By Julia Gajewski-Nemes ’15

As high school seniors around the nation continue to perfect their early applications for colleges, many do not realize that social media activity can hinder their chances of being accepted. In a Kaplan survey of college admissions officers from 381 different institutions, it was found that 31 percent of the officers visit applicant’s social media pages and 29 percent conduct Google searches in order to learn more about the student. Of those, 30 percent reported finding something online that negatively impacted a student’s admissions chances.

Although it is rare that a social media post be the sole reason that a student does not get admitted into a college,there is something incredibly unsettling about the thought of an admissions officer covertly nosing through the social media sites of prospective students. Due to the impulsiveness and hormonal nature of the typical teenager, it seems unfair for an applicant’s character to be judged on his or her past, especially when the applicant is not notified that his or her social media pages may be examined during the application process.