College Applicants, Beware!

A recent article in "The Wall Street Journal" had a title similar to that listed above except that is added...Your Facebook Page is Showing. It turns out that 10% of admissions officers from 500 top colleges and universities acknowledged looking at social networking sites to evaluate applicants. And of those colleges making use of the online information, 38% said that what they saw "negatively affected" their views of the applicant.

The two sites that are viewed most often are Facebook and MySpace. The WSJ article offered the following advice to members of the social network:
Don't:
- Include offensive language or references to illegal behavior on your site.
- Make offhand, negative comments about colleges.
Do:
- Establish privacy setting so your posts aren't accessible to the general public.
- Consider all communication could be public one day.

Our teens are experiencing a totally different world than parents and most adults in the school experienced while growing up. Some of it is better; some of it is worse. Probably our best course of action is to warn them of potential pitfalls that might arise solely because of their inexperience. Good luck with your efforts!