Colleges Snoop on Applicants' Online Lives

Admissions, financial aid officers 'fess up to checking social networking pages
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 29, 2009 6:30 AM CDT
Colleges Snoop on Applicants' Online Lives
College hopefuls are advised to steer clear of overly candid postings online, or at least to make sure their security settings are tight.   (©Mathieu Ramage)

A quarter of colleges check applicants' social networking pages or run their names through search engines, according to a new report. The colleges didn't say whether their online findings could make or break an application, but the study's authors believe overly candid online postings have the potential to sink one's chances. "No school wants to give a prestigious scholarship to someone standing on a beer keg and wearing a lampshade," said its author.

A director of the counselors' association told the Los Angeles Times that the takeaway is clear: "Don't post anything that you don't want your mother or father or college admission officer to see." (More admissions officers stories.)

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