Using Social Media to Get Into College
Want to use social media to get into college?
Today I'm sharing suggestions on how you can do just that from Dean Tsouvalas, editor-in-chief of StudentAdvisor.com, a website which provides a variety of information about colleges.
With the tremendous popularity of Facebook - if it were a country it would be bigger than all but two countries -- it seems like every college and admission counselor is now on Facebook.
A Kaplan survey of college admissions counselors found that 82% of admissions officers reported that their school is using Facebook to recruit students while 56% use Twitter and YouTube. While counselors are checking students out online, they are also trying to engage them on the Internet.
According to Tsouvalas, here are ways that high school students can take advantage of Facebook and other social media:
1. Research online.
Follow your prospective school's Twitter feeds, "like" their Facebook fan page and subscribe to any other social media channels that can give you insightful information. Through social media you can research schools and incorporate that knowledge into your essays and interviews.2. Try video.
Make a video on why you want to go to a school. Post it on YouTube, tag the school and include a link to the video in your application. Now you can stand out from other students applying. Tufts University leveraged social media when it invited students to submit an optional one-minute YouTube video along with their application.3. Start a blog.
A blog is a fantastic platform for displaying writing skills and a knowledge of your declared/target major. Your blog can showcase photos of your volunteerism, your creative side via art or music projects, that time you made it into the local paper for saving a cat in a tree/catching the winning touchdown/winning a pie- eating contest. Your blog can show your dynamic personality in ways that a word-count-restricted essay and GPA cannot, and can give you a leg up on other students. Of course, don't forget to provide links to your blog on your application.4. Don't forget privacy.
Seize the opportunity to sell yourself and your assets to schools,but don't overlook your privacy.On Facebook, visit "Privacy Settings" by clicking on "Account" and set privacy settings at the highest level you're comfortable with. On YouTube, make any videos that you wouldn't want everyone to see "Private" when you upload them.
Lynn O'Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution and she also writes for TheCollegeSolutionBlog.
Social media image by blakie. CC 2.0.