A typical Tufts hopeful submits an exceptional application filled to the brim with stellar recommendations, a lengthy list of extracurricular activities and nearly perfect test scores — seemingly all that is needed for a thorough evaluation.
Still, with social networking sites registering more users every day, both graduate and undergraduate programs are starting to involve them in the admissions process, according to a recent study conducted by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.
The study surveyed 320 of the nation's elite schools, including Tufts, and found that 10 percent of college admissions officers currently use social networking Web sites to screen applicants. Fifteen percent of law schools, 14 percent of medical schools and nine percent of business schools also reported evaluating candidates through their personal Web pages.
"The effect of social networking sites is a very new phenomenon," said Russell Schaffer, a spokesperson for Kaplan. "It's really a wake-up call for students. Today's application isn't just what you've submitted to the schools — it's everything, absolutely everything that you've put out there in the public domain."
Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions conducts an annual survey on a national education trend.
"This year, we wanted to look at social networking Web sites because social networking — and the incredible amount of information that students reveal about themselves online — is really the ‘Wild West' of the admissions process. It's new territory," Schaffer said.
Eighty-six percent of college students have a Facebook.com account and 59 percent are registered on MySpace, according to a 2008 survey conducted by the Harvard Institute of Politics.
The admissions officers who appraised applicants through social networking Web sites reported being negatively impacted by applicants' Web pages 38 percent of the time and were rarely impressed, Schaffer said.
"The bottom line is that these Web sites are unlikely to help you, but they can hurt you," Schaffer said. "Admissions officers can and do look at their content."
Tufts admissions officers do not look at any social networking Web sites when evaluating applicants, and according to Dean of Admissions Lee Coffin, they will not partake in this practice in the future.
"There is not a compelling reason to look at a student's social networking site, nor does such an exploration seem germane to our application process," Coffin said in an e-mail to the Daily. "The Common Application and Tufts' supplement … constitute the sole domain of our evaluation of candidates."
Online screening of applicants "has no place in a college admission process," Coffin said.
"Just because Kaplan claims it happens does not mean that it does," he continued. "I am not aware of any ‘elite' institutions that engage in such a practice."
When admissions officers do engage in online research, however, the results can be harmful to applicants.
Schaffer recalled one student's unexpected rejection from a school, a "direct result" of information the student had displayed on his public Facebook page. The student had written that he had aced the admissions process for the school and was sure to be accepted, but he had no interest in actually attending the school. An admissions officer from that school saw the post during the screening process.
"That's the end. The kid was rejected, even though he was qualified," Schaffer said. "Colleges don't reward bragging and smack talk."
Many schools are incorporating online etiquette into their college preparation curriculum, Schaffer said. Lexington High School, a Massachusetts "feeder school" for Tufts, is one example.
"For the last two or three years, we've been aware of the importance of online information," said Lester Eggleston, director of guidance at Lexington High School. "We have college seminars for the juniors and seniors, and we always discuss how to best portray yourself online. Even an unprofessional e-mail address can hurt an applicant."
Career Services also recognizes the importance of maintaining a professional online presence, Director of Tufts Career Services Jean Papalia said in an e-mail to the Daily. "Digital dirt" has recently become a tool companies use to evaluate candidates prior to an interview, she said.
Papalia recommended that students Google their names regularly and take time to review and clean up their social networking profiles, which should be under strict privacy settings.
"Anything you would not want a potential employer, recruiter or colleague to read about you on the Internet should be removed," she said. "Remember … your online reputation is important."
"I'll probably get rid of Facebook once I start applying to schools," said sophomore Adam Snider, a biochemistry and economics major who plans on attending medical school. "Why have the risk?"
"Schools and companies are allowed to do whatever they want," sophomore Jack Elsey said. "It may not necessarily be wise to judge someone based on a Facebook default picture, but those judgments happen. People are responsible for their own online presence and identity."
Other students, though, said that their Web pages are innocuous.
Freshman Emma Morgenstern said her Facebook settings are "not that private," but does not think her profile could impact her plans to attend graduate school.
"I'm generally not too worried," she said. "I've untagged pictures before, but I've never seen anything too incriminating. What I have on Facebook is a pretty accurate image of myself."
Regardless of the ethics of online evaluations, most students agreed that it is smart to implement strong privacy settings for their Web pages and eliminate potentially incriminating information.
"If the information is out there for anyone to see, then that means it's fair game," freshman Jack Miszencin said.
