Research from Kaplan Test Prep reveals that 67% of college admissions officers feel it’s ok to review applicants’ digital footprints.
When admissions officers do check social media, 57% report finding content that negatively impacts applications. This is a big deal—and if your child has a social media profile filled with evidence of juvenile behavior or inappropriate posts, it could cause them to lose their place at their dream school.
In this article, I’ll break down the steps you can take to improve your child’s chances for college admission in a world where social media is now being used to hold college applicants accountable for their actions in a way that previous generations never had to worry about.
Case study: 10 students don’t get into Harvard
Imagine the excitement of your child getting into Harvard, just to have it ripped away.
That’s exactly what happened when Harvard rescinded its offers to 10 admitted students after discovering they had participated in a private Facebook group in which they shared offensive memes.
The incident began in an official Class of 2021 Facebook group before moving to a private chat.
Harvard administrators discovered the content and:
- Contacted involved students in mid-April
- Required them to disclose all shared content
- Instructed them not to attend the university’s preview weekend
- Sent formal rescission letters about a week later
Proper digital preparation might have prevented this outcome.
Let’s look at how to proactively get started building a digital presence.
Building a digital legacy: The new college admissions playbook
Today’s college-bound students face a unique challenge: creating a professional digital presence that showcases their achievements while maintaining their privacy.
Your child’s digital presence serves as a virtual handshake with college admissions officers.
The key lies in creating a cohesive, professional narrative that stretches across multiple platforms, showcasing their academic journey and achievements.
Email lays the digital foundation
Start by establishing a professional email address for your student that will serve as his or her academic identity.
The format firstname.lastname@domain.com is a smart choice for academic correspondence. This email address becomes their anchor point for all academic platforms, from college applications to professional networking sites.
LinkedIn is the academic showcase platform
Your child’s LinkedIn profile must transcend the basic resume format.
Help him or her create a compelling headline that combines academic goals with a well-defined mission. On LinkedIn, you need to do more than just list achievements—you also need to do storytelling through the platform’s experience sections, skill endorsements, and strategic networking opportunities with academic institutions and industry leaders.
It’s essentially a reputation management tool.
Digital documentation strategy
Modern portfolio development requires a systematic approach to showcasing your child’s academic journey. Include 10–20 pieces of your child’s strongest work, carefully curated to demonstrate growth and dedication. Each piece should tell a story about his or her academic progression and intellectual curiosity.
This can seem daunting without a guide, so I’ve included a framework for you to help your college-bound teen get started.
Content management framework
A strong digital presence demands careful curation across three key areas when focused on college admission:
Academic excellence
Create organized repositories of your child’s best academic work, from research papers to project documentation. Focus on quality over quantity, selecting pieces that demonstrate intellectual growth and academic rigor.
Professional presentation
Maintain consistent branding across all platforms. One’s digital presence should reflect the same level of professionalism, whether someone finds your child through LinkedIn, a portfolio website, or academic networks.
Privacy protection
Implement robust privacy settings across all platforms while maintaining a professional public presence. Regular digital audits ensure your child’s online presence aligns with his or her academic goals.
Remember, your child’s digital presence isn’t just about avoiding negative content—it’s about strategically building a compelling narrative that demonstrates his or her potential to elite institutions.
A few other best practices
Digital portfolio architecture
A well-structured digital portfolio requires thoughtful organization and presentation of your child’s academic journey.
Here’s how to create an effective structure:
Content categories
Academic work
- Create separate sections for research papers, lab reports, and academic essays.
- Organize presentations by subject matter or chronological progression.
- Include code repositories with documentation and working examples.
- Sort projects by complexity or technological framework.
Multimedia integration
