Seventy-one percent of admissions officers say that they or an office colleague has received a Facebook or MySpace “friend” request from a prospective student, according to a survey by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions. Could such relationships give nervous high-school students the application edge they have long sought?
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3 Responses to Many Admissions Officers Find That Applicants Want to Be Their ‘Friend’
dmarshak - September 18, 2009 at 11:38 am
How did they respond?
menubia - September 18, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Oftentimes a Facebook Friend request from a prospect is just a natural extension of the high quality and personalized attention that many admissions counselors give to prospective students. The point is to connect with a prospect and help them along in the application process; reassuring them during times of self-doubt and giving them one person to connect with as they pursue a new experience on a new campus. Those are all natural tendencies and outcomes of such an interaction. It should not surprise the counselors – especially if they have a master’s degree in counseling or extensive work experience – of such a student response. It is almost flattering…and you always have the option to deny the Facebook Friend request.
jesor - September 18, 2009 at 1:51 pm
While I’m usually flattered when a student tries to “friend” me, I explain to them that my facebook account is really for my personal use and that while I really do care about them, I don’t “friend” students. They are generally fine with sending me e-mails and other things to let me know how they are doing if they choose. As for an edge in admissions, most offices have a system that allows for an applicant’s file to be reviewed by a different person if there is a perception of conflict of interest. Whether or not that’s followed in every admissions office, that’s another story.