How social networking assists in losing or gaining college admissions opportunities

Since social media is a continuous virtual diary and networking platform, students are unaware of the impact of their online image. Top US, UK, and even Indian school admission committees started including social media review as part of holistic assessment. Admission committees know only academic writings, co-curricular, and personal statements but the student's online image can support his application or raise the alarm bell.

Manali Dogra, Associate Partner 2, Athena Education, also surmises that college admissions today are less about grades and essay. Now, a social presence online is a positive factor, but still an unpolled aspect, of admissions.

WHAT ADMISSION OFFICERS WANT

Admit officers do not care so much about whether or not the individual who a student nominates for admission is really a fair depiction of his or her online persona. They will be looking for:

Explanations of motivation, passion, and leadership - A neat LinkedIn or blog page like assignments, research papers, or volunteer activities that can add an application.

Community interaction - Contestants who are involved in canvassing, debating on a topic, or providing constructive feedback from their learning setup impress the examiners. 

Maturity and professional attitude - Answering questions framed in a sense of responsibility, concern, and intellectual curiosity is liked by the examiners.

Red flags - Abusive language, racist memes, bullying, or suspicious allegiances may be a red flag, which could even lead to offer withdrawal.

HOW TO CURATE A POSITIVE DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

1. Review your current profiles

Google yourself and look what comes up. Go through all of the social networking websites-Instagram, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and even Reddit-and delete or bookmark everything that could be misinterpreted. Delete tweets/posts with profanity, hate speech, or anything else that is bad about your personality.

2. Have a consistent online presence for your application

Your online identity must include both LinkedIn and extracurricular professional profiles. Whatever you've posted on your college application should have a mirror or similar effect or experience on LinkedIn. Your cause may be keeping our planet green; post climate action on Twitter or Instagram, or post news and word of projects on that which you've done.

3. Use privacy controls wisely

As far as nothing needs to be shared publicly, present yourself also well on private accounts. Tagged photos or regular friends will still convey something regarding your personality in public life, even though private posts are not seen by admissions personnel. Avoid posting something that can be misconstrued or taken out of context.

4. Utilize linkedIn and personal sites

LinkedIn is a fine site on which to post activities, achievements, and professional aspirations. A brief research paper or personal website, blog articles, or corpus of creative writing can set someone solidly in the online medium for admissions officers to find.

5. Steer clear of inflammatory or misleading content

Universities desire students who will have the ability to offer a liberal outlook. Avoid inflammatory political diatribe, off-base jokes, or racist comments no doubt directed at specific constituencies. Make debate and critical thinking provocative rather.

Since online traces are now a badge of new identity, it is absolutely necessary that the students validate their online lives as a representation of themselves-a representation of themselves as real, responsible, and committed to learning.