Facebook doesn’t threaten admission

Tags. Posts. College rejections?

Some students graduating from high school this year might find their Facebook profiles under the scrutiny of college admissions offices, according to a news release from the education company Kaplan.

Despite the 10 percent of admissions officers from 320 of the top 500 colleges surveyed by Kaplan admitting to using Facebook to screen applicants, Hoosier hopefuls applying to IU might not have as much to worry about.

“We have no systematic approach to reviewing someone’s Facebook,” Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Roger Thompson said. “Facebook is certainly a way for students to communicate with each other. Most of it is not applicable to the admissions process.”

The main criteria for admission to IU are high-school GPA, courses taken in high school and standardized-test scores, be it the SAT or the ACT, Thompson said. Facebook, he said, does not help admissions officers further evaluate potential students.

“I think one of the important things that any admissions office tries to do is assess students on their knowledge, skills and abilities. What is their academic potential?” Thompson said.

He went on to say a Facebook profile does not contribute to such an assessment.

Though Facebook doesn’t play a significant role at IU’s admissions office, the danger of being evaluated based on a profile picture or racy wall post can still be imminent for some students. For many, the message to regulate what appears on Facebook sites has become an all too familiar drone. However, Thompson insists the advice is valuable and can greatly impact large decisions.

“Whatever you put on your Facebook site has the potential to be seen by thousands of people around the world,” Thompson said. “What’s more common are students applying for a job somewhere and not being selected for something that’s on their
Facebook site. I think you shouldn’t take that lightly.”

Some students are even willing to take their profiles in the other direction to perhaps mislead employers or admissions officers.

“I would make a fake Facebook if it would increase my chances,” said junior Trevor Shirley. “Oh, absolutely ... I’m not above that.”

Still, Shirley, as well as others, are well aware of the consequences of questionable material on the site.

“You should always be respectable and compose yourself with dignity,” Shirley said.
Junior Jane Waggoner agrees, keeping in mind those who might be looking at her profile while browsing through her own photos.

“I always monitor it,” Waggoner said. “I don’t put a lot of things on there, not just illegal things but others, too. If it’s unflattering, and I don’t like the setting, I’ll untag it. My family is on there, and there are things I don’t want them to see.”

But no matter what might be the case outside of IU, Thompson still insists Facebook will not play a significant role in the University’s admissions.

“Every university in the country that’s a good one has integrity in their admissions process,” Thompson said. “We lean on other criteria to provide that integrity.”