The percentages of college admissions officers who say they have Googled
an applicant (29%) or visited an applicant’s Facebook or other social
networking page to learn more about them (31%) have risen to their
highest levels yet, according to Kaplan Test Prep’s 2013 survey of
college admissions officers*. When Kaplan first began tracking this
issue in 2008, barely 10% of admissions officers reported checking an
applicant’s Facebook page. Last year, 27% had used Google and 26% had
visited Facebook — up from 20% and 24%, respectively, in 2011.
“As social media has skyrocketed from being the domain of a younger
generation to societal ubiquity, the perceived taboo of admissions
officers checking applicants online has diminished,” said Seppy Basili,
Vice President, Kaplan Test Prep. “Granted, most admissions officers are
not tapping into Google or Facebook, and certainly not as a matter of
course. But there’s definitely greater acknowledgment and acceptance of
this practice now than there was five years ago.”
Despite the growth in online checking, however, there’s been a dip — to
30% this year from 35% in Kaplan’s 2012 survey — in the number of
admissions officers reporting that they’re finding something that
negatively impacted an applicant’s admissions chances. And notably, in a
separate survey of college-bound students**, more than three-quarters
said they would not be concerned if an admissions officer Googled them.
In response to the question, “If a college admissions officers were to
do an online search of you right now, how concerned would you be with
what they found negatively impacting your chances of getting in?” 50%
said they would be “Not at all concerned” while 27% said “Not too
concerned.” Only 14% of students said they would be “Very concerned”
while the remainder said they would be “Somewhat concerned.”
“Many students are becoming more cautious about what they post, and also
savvier about strengthening privacy settings and circumventing search,”
said Christine Brown, Executive Director of College Admissions programs,
Kaplan Test Prep. Kaplan’s student survey also showed that 22% had
changed their searchable names on social media, 26% had untagged
themselves from photos, and 12% had deleted their social media profiles
altogether.
“Our advice to college applicants is to run themselves through online
search engines on a regular basis to be aware of what information is
available about them online, and know that what’s online is open to
discovery and can impact them,” said Basili. “Sometimes that impact is
beneficial, if online searches turn up postings of sports scores,
awards, public performances or news of something interesting they’ve
undertaken. But digital footprints aren’t always clean, so students
should maintain a healthy dose of caution, and definitely think before
posting.”
For more information about Kaplan
Test Prep’s 2013 survey of college admissions officers, please
contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com
or 212.453.7538.
* For the 2013 survey, 381 admissions officers from the nation’s top
national, regional and liberal arts colleges and universities – as
compiled from U.S. News & World Report – were polled by telephone
between July and August 2013.
** 422 Kaplan students who took the SAT the ACT between December 2012
and April 2013 were surveyed by email.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com)
is a premier provider of educational and career services for
individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the
world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of
online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital
products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests,
including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate
school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys,
physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and
graduate admissions consulting services.
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post
Company (NYSE:WPO)
Copyright Business Wire 2013