UNF admissions doesn’t view Facebook like other colleges

Students should think twice before posting pictures from last night’s party or adding that crude bumper sticker because there’s a possibility more than just friends are looking at their Facebook or Myspace, according to a Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey.

Kaplan surveyed 320 college admissions officers from the nation’s top colleges and universities and found one out of 10 officers visited an applicant’s social networking Web site as a part of the decision-making process.

The July-August 2008 survey also revealed 25 percent of officers viewing applicants’ sites said they’ve had a positive impact from evaluating a student’s page. But 38 percent of admissions officers said they’ve had a negative impact.

But prospective UNF students need not worry because UNF undergraduate admissions has never considered looking at social networking sites as a part of its admissions decision-making process, said Chad Learch, assistant director at the Office of Admissions.

“We have the ability to look at a student a little more holistically than larger universities do.” Learch said. “We would rather base it off things they can turn in personally – kind of more of the traditional application materials. We’ve been successful with sticking with the traditional methods.”

Factors UNF considers, along with grades and test scores, include letters of recommendation, essays, resumes and transcripts, Learch said.

The UNF admissions office has Facebook and Myspace pages, both of which are used for recruitment and informational data, Learch said.

“We started the Facebook and Myspace pages to get responses from people interested in UNF and to get them in our system and to market the school, not to make any [admissions] decisions,” Learch said.

Learch said he would never personally look at a student’s site because “it’s bad form in keeping the admissions policy fair.”

He believes other colleges and universities’ admissions officers have turned to looking at profiles because they want to look at a student’s personality, verify facts or see if a student is a risk for trouble, he said.

“Admissions offices are charged with not only creating a certain class … We’re charged with making sure that people that come in aren’t being set up for failure,” Learch said. “Our biggest mission is to get people we think will succeed. So whatever the other colleges and universities are doing, they’re doing the same thing. They want to make sure whoever they take in will be successful, and I think that’s underlying whatever objective they have.”

Freshman psychology major Rebecca Kern was aware of the profile-watching when she was in high school.

She said she heard stories from other students who were asked by administrators to take off pictures from their sites.

Kern, who has a Facebook and Myspace, said looking at profiles isn’t an effective way of evaluating students.

“It’s unfair, and obviously the majority of students find it an invasion of privacy,” she said. “[Admissions officers] already have their applications and what they need to determine what they’re looking for. It’s kind of like they’re looking to catch students doing something bad on purpose.”

Kaplan also conducted a similar survey among admissions officers at law, business and medical schools.

The survey found officers at 9 percent of business schools, 15 percent of law schools and 14 percent of medical schools have viewed students’ sites.

Keith Martin, director of graduate studies, said the UNF graduate program does not look at applicants’ sites as a part of the decision-making process.

The program’s admissions officers look at personal statements, letters of recommendation and writing samples.

“We figure that’s good enough for us,” Martin said. “That’s the portfolio the students represent themselves by that we look at, and of course their transcripts and test scores. But we don’t go snooping around for any extraneous information beyond that.”

It’s more likely for extremely prestigious and competitive law and medical programs and schools such as Harvard or Georgetown to view profiles, Martin said.

“Students at UNF have nothing to fear about,” Martin said.

But it’s not just schools that are viewing applicants’ profiles; employers have resorted to the option as well.

Valarie Robinson, liason of the College of Arts and Sciences at Career Services, said some employers look for details of pictures applicants have because that could signify the image represented for the company.

“If there are pictures of someone that is partying or in some type of indecent situation, that’s going to paint a picture of that person,” Robinson said. “Because of that image, it’s very likely that company may eliminate potential job-seekers from the process. On the other hand, if they’re positive pictures, that could definitely set a nice precedent.”

The main factors – like an applicant’s resume or a job interview – should be taken into consideration, said junior business management major Miranda Weber.

But she said she understands profiles could reveal an applicant’s character or work ethic. For those reasons, Weber said she carefully considers what she puts on her Myspace.

“I make sure that I don’t put anything on there that I wouldn’t want a prospective employer or even my mother to see,” Weber said. “That relates to pictures, what I write about myself, what I let other people post on my page and who I accept as my friends.”

Learch offered some advice to students about maintaining their Facebook or Myspace.

“You need to guard your personal life, just like you would with anything else,” he said.

Who’s Looking?

• According to a Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey, one out of 10 admissions officers look at social networking sites like Facebook
• 38 percent of sites viewed had negative impact on admissions

E-mail Laura Franco at staff2@unfspinnaker.com.