Beware the College Admissions Saboteurs!

Hello everyone!

We’ve previously discussed social media hype as well as the recent case of Harvard rescinding admissions offers.

Just this past fall, Harvard’s Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons stated, “We don’t do this very often, but we will look occasionally if there are situations where we think more information would help. If someone sends us a link of any kind, it doesn’t have to be from some company or some organization, if it seems relevant to making the best possible case for that person’s admission, we will certainly take a look at it.” (The italicized emphasis is ours.) Of course, when the information about the private Facebook group was brought to his attention earlier this spring, he didn’t hesitate to rescind offers.

And so we would now like to examine the “college admissions saboteurs” that seem to be popping up with more regularity as presumably bitter and jealous applicants who met with disappointment at their dream schools are turning on successful applicants by contacting admissions offices with damaging information on successful applicants. As is the case these days, that information is usually in the form of damaging social media posts.

Please consider this as one more reason why you should be careful with what you post on social media. You only need one person, perhaps a “friend of a friend,” to find it offensive and report it to your prospective college. So remember, if you think the post in your mind would offend your grandmother, don’t publish it online. The seemingly innocuous social media decisions you are making today can have long-term impacts on your future!

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com

AdmissionsConsultants
1.800.809.0800

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