Do colleges have the right to look at the social-networking sites of applicants? Why or why not? How careful are you about what you post on Facebook, Myspace or Twitter?
See Wall Street Journal Article below
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122170459104151023.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
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I think that in some cases colleges have some right to look at what you post on your facebook, for the sheer opinion of that person. An easy indicator of someones character can be judged by what that person posts on such social networking websites. Should an admission decision be made upon an alarming discovery, I dont think so. Colleges have the right to know about what you may do, and maybe even see pictures of you when you are, "out and about", but your actions should not ever over ride your academic record. Everybody makes mistakes, especially high school students. People may post one or two questionable status', etc, but that is not a huge deal. If people are posting inappropiate things on a daily basis, then that is not good. Also, if you are tagged in a picture of you doing something you are not proud of, maybe just remove it from your profile. High school students seeking admission to a school, in particular top schools, should really evaluate theire facebook profile/twitter/ etc.
I think colleges do have a right to check applicants student social networks because it will allow them to make an easier decision whether to accept or decline. It shouldn't be the only thing colleges consider when making the decision because they still should make it a priority to look at grades aswell as gpa of the student. They should take into consideration that we have had our facebooks and myspace for years now and we were only middle schoolers when we made them, so there will be some stupidity on the website that we might have taken back at our age now. This will definetely stop individuals from posting dumb drunken party pictures or status' that think they look cool for posting. The college should really know about the true individual; that they aren't accepting a different person on paper than in front of you.
I believe that colleges do have the right to look at social-netowrking sites of applicants. I believe they have the right to do this because colleges wants kid in their schools who are good kids. If they find out that a kid they are going to accept gets into fights a lot and sees pictures of him fighting people or videos, they might say no now just because of this. If they didn't do this colleges wouldn't have as great students as they probaly would have hopedfor. I am careful what I post on facebook. All my photos are clean. Once in a while my friends will put something stupid up online because I accidentelly left it on at their house, but that's just a mistake I make once a while. I should probaly make sure I sign out everytime, but overally I am safe.
I do not believe that colleges and universities withold the right to look at the social-networking sites of applicants. There are certain requirements and criteria that an applicant has to meet before applying to college. These criteria are made known by the colleges through applications, and other college-specific means such as portfolio's and volunteer hours. Keeping this in mind, activities that applicants participate in on their own free time is of no pertinence to an educational facility. If there were official restrictions on certain activities, they should have been mentioned within the application or otherwise made known to the applicant. However, with a lack of these restrictions, colleges should not, under any circumstance,view the social-networking sites of applicants or otherwise invade their privacy.
I do feel colleges have the right to look at social networking sites of their applicants especially if the applicant is applying to yale, columbia, harvard, any ivy leage school because they have to live up to this image of a good student, not a partier, and if the student is posting pictures of them getting drunk, doing drugs ect, they shouldnt be able to go to that certain college because what kind of message are they sending to fellow students? A really bad message. They should also know better not to post pictures like that online or post derogatory comments because it's out for the world to see and once you post something on facebook lets say and you think by deleting it, it will go away forever. No it wont, its out there and going to remain out there forever, someone will have seen your post. My advice is if you have a facebook, twitter, myspace, whatever, just be mature about it and don't talk about the time you were high...drunk...ect. because its not necessiary and you never know whos watching. As for myself, i am always careful about what im posting because you just never know and i dont want to take the chance of not getting into the college i want to get into because of facebook....its one less thing for me to worry about.
I feel that colleges have every right to look at social-networking sites. Everyone using these networking sites realizes that anything they put on the internet can be seen somehow, and if they really care so much about what other people can look at then they shouldn’t be putting certain things on the internet. Students applying to colleges who do have pictures of themselves using drugs and alcohol should realize these schools may not like this, and they should just “un-tag” themselves or have the picture removed. If they don’t do this, then they are giving the upper-hand to the students who actually do care enough to remove these photos or who actually do not participate in such activities. There are also privacy settings that don’t allow people who haven’t been approved to see your page. People can easily just set these if they don’t want people certain people or schools looking at everything they do. When it comes to offensive language people may be using on the internet, I feel that schools should be more lenient with text they may read because they don’t know if maybe this is an “inside joke” they may have with friends or how serious they really were when they wrote it. However, I do agree with the statement that if you wouldn’t want your grandmother to read it, then it shouldn’t be posted on the internet because you really don’t know who may have access to your page and how certain things on the internet may affect you in the future.
