Hopeful College Students Are 'Friend-Requesting' Admission Officials

Just as small companies, schools, and corporations are discovering the power behind marketing on such site, students are finding ways to connect with college Admission Officers in hopes of increasing their chances of being accepted. A recent survey of college admission officials suggests that students are using the social networking site as a way to connect to potential colleges. Seventy percent of respondents said they have been invited to "befriend" applicants. And although officials aren't sure how students think this will increase their odds, it's clear students are using social networking sites as an essential communication vehicle.

Is this self-marketing? Innocent networking?

It could be students don't quite understand the difference between connecting for professional and personal reasons. Students are just looking for insight into what the campus experience is like. Being a part of the social networking generation, this is how they know to reach out for immediate information.

Not many colleges and schools have policies about social networking with students. In a recent Harvard University Institute of Politics survey, 86% of college students had a Facebook account, and only 13% of 401 admissions officials said their school had a policy about interacting with students. However, the general consensus from admission officials is that personal connections with students through social networking sites most likely raise more issues than they solve.

There are colleges that have profiles developed for their campus for the intended purpose of networking with potential students. For students looking for information about campus life, these are the profiles they want to find—not the personal pages of individual admission personnel. The best way to avoid students finding your personal page is to keep your page private. Only your school's page should be public. This serves both the campus and the student—and is a concept that could be used for all schools, not just colleges.