Think of the Internet as the high-tech version of your grade-school teacher who always caught you talking. The difference is, now millions of people are watching you! Yes, times have changed and with the ability for virtually anyone to create an online space for themselves comes the responsibility to remember who’s watching. We’re not just talking Mom and Dad, either. Nowadays, some colleges and universities are checking out prospective students though MySpace, Facebook, Xanga, Live Journal, Friendster and general Google searches. In fact, even if you think your posts are private and hidden from the general public, experienced Web navigators may be able to find them.
So what exactly are the sleuths at colleges looking for? Anything that might reflect poorly on you, thereby reducing or eliminating your chances of getting into your school of choice: underage drinking, drug use, discussing sexual exploits, bashing a school, photos of pranks you’ve pulled, and derisive comments about individuals or groups of people.
This isn’t to say that most college and university admissions officials are out there searching the Web to see what applicants are up to. On the contrary, most admissions reps say they don’t do Web searches on applicants — but might consider information — such as an offensive blog posting — if a third party brought it to their attention. This is the case at MIT, Harvard and the California Institute of Technology, which have all publicly stated that they DO NOT use ANY information that’s not provided to them by the applicant, teachers or counselors through the formal application process. (Of course, the exception would be if something was pointed out by a third party — like the police — that might jeopardize a student’s safety.) A few schools have admitted to rejecting applicants due to their online posts. (At Reed College, for example, a prospective student wrote harsh comments about college officials on his blog.) One online blogger wrote that she’s seen it happen more than once. “Several old high school friends have had their applications to colleges rejected because the administrators … didn’t like what they saw/read (on their) MySpace accounts.”
For some students, their online posts aren’t just keeping them out of the incoming class — they’re keeping them out of school in general. According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, “It’s happening all across the country: Students in middle school, high school and college are being suspended and expelled for their online indiscretions.”
All of this is not to say that your postings have to be boring. Actually, photos (clean ones only please!) of your friends, your activities, your semester abroad, and good writing on almost ANY subject can actually help you get into a college. But as a general rule, ask yourself if you’d be OK with your grandmother reading your blog. If you’re not sure, skip it. The same goes for your friends’ sites: ask them not to post inappropriate or potentially embarrassing information or photos of you. Remember, once you put something on the Web it becomes available for public viewing — no matter how private you want it to be.