In my personal opinion, I think it is a violation of privacy for colleges to check students social networking profiles. Before the internet was around, it would have been absurd for a college representative to come to a school and observe how a student acts, and I think with the amount of information a facebook profile can show, that would be the modern day translation of what they are doing. Despite the fact that what a person puts online is not a compeltely accurate representation of what kind of person they are, the fact of the matter is around the time college comes by, kids who would seem unfit for college at first glance have a good chance of getting their act together if they want to be sucessful. Although it is in their best concern to know who they have at their school, I think they should find another, more accurate and less privacy invading way to see how their students act.
Some colleges definately can have the right to look at an applicants facebook because you shouldnt be putting things on there that you wouldn't want them to see, or even your parents to see. You shouldn't have to hide anything, just be who are. colleges have the right to find out which applicants that show who they are and if they find discouraging things on an applicants page then they obviously dont care enough to try and get rid of the things they dont want people to see. If the addmissions office has difficult choices between a few students maybe they will go to their facebook page to see which applicant really is an overall better choice for the university. college is a very big change and decison you shouldnt limit your chances with schools just because of a dumb comment someone made on your facebook page. if your hiding things online it isnt, even safe there so why have it? you should have what other people would want to see. you have many ways to get rid of unwanted photos, or comments you can delete them! i now have started to watch every thing i have done and what gets put onto my facebook page. i dont want to hide from who i am, its unnesscary to have things you want to hide from on your facebook.
Colleges definitely have the right to look at the facebook pages of people applying to their school. The colleges should be able to know what kind of person they are accepting. A lot of people see it as an invasion of privacy but it really could be a good thing for some colleges. You might not see all of what a person is like by just looking at their facebook page but you could get a general idea. Although it does depend on the person looking at the page as well. Two different people could have different opinions about the same page.
I am always very careful of what I put on my facebook page. I don’t make that many facebook status’ anyway so I don’t worry about that all too much. But if there is a picture that I don’t want on my page I will just take it off. Now that I know that colleges are looking at facebook pages I will just act more careful when it comes to things I let on my page.
Colleges have the right to look at student's facebook profiles. Everyone know that the internet is public, and should only put things on it that they have pride in. Colleges should also consider that sometimes people appear different on their pages than they actually are in person. People have many dimensions and sides to them that unfold over time, and strictly judging teenagers on unimportant things they share with their friends is ignorant. Things colleges read or see should be kept in mind, but only held against a student if it involves the breaking the law, or making poor lifestyle choices that may make the student a bad fit for a school.
When college admissions officers are making their final decisions, I believe that they have to right to look at a person’s Facebook, Myspace or Twitter page. Social Networking pages are accessible to the general public. If you choose to create something like a Facebook account, you are leaving yourself open to public exposure, which includes colleges. In addition, if you choose to put pictures up of you doing something which is possible illegal, for example underage drinking, you are allowing this side of you to be exposed to everyone.
When colleges make their decisions, they are not only looking for a person who did well on their SAT or who has a perfect 4.0 GPA, they are looking for a well-rounded, good person who is going to succeed at their school. Colleges don’t want a student whose main ambition at college is partying rather than studying and learning. Colleges would rather have the reputation of being a school of higher education rather than being known as the best party college.
I am responsible when posting pictures or messages on my Facebook. However I don’t have any major concerns about my Facebook, since I don’t really participate in activities that could be conceived as negative and might put up a warning flag with colleges. I am very selective about who I become friends with on Facebook. If I don’t know the person, I won’t add them or if I think they are involved in inmature activities, I won’t add them.
Colleges should have the right to look at prospective students' online networks. It is part of the student's representation of themselves. If a student isn't thinking and uploads inappropriate material to their pages, it is the responsibility of the student of what he/she posted and should be dealt with accordingly. I am always careful with what I post. I know that if I post something inappropriate, there could potentially be consequences. Even if such material is deleted from public viewing, you don't know who saved it to their computer, and if the material is still in the network's database. For example, if you delete a picture off of facebook, the picture may not be visible on your profile anymore, but the URL of the photo still exists and will probably not be deleted. Once something goes on the internet, it never comes off.
