Last week's blog spoke about the danger of the wrong information in a social media account.  This week's blog looks at how to use social media to help gain admission into your teen's top choice school.

With the ever growing popularity of Facebook,  80% of college admission counselors are visiting potential students' online profiles during their recruiting process (Kaplan survey of college admission counselors).  These recruiters are trying to actively engage prospective students online. 

What should the student and parent be aware of?  How can these platforms make your application stand out?  Your teen should:

·         Follow the school online

Follow your prospective school's twitter feeds, "like" their Facebook fan page, and subscribe to other social media channels.  You can learn extremely interesting information about the college.  You can determine what issues matter to the school and incorporate that knowledge into your essays and interviews to show that you've done your research and know exactly why the college is the perfect place for you. 

·         Blog

A blog is a wonderful way to show prospective schools your creative side, in the form of art or music skills, your writing ability, your community spirit through activities that you mean something to you and your volunteerism.  Your blog can show off your personality, your "uniqueness".  Give links to your blog on your application so the admission officers can view it and make comments.

·         Create a YouTube video

Make a video on why you want to attend that school.  Include highlights about yourself, your extra-curricular activities, your commitment to your particular major.  Have people who know you well with high community standing give additional recommendations.  Post it on YouTube and include a link on your college application.  You will stand out from the rest of the applicants. Post it on YouTube and tag the school.  Give links to the video on your application. 

·         Remember - Privacy is important!

Set up your accounts so only those who you want to view them, will have access.  Set your privacy ratings high so you can control who views your Facebook, Twitter or YouTube accounts. 

“If you have any other questions about selecting a college, or the admissions process, feel free to contact me through my website at www.Prep4CollegeNow.com  or call me at 760.877.7200.  I'd love to answer your questions!”

It is important for students and their families to visit college campuses whenever possible.  Many times, this is not possible.  What is the student or family to do?  There are many options available today that allows visits while still in the comfort of your home or community. Here is some advice from experts who answered readers questions for U.S. News College Compass Best Colleges 2011.

Take advantage of "virtual" and local opportunities.
Nancy Meislahn, dean of admissions and financial aid, Wesleyan University
Get on the mailing list (or today's equivalent) so you'll be notified of nearby alumni and admission office-sponsored events in your area. Visit websites of the schools you are most interested in often. Look for announcements of online chats or other opportunities to connect with students and faculty. Find out who in your community attends schools that might be a good fit and meet with them when they are home on breaks.

Think globally; act locally.
James Montoya, vice president of higher education, The College Board
Visiting a few local colleges, even if they are not on the top of your list, will provide you with a better understanding of what's important to you, as well as what questions to ask. Such insight will serve you well as you investigate colleges located further away from home by visiting college websites, meeting with college alumni representatives and/or current students home on break, or reading college guidebooks. Save up your money for a few spring visits once you have your acceptance letters in hand.

Use the web, join the conversation, and connect on Facebook.
Daniel Parish, director of recruitment and communication, Dartmouth College
Visiting a campus in person is one way to experience how a community operates. Some colleges and universities offer funding to help students visit campus, either before you apply or after you are admitted. You might want to contact colleges to see if you'll qualify for one of these programs. However, visiting is not the only way to connect with a campus; social media can help you "visit" a campus without actually traveling there. Webinars, video chats, Facebook groups, and YouTube channels can all help you experience the community and start a conversation with people on campus.

If you can't visit campus, it's not the end of the world.
Don Fraser Jr., director of education and training, National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)
Many colleges have virtual tours on their websites, and there are also sites like YOUniversityTV where you can "tour" other college campuses. Additionally, CollegeWeek Live allows you to connect with college students and hear from admissions officers and even professors about life at a particular college. Of course, for the student perspective, there is no better site than Unigo.
Remember: applying does not mean going. After you are accepted to a college, you still have time to visit the campus (and you should) in order to make a final decision, and colleges may be able to provide some financial assistance to make that happen. Little-known fact: Amtrak offers discounted rates for college visits!

Visit the Unigo Expert Network for virtual campus visit advice from 30 more experts, and to have your own questions answered.

Another resource is a new service at CollegeSolved (www.collegesolved.com/students). They have a network of college students who will do a phone call with you to answer your questions. This can help you figure out what campus is like and tell you more about the student body without ever leaving your house.

If you have any other questions about selecting a college, or the admissions process, feel free to contact me through my website at www.Prep4CollegeNow.com  or call me at 760.877.7200  I'd love to answer your questions!

Today we are going to focus on how social media can affect college admission.  There was a poll taken in 2008 with over 500 selective colleges completing the poll, that said in about 10% of the colleges polled, the admission officers were checking the applicants Facebook and My Space profiles.  Imagine what the number must be in 2011.

It hurt the applicant 38% of the time.  It helped the applicant 25% of the time so it is hurting the applicant more than it is helping.   I don't think that people, students in particular,  are actually paying attention to what they are putting out there and how the information in their profile is viewed by others.  The student needs to assume college admission officers are looking and should modify the information posted on their pages.  A good rule of thumb is if you think your student's grandmother would be offended by the information, it shouldn't be on the page.

Your teenager needs to keep the information clean but it still should appear as if the teen is an interesting person who would be an appealing student for the school.  Your teenager need to strike a balance between being too clean and too off color or avant-garde.

Your teen is able to control who views certain pages on his Facebook page and he should set up  his profile to limit access to certain pages and photos. His Twitter feed should only go to people who are on an approved list and, if he blogs, it should be set up as an invitation only site.  Not everything your teen does needs to be viewed by everyone.

Your student needs to pay attention to his social media profile, what goes out there and acknowledge how it can negatively affect him.  Remember, it is a reflection on your student and it can affect admission into college.