
Online communities may be an easy way of communicating with friends, but they also
present risks. The reason is simple. Student postings include insights into their personal values
and character and often include information such as cell phone numbers, class schedules, and
home addresses. It is common for students to post photos of themselves scantily clad or
participating in underage drinking, or making discriminatory remarks or racial slurs. This content
can become part of their public record, and postings can gravely damage reputations as well as
compromise college admissions, internships, and job prospects.
“We don’t want students to stumble into a situation that they will later regret and
unknowingly cut off their opportunities,” stated Pam Smith, Director of Guidance Services for
Hillsborough County in Tampa, Florida. “Students need to match the character they present
online to what they demonstrate to an admissions counselor. Admissions officers and potential
bosses will ask themselves, “Is this the person that we want to represent us in our student body?
Or join our workforce?” Students truly need to think through their actions and choices.
Many colleges and universities in early college programs and first year orientation
programs encourage students to set up a professional e-mail address or screen name. “They
warned us at orientation; there are articles in our college newspaper; they tell you to clear out
your Facebook if you re looking for a job,” stated Paige Machover, a junior at the University of
Miami. “A lot of my friends are getting savvier. They may be more carefree with their pages
during college, but as soon as they start the job search, they clean them up or take them down.”
(In the last year, companies have been formed for the sole purpose of “image cleanup.” College
seniors and graduates are employing them to wipe out a variety of questionable behaviors that
online postings reveal.)
Online communities are not all bad. Facebook, a higher education online community that
requires a college-issued e-mail, connects students with classmates on their campus. “Facebook
helped me find people in my classes and meet people who had something in common with me
before I even stepped on campus,” said Simi Boutselis, a sophomore at Towson State University.
“It helps you to keep in touch with your friends and to pass time when you’re bored.”
Postings about college admissions have become increasingly popular and help students to
learn about the application process. However, “students may want to put some effort into
becoming anonymous and disguising details,” said Pam Horne, assistant to the provost,
enrollment management, and director of admissions for Michigan State University. “It’s probably
not in a student’s best interest to negatively name institutions or campus officials. “
As Ryan Shollenberger, a sophomore at Muhlenberg College, put it: “You have to
remember that Facebook is not just for your friends. Your professors, campus security, coaches,
and even resident assistants can check your Facebook to see what you’re up to; so it’s important
that you don’t have anything to hide.
As with anything related to technology, the future is bringing change. Both Facebook and
MySpace have plans to expand market share beyond computers, to include cell phones. Students
will be able to post and receive messages, attach photos, and update their blogs and profiles
through their cell phones.
Article reprinted from COLLEGE BOARD REVIEW, Fall, 2006