To an extent, colleges have a right to glance through your photos, and even friends. It is important to see what we do and who we choose to do it with. However, Facebook.com was invented as a place where you could be yourself. Express your options. A place to be free. With the current pressure of your dream schools looking at every little move you make, even so much as to monitor what your interests are to the point where you need to falsely 'like' certain pages to appear more sophisticated as noted in the article, the idea of behind Facebook.com has been changed. Tarnished, even. Why should students have to think twice about posting photos from a certain party that they had a great time at? Why feel negative pressure against opening admitting your love for something childish, as we saw in the article with the boy who aspired to study at Standford yet loved comic books? Why should we have to be pretend to be something we are not? And for that matter, what about all the people’s profiles who were also at ‘that’ party, and chose not to upload those photos. Are they any better than the individual who choose to put said pictures up?
Colleges can exercise their rights to view Facebook profiles just as any other person can, I just feel it an invasion of privacy especially when I have to feel uncomfortable about treasured photos and personal interests. With so many colleges pushing you to be who you are and be ‘yourself’, it’s very contradictive of them to want us to censor a place created for being 100% you.
To an extent, colleges have a right to glance through your photos, and even friends. It is important to see what we do and who we choose to do it with. However, Facebook.com was invented as a place where you could be yourself. Express your options. A place to be free. With the current pressure of your dream schools looking at every little move you make, even so much as to monitor what your interests are to the point where you need to falsely 'like' certain pages to appear more sophisticated as noted in the article, the idea of behind Facebook.com has been changed. Tarnished, even. Why should students have to think twice about posting photos from a certain party that they had a great time at? Why feel negative pressure against opening admitting your love for something childish, as we saw in the article with the boy who aspired to study at Standford yet loved comic books? Why should we have to be pretend to be something we are not? And for that matter, what about all the people’s profiles who were also at ‘that’ party, and chose not to upload those photos. Are they any better than the individual who choose to put said pictures up?
Colleges can exercise their rights to view Facebook profiles just as any other person can, I just feel it an invasion of privacy especially when I have to feel uncomfortable about treasured photos and personal interests. With so many colleges pushing you to be who you are and be ‘yourself’, it’s very contradictive of them to want us to censor a place created for being 100% you.
I believe that colleges have every right to be able to check any social networking sites. When colleges accept you, they are agreeing to put a lot of time and money into your education. They are pretty much making in investment in you and anyone would check into an investment before making it. No one should be posting anything that would be incriminating on there anyway. Schools aren’t the only ones who can look at the websites but future employers can too. Everyone should just keep their posts clean because once they get out there; there is no way to take it back. If someone is not willing to do that, then they will have to deal with the consequences of what might happen if they are ever seen. Colleges have every right to check into the people that they are allowing to enter their school because there are many other people without incriminating profiles that they could let in instead.
Colleges do have the right to look at the social networking sites of applicants. What applicants post on the internet they are posting to the public, and should therefore be more aware of how they are perceived by the people who look at their facebook, twitter, etc. Although I believe colleges should be allowed to look at applicants social networking sites, I don’t think an applicant’s facebook, twitter, or any other social networking site should weigh heavily or even throw the admission of the student to a school. Colleges should understand the fact that most applicants applying to college have had some sort of social networking account since they were young, and may have some inappropriate posts or pictures that they wish they could remove now that they have matured.
I think that colleges should take whatever is on social networking sites lightly. In my opinion the facebook or online version of someone is very different that the in person version of someone.It is very hard to not only see the person beind a post but also see the tone or intention of the post. However, on the other hand, i think colleges should take a quick look at what someone is posting on their wall. If they have an applicant with great grades but the applicant has death threats and neo-nazi symbols all over their profile the college should probobly not except that person. Another problem with colleges looking at facebook is that it takes away from the personality aspect of social sites if people are modeling their profiles so it looks good for college.
After reading the article i took another look at my facebook and actually deleted some of posts that i thought could be taken poorly by someone who doesn't know me in person. It really made me realize how much i have to think about the consequences of my actions before i do something.
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