A new survey by Kaplan Test Prep shows college admissions officers are checking the social media profiles of applicants less than in previous years. This year, only 25 percent of admissions workers reported visiting social profiles of applicants, versus 40 percent in 2015.
This is due to two main factors. First, attitudes are shifting on whether this is an appropriate way to screen applicants. Secondly, students are getting sneakier, posting to apps like Snapchat instead of long-lasting digital footprint sites such as Facebook or Twitter.
Nearly every person living in the modern era has some type of digital footprint, and for the generation known as the “selfie” generation, the “Instagram generation”, and other tech-oriented names, this digital footprint starts at a young age. As such, the immature, goofy, and perhaps just wrong and offensive thoughts and beliefs of young children are memorialized on social media, poorly reflecting on them years later. For this reason alone, some colleges have decided social media profiles are not fair game and have chosen to instead respect a student’s privacy.
Students are also changing their social media habits, posting to sites that delete content after a short period of time. A 2018 study, conducted by research firm Piper Jaffray, found that 85 percent of teens had used Instagram in the past month, and 84 percent of teens had used Snapchat. Both platforms have increased privacy with impermanent posting options. On the other hand, just 36 percent of teens reported using Facebook in the past month. Students are becoming wiser about which sites they use, eliminating the digital footprint for college admissions workers to view and scrutinize.
“Even as technology has allowed college admissions officers to discover more information about their prospective students, it seems they are sticking with the traditional elements of the application to help them make enrollment decisions, like standardized test scores, GPA, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. These factors overwhelmingly decide applicants’ paths. Social media remains a wildcard, though from our research, a somewhat diminishing one. We’ll be tracking to see if this trend continues or reverses,” Kaplan Test Prep Executive Director of Research Yariv Alpher wrote in a statement.
Alexander James is a contributor to Red Alert Politics and a freelance journalist.
