Her Campus: 7 Ways to Clean Up Your Facebook Profile For College Admissions

 

From -- http://www.hercampus.com/high-school/private-professional-7-ways-keep-your-facebook-profile-clean-during-college-admissions-p

 

7 Ways to Clean Up Your Facebook Profile For College Admissions

Posted: 10/10/11 03:47 PM ET

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Facebook Privacy , Facebook , College Applications , Facebook College , Hercampus , High School News

At first, Lauren untags herself from any photos with red cups in sight. Next, she replaces obscene rap lyrics with sayings by Thoreau in her "Favorite Quotes" section. And finally, just minutes before hitting the "submit" button on the Common App, she changes the spelling of her name on Facebook to Loryn in an attempt at anonymity. Lauren isn't entering the witness protection program or hiding from the FBI -- she's simply using caution while applying to colleges. But do college admissions officers truly Facebook-stalk all incoming applicants? To what extent should you do a little Facebook spring-cleaning? Are there any red flags on your profile, and if so, how can you fix them? Her Campus sat down with Shawn Abbott, Assistant Vice President for Undergraduate Admissions at NYU, to learn more about what role Facebook plays in the college application process.

How do college admissions officers use Facebook?

A 2011 Kaplan study shows that more than 80 percent of colleges consider their applicants' social media presence when reviewing applications. However, if you're worried about college admissions officers picking through your Facebook profile with a fine-toothed comb, take comfort in the fact that admission committees aren't likely to spend hours looking through your junior varsity volleyball photo album or scrolling through status updates dating back to 2009.

While admissions officers do check for obvious no-nos -- wall posts from friends along the lines of, "I can't believe how out of control you were last night" and explicit profile pictures -- the goal of the search isn't to get applicants into trouble. "Admission counselors search for students on Google and other search engines -- sometimes out of curiosity and sometimes to verify claims that an applicant will make in his or her application with regard to leadership or involvement with a particular organization or activity," says Abbott. Considering this angle, keeping your profile easily accessible and searchable might actually work to your advantage -- as long as your profile is clean. "I treat my profile as a way for college admissions officers to get to know me outside of my academic accomplishments," says Meg Enciso, an HC High School Ambassador from Ontario.

Considering the high volume of applications each school receives, there's simply no time to launch extensive internet investigations on every applicant. "If I can't find someone on Facebook, I certainly don't spend an extraordinary amount of time hunting them down," says Abbott. If you change your name on Facebook, you may be able to dodge the profile scan. Don't let a new Facebook name lull you into a false sense of security, though; Abbott warns, "We sometimes receive screen shots of internet activity that can be called into question."

How are pre-collegiettes dealing with this issue?

"When I was in high school, I didn't change my Facebook at all during college admissions," says Caitlin Fernandez, a Her Campus Branch Manager, Campus Correspondent, and Virginia Tech sophomore. It appears that as Facebook becomes more widespread, students are becoming more cautious with their online presence. "Most of my friends have either deleted their accounts or intensified their privacy settings," says Deborah Vasquez, an HC High School Ambassador from Florida.

Some students strive to keep their profile out of sight by changing their Facebook name. While some opt for unusual spellings or replacing their first or last names with words (e.g., Olivia Sunshine), others replace their last name with their middle name. Kiley K., an HC High School Ambassador from Connecticut, says, "I use my middle name as my last because I don't want people who don't personally know me friend requesting me or checking out my profile, especially college admissions officers!"

1. How should you clean up your Facebook profile?

Cleaning up your Facebook profile doesn't have to be difficult. "Common sense is key," Abbott explains. "You don't have to live undercover on the Internet. You should simply avoid posting pictures or messages that could come back to haunt you later." Take his advice to heart and keep your profile professional with these easy adjustments.

Remove or untag problematic photos.
Go through your profile pictures, albums, and tagged pictures and remove or untag any photos that could potentially cause trouble. The rule of thumb? If you wouldn't want to show the photo to your grandparents, you don't want it on your Facebook, either. Specifically, make sure to remove all traces of photos that include:

• Drinking and drugs - even if you're not the one holding the beer!

• Party photos that don't have any illegal substances in view, but you look like you're having a little too much fun.

• Nudity. (Beach vacation photos with your family? Totally okay. Party photos sans pants? Not okay at all.)

• Make-out sessions with your boyfriend. We know you think the album is adorable, but college admissions officers might not.

• Your profile picture is especially visible, so take extra precaution to ensure that it's G-rated and promotes a positive image.

How to do it:

1. To remove a photo, click the "Remove Photo" link directly under the bottom right corner of the photo.
2. To remove the tag, click on "Report/Remove Tag" on the bottom right corner of the screen.

2. Use Profile Review.

This feature is an easy way to keep your profile in check. Every time a friend posts on your wall -- whether in the form of a wall post, photo, video, or status update -- you will be required to approve it. This gives you ultimate control over what appears on your profile; there's no risk of questionable photos or wall posts appearing on your wall without your knowledge.

How to do it:

1. Go to "Privacy Settings."
2. Click on "How Tags Work."
3. Select "Profile Review."

3. Edit your Profile.

Now would probably be a good time to remove "lax bros" from your Interests section. You don't need to broadcast a fake interest in medieval poetry or quantum physics (unless you truly have a passion for those subjects), but make sure the information in your profile is clean and professional. Check to see that your Favorite Quotes section is free of any references to illegal activities and obscene or offensive language.

How to do it:

1. Click "About," right above your timeline.
2. Scroll to the section you'd like to change, and edit your basic information, activities and interests, contact information, and more.
3. Make sure to hit "Save Changes" at the end!

Her Campus: 7 Ways to Clean Up Your Facebook Profile For College Admissions

Scientists on Twitter - Astronomers, Biologists, and Chemists, and more - Science Pond

 

Scientists on Twitter - Astronomers, Biologists, and Chemists, and more - Science Pond

About Science Pond

Welcome to the pond! For this Twitter experiment we'll need science nerds of all stripes, including scientists, bloggers, journalists, educators, and students. The criteria for inclusion: on-topic feeds in English that are interesting and useful--to your peers at the very least. If you're still not sure, this seems like the perfect time to quote Albert Einstein: "Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character."

Science Blogging Aggregated

 

Science Blogging Aggregated

Scienceblogging.org (also Scienceblogging.com) is a new central clearinghouse for all your science needs. Built by Anton Zuiker, Bora Zivkovic and Dave Munger, the page will aggregate RSS feeds from all the major (and some minor) science blogging networks, group blogs, aggregators and services. As the site develops further, it will also encompass other online (and offline) science communication efforts, including Twitter feeds, links to major scientific journals and magazines, ScienceOnline annual conference, and the Open Laboratory annual anthology of the best writing on science, nature and medical blogs.

We are asking the community to help. Let us know when we make an error, when a new network arises or a new RSS feed goes live.

Scientopia

 

Scientopia

Scientopia is a collective of people who write about science because they love to do so. It is a community, held together by mutual respect and operated by consensus, in which people can write, educate, discuss, and learn about science and the process of doing science.  In this we explore the interplay between scientific issues and other parts of our lives with the shared goal of making science more accessible.

As a community, we strive to be welcoming of anyone with an interest in science and its place in our world, regardless of any feature, whether extrinsic or intrinsic, which may act or have historically acted as a barrier to full participation in science or discourses about science. 

ScienceBlogs

 

ScienceBlogs

About ScienceBlogs

Science is driving our conversation unlike ever before.

From climate change to intelligent design, HIV/AIDS to stem cells, science education to space exploration, science is figuring prominently in our discussions of politics, religion, philosophy, business and the arts. New insights and discoveries in neuroscience, theoretical physics and genetics are revolutionizing our understanding of who are are, where we come from and where we're heading. Launched in January 2006, ScienceBlogs is a portal to this global dialogue, a digital science salon featuring the leading bloggers from a wide array of scientific disciplines. Today, ScienceBlogs is the largest online community dedicated to science.

We believe in providing our bloggers with the freedom to exercise their own editorial and creative instincts. We do not edit their work and we do not tell them what to write about.

We have selected our 80+ bloggers based on their originality, insight, talent, and dedication and how we think they would contribute to the discussion at ScienceBlogs. Our role, as we see it, is to create and continue to improve this forum for discussion, and to ensure that the rich dialogue that takes place at ScienceBlogs resonates outside the blogosphere.

ScienceBlogs is very much an experiment in science communication, and being first also means being first to encounter unforeseen obstacles. We are learning as we go (and as goes the blogosphere) and appreciate your understanding and patience.

ScienceBlogs was created by Seed Media Group. We believe that science literacy is a pre-condition for progress in the 21st century. At a time when public interest in science is high but public understanding of science remains weak, we have set out to create innovative media ventures to improve science literacy and to advance global science culture. To learn more about what we do and why we do it, please visit seedmediagroup.com.

PLoS Blogs Network

 

PLoS Blogs Network

About PLoS Blogs

PLoS has always engaged in debate about science and medicine. Starting with the launch of our main blog, plos.org, back in 2006, PLoS quickly realized how informal communication can catch readers’ attention. PLoS ONE then launched their journal blog, everyONE in March 2009. Two months later, the editors of PLoS Medicine started Speaking of Medicine to interact with those interested in global health.

PLoS Blogs has been set up to bring a select group of independent science and medicine bloggers together with the editors and staff who run our blogs. Our independent network is made up of writers who love science and medicine, and scientists and physicians that love to write. Here, you’ll find an equal mix of blogs from journalists and researchers tackling diverse issues in science and medicine.

Here are the details of our network:

• Our Blog network is 100% ad-free
• All material is posted to the blog under the Creative Commons Open Access License (CCAL 3.0 Commercial)

  “With a Creative Commons license, you keep your copyright but allow people to copy and distribute your work provided they give you credit.”

• There are three very distinct types of blogs on the PLoS Blogs network: the official PLoS blog, the PLoS journal blogs (collectively known as The PLoS Blogs), and blogs from the independent network (a.k.a. The PLoS Blogosphere)
  1. The official PLoS blog: This content is produced, edited, and/or maintained by PLoS staff.
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• All of the content in The PLoS Blogosphere came from the minds of the authors. PLoS does not screen, edit, or otherwise meddle with content on the these blogs in any way. Our bloggers and our users are held to exactly the same standards, and the community guidelines apply to everyone that uses our site. If a blogger has posted content that you believe violates our site abuse policy, please contact PLoS here.
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