Using Social Media to Learn About
Colleges
by Becky Georgenes
Senior College Counselor
Road to College
rgeorgenes@roadtocollege.com
Just google college admission and social media and you’ll
find plenty of links to stories about how colleges are using Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter etc to attract students, and how students are using these
same platforms to learn about colleges. Reports compare marketing campaigns,
“likes” and “followers” to say which colleges are doing it best, and how this
is impacting the business of college admissions. However, I wanted to add to
the commentary on a purely individual level on how it can help an applicant or
a family to learn about a school – even if you can’t get there for a visit.
·
Use social media for the right reasons. While
some students follow a school’s social media accounts because they think that
colleges will keep track of followers and it will ultimately help their
application, there are more important reasons to do so. It is actually a great
way to get a window into life on that campus. What is the weather like
throughout the year? What does it look like students are doing with their free
time? How is the school presenting itself? (One of the colleges I “follow” happened to be
in the same city as a national violent tragedy. The following day, I saw the
school’s response to the event on Facebook. I remember feeling heartened by the
thoughtfulness, insight and perspective expressed by the school and the
students.)
·
Both you and your son/daughter can follow the
accounts. If a picture or story shows up in your feed, your child will probably
have seen the same thing. It’s a great conversation starter for parents who
lament that most of their conversations about college with their high schooler
end up feeling like nag sessions and adding to the family stress. Instead, you
can start the conversation by asking if your child saw the picture of the
snowmen that students on campus made outside the library after a big storm.
·
Social media can provide talking points prior to
an on campus or alumni interview. When
asked by an admission officer, “Why are you interested in attending our
University?” an applicant can reply, “I saw the YouTube Video about the
research that a student was doing with a professor in the biology department. I
was wondering…..” Or when asked by an
alum in an off campus interview, “Do you have any additional questions for me?”
The applicant can respond, “On a recent Instagram post, I saw that it is a
tradition for students to camp out to get tickets for basketball games. Did you
do this while you were a student there?”
·
And once your child is actually a student at the
college, be sure to keep following the school’s social media. It can help you
feel connected to campus life, even if you aren’t hearing from your
son/daughter very often. It can be a subtle (or not so subtle) talking point
for you to make sure that your child is not spending all their free time
playing computer games alone in their room: After seeing an Instagram post made
by the college during finals of my son’s first semester in college, I texted my
son to ask if he had had a chance to play with the “therapy puppies” that were
brought on campus by student services to reduce the stress of exams. I was
rewarded with a cute picture of a baby golden doodle on his lap. I didn’t get
to see my son’s face, but his feet looked great!