College Applications and Facebook/MySpace Pages

As more teens create pages on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, it is important for parents to remind them that what they post is visible to anyone in the world with Internet access. For some reason, teens seem to believe that only their intended audience is accessing their pages and do not think that potential employers and colleges they apply to can see those pages and use the impression they get in admission or hiring decisions, but they can and do!

It costs employers money to hire new employees and they want to attract good employees, similarly to universities that want students who will reflect well on their reputation. It is in the best interest of the colleges and employers to learn everything they can about a person, so all information is fair game.

It is interesting to note that although it is illegal to ask about personal life, disability, religion, etc.. during the hiring process, it is not illegal to look at a Facebook page, which may include all of that information.

A new study "The Game Has Changed..." done at the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth (CMR) reported that 21% of colleges and universities sometimes review students and social-networking profiles and more than 26% look for information about student using standard search engines. Be smart!

Photo credit: MegElizabeth

Labels: College, Healthline, Parenting, Teen Health

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