Facebook, for College Applicants.

Now that my sons are in their teenage years, I have frequently talked to them about the use of Facebook and the unexpected consequences that it can have. There was an article in Thursday's Wall Street Journal about the effect some students Facebook accounts can have on them and their college admissions process.

According to the article, a survey of 500 top colleges found that 10%of admissions officers acknowledged looking at social networking sites to evaluate applicants. Of those colleges making use of this information, 38% said that what they saw affected them negatively.

Nicholas Santangelo, a senior at Seton Hall Prep, a private school in West Orange, N.J., says he expects colleges might look at his Facebook site but hopes admissions officers realize the postings reflect only a partial view of any student. "There are some things I might think about getting rid of," says Nicholas, 17, who is considering such competitive schools as Amherst College and Wesleyan University.

Now this student raises a very good point, "Admissions officers realize the postings reflect only a partial view of any student". I totally agree, but WHY, give a school an excuse to not select you. Remember college admission is very difficult and potentially years of hard work can be ruined do to a misunderstood posting or picture. Either on your profile of someone else's.

Here are two perspectives from the article.

Greg Roberts, senior associate dean of admission at the University of Virginia, says his staff is free to check out anonymous tips about social-networking sites or make use of the information if the admissions committee is evaluating a "tight" decision.

Sandra Starke, vice provost for enrollment management at the State University of New York at Binghamton, says she instructs her staff to ignore Facebook and other sites because she considers postings to be casual conversations, the online equivalent of street-corner banter. "At this age, the students are still experimenting," she says. "It's a time for them to learn. It's important for them to grow. We need to be careful how we might use Facebook."

It seems to me it is not worth the risk. Facebook and Myspace are still relatively new technology. As the years go by I can only assume that it will be used more and more to find out about individuals, both for school and potential jobs.

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Check back later to get me take on the 700 billion dollar bailout.


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