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Column: I thought it was my space! Should colleges poke around our pages?
Gargoyle illustration by Lor SligarA recent Kaplan study revealed that one out of 10 college admissions officers surveyed had checked an applicant's social networking site during the decision-making process. Should students be worried?Published: Monday, September 22, 2008 - 6:30pm
EVER SINCE SUBBIE year, without fail, I've heard cautions from adults to keep our MySpaces under wraps, and to "be careful what you post, because colleges will see it."
But to our young, 13-year-old minds, MySpace was for collecting picture comments and reposting quiz "bulletins," and no one used Facebook. Besides, college? That's, like, the U of I, right?
Nowadays, the warnings have not decreased. I'm still hearing no end of the "WATCH WHAT YOU POST!"-s. Even though I have sneakily set my entire Facebook life on superprivate settings, and patiently explain this to every adult who tells me my entire future college existence is in danger, they persist.
Maybe there are valid reasons behind their concern. Plenty of friends I've made over the years who go to other schools around Champaign-Urbana (or live in other states completely) are pretty dumb when it comes to what they post.
Furthermore, when surfing around through friends of friends whom I'm not "friended" to, I can often see rather illicit things publicly posted.
So maybe this is a problem. Obviously, there are people who aren't being as careful as they should. And obviously, people like me are brushing off these warnings.
I've seen pictures on Facebook of people smoking, using hookahs and bongs, drinking, smoking pot — you name it. Those are decisions that are their own call to make; however, posting photos of those activities is probably not the best thing to do. It's true: You never know who can see those things.
Still, telling students to be cautious is one thing. It's something else entirely when kids see friend requests from their administration, parents, coaches — you name it. Adults. Do they just want to stay in touch, or are they trying to monitor our lives?
It's sort of a strange position to be put in, to have to decide whether to friend your parents or not. On one hand, you don't want them to think you have something to hide. On the other hand, it's very awkward when your friends post teenage humor on your walls and your parents are going to see it. The same goes for administrators, with the added bonus of them being able to somehow punish you for it at school.
However, and more importantly, what all the adults seem to get the most huffy about is that college admissions officers are absolutely going to see our online personas.
According to a Kaplan study released last week, one out of 10 college admissions officers surveyed "has visited an applicant's social networking Web site as part of the admissions decision-making process."
The respondents consisted of 320 admissions officers from the nation's 500 top colleges as listed in U.S. News' "Ultimate College Directory" and Barron's "Profiles of American Colleges."
A quarter of the admissions officers who've looked said social networking pages like Facebook improved their opinions of the applicants, while 38 percent said their opinions declined.
According to the study: "In one instance, an admissions officer was looking at a student community Web site for feedback on their school. One applicant submitted a review, and the officer tracked down that student's social network profile. On the profile, the student bragged that he felt that he had aced the application process for that school, and also that he didn't feel that he wanted to attend that school. This led the officer to reject the applicant."
Maybe admissions officers are recognizing that college these days is becoming more of a competition as to who can get into the top schools, even if they don't belong there, and they are trying to figure out how to determine who wants to be there and who doesn't.
But searching through our Facebooks and MySpaces for illicit photos? That's stretching it.
Yes, we'll be living on their campus and they want to preserve their reputations, but those pages are not part of the package you're sending them.
I wouldn't let them videotape me for a month to decide if my social choices were proper, and I'm not particularly inclined to let them prance around my Facebook. But what rights do I have to stop them?
I guess for now, the privacy settings will just have to do.
Comments
Creepy treehouses
So interesting, Lor. My response doesn't have so much to do with the college bit, but with an article I've been working on about allowing (even encouraging) access to social networking sites and other Web 2.0 tools in schools. But as you note, there can be a backfire result when "grownups" start poking around in the student lounge, so to speak - or worse, set up a new lounge for students and expect them to willingly come in. Some folks are calling this behavior the "creepy treehouse effect." One particular definition suits what you describe: n. A situation in which an authority figure or an institutional power forces those below him/her into social or quasi-social situations. Yuck. For the record, I never friend first (unless you are a librarian - then it's fair game).
In schools, as in access
In schools, as in access isn't blocked on school computers?
And thanks. "Creepy treehouse effect"... I like that. And the definition is exactly what I'm talking about.
Blocked
Access IS blocked to social networking sites in lots of schools (obviously, not Uni). One of the problems with that policy is how those sites get defined, which is generally very broadly. Blogs, wikis, photo sharing sites like flickr, YouTube, online forums -- typically blocked. Another issue is that so many web-based resources now have social attributes (like the ability to leave comments on the OG). Seems to me those schools are kind of painting themselves into a corner.
Yes, at my middle school
Yes, at my middle school certain websites were blocked. And it would be interesting to watch how their definitions of what is blocked change as "respectable" pages modernize more and more, for example the Uni Gargoyle Blog.
Your words can define you.
The information age has brought with it much that is good and an equal part of what can be perceived as not so good. Many companies (and colleges) routinely check a candidate's "online reputation". This is a means for them to confirm that you are who you say you are. Certainly a company doesn't want their professional reputation compromised by hiring someone who presents themselves in one way publicly and yet posts thoughts, comments, photos, etc., which could damage the company which hired that person as their represenative. Or worse, comments which are hurtful, hateful or lack discretion. So, within this wonderful world of words available to us today, your words can define you more than ever. I agree with all those very caring people who warn you and all others to be careful what you say (post) because even the most "secured" sites are not that secure. Be careful out there.
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