Many students apply for admission to selective and highly selective colleges, but only a fraction of them can succeed. Even applicants with outstanding academic records are advised to seek additional ways to improve the likelihood of their admission to the colleges of their choice.
Rise Above Your Peers
You can excel beyond academics if you have a talent in an area that colleges value. If a college is seeking a person with your talent, you’re in luck. In combination with your academic record, your talent can secure your admission to that college.
It’s not enough to simply have a talent. You need to focus attention on it in your application, including essays, interviews, personal statements, and letters of recommendation. You should also promote your talent externally though such channels such as your social media accounts.
Social Media and Your Public Image
Colleges use filters to sift through social media accounts for characteristics that they seek in students. Your social media accounts, by noting distinctions between you and your peers, may be the difference between acceptance and rejection in a highly competitive environment.
You should take steps to proactively transform your social media presence as early in sophomore or junior year to foster a positive image of yourself and to showcase your talents.
A Channel of Communication to Colleges
Beyond image enhancement, there’s a second reason to use social media. Colleges themselves use it as a recruiting tool. A savvy applicant will register with the social media accounts of all colleges in which they’re interested. This will open at least one additional two-way channel of communication with each college.
Colleges monitor their social media feedback. When you register, you can interact with them knowing that your own social media accounts contain only information that reflects positively on you.
Advice on Social Media Platforms
LinkedIn: LinkedIn is comprised of professionals who set up a profile that describes their education, training, skills, and experience. They then network with peers and organizations in their field. When you set up a LinkedIn account, it will be more about who you plan to be than who you are. In your profile, note the field in which you plan to specialize. LinkedIn works best as a framework in which specialists self-identify and pursue common interests.
Colleges use LinkedIn to encourage you to engage with their faculty, alumni, and administrators. You should proceed to initiate such LinkedIn relationships. This will open communications with people affiliated with colleges who could become advocates for your admission.
Facebook: As a high school student, you may favor other platforms than Facebook to communicate with your friends. However, admissions offices continue to prefer Facebook to other social media alternatives because they rely on its excellent search capabilities to:
- Find students with certain desirable characteristics,
- Learn more about students they’re considering for admission, and,
- Gain insight into applicants as individuals.
Due to its design, Facebook represents the best platform for you to use to showcase your talents and accomplishments. Set up a Facebook account to which you’ll restrict access and use it exclusively as a tool for college admissions. Communicate with your friends by other means.
Twitter: Twitter is a popular and powerful tool for networking. If managed well, your Twitter feed will increase in influence and popularity over time. You may be using Twitter now to message your friends and to share information. If so, create a second Twitter account with a user ID that consists of your full name. For this new account, create a profile and tweets that you would want an admissions officer to read. Follow colleges of interest and professors at those colleges. Search for current students and faculty who share your academic interests. Review tweets and interact frequently with the college-related communities that you’ve established.
Google+: You’ll come as close as you can to managingGoogle search results for your name by completing your Google+ profile. The “About” page affords an opportunity to tell your own story and promote your core message.
Blog: Creating a blog while you’re in high school is a way to create searchable content that reflects your talents, passions, activities, and community service record. In addition, because it shows extraordinary initiative, your blog is likely to make a positive impression on admissions officers.
Your Louis Educational Consulting college admissions counselor is an expert in assisting you to identify and develop the talents that will set you above your peers.
