Watch What You Post : Social Media's Impact on College Admissions

Feb 23, 2021

Watch What You Post : Social Media’s Impact on College Admissions

By Jacob Barber

“Be careful what you post on social media.” You’ve probably heard it from parents or teachers and they are usually referring to the impact that social media posts can have on employment. But, what about the impact your social media presence can have on college admissions?

According to Kaplan’s 2020 college admissions officers survey, an increasing percentage of admissions officials are comfortable considering an applicant’s social media presence when making admissions decisions. Over the last few years, the number of admissions officers surveyed that see no issue with social media being part of the admissions equation has increased from 57% in 2018 to 65% in 2020.

Approximately 36% of admissions officials surveyed said that they check applicants’ Twitter, TikTok and Instagram profiles to learn more about them. Of these officials who check applicant profiles, 42% said that their findings had a positive impact on prospective students, an increase from 38% in 2019. On the other hand, 58% said that what they found on social media had a negative impact on applicants, a significant increase from 26% in 2019.

The prevalence of social media use in the last year has increased exponentially with the arrival of COVID-19 and the reduction of in-person activities that were once the norm. While posting TikTok videos and Tweeting are now the norm, and may seem insignificant, these posts can be reviewed and interpreted by the admissions officials who will decide whether you are admitted to their school. They want to see prospective students with sound judgment and awareness.

If you’re beginning the college application process, consider cleaning up your social media profiles and limiting your posts in general. What seems insignificant in the moment can have significant and detrimental implications on your future, and the short-term satisfaction of receiving likes and retweets won’t matter when you’re reading the rejection letter from your dream school.