College Admissions Officers Read Blogs and MySpace

Posted on March 26, 2006

Teens here is another good reason to be careful what you blog about and what kinds of photographs and comments you make in MySpace or similar social networks. An article from PittsburghLive.com says not only are employers watching blogs and social networks but college admissions officers are paying attention as well.

Employers, bankers, insurance brokers, and college admissions officers are becoming wise by using social networking and blogging sites as an addition to traditional background checks, such as credit and criminal history.
The more than 70 million people using these sites make it easy for anyone who wants to learn about them.
"Unfortunately, I think most of the people who are posting those are only thinking about their intended readers," said Steven Rothberg, president and founder of CollegeRecruiter.com, the highest traffic career site used by students, recent graduates, and employers.
"If you're a 20-year-old college student and you like to get drunk on the weekends, you're probably going to put that on your profile because you want to hook up with other people that do the same."

If you do want to get in to college you should refrain from posting anything you think a college admissions officer would find objectionable. You should also scrub your blog or profile free of any current objectionable content. Colleges don't have to wait to receive your application -- they can look now and make notes of what they find. Police are also using these sources. They are reading the comments and looking through the public photos in social networks. The article provides this example:

Pennsylvania State University police used Facebook to identify 50 students who stormed the field after the football game against Ohio State this past season.
Naively, the students formed a Facebook group that university police said was titled something like "I stormed the field after Ohio State game."
Police officers were searching for another student who was accused of online harassment when they stumbled upon the group, complete with university e-mails and pictures that clearly incriminated the students.
Punishments for the students ranged from warnings to suspensions.

Getting into college and finding a job are hard enough without having to explain some nonsense you posted on a blog or a MySpace profile. Be careful what you post kids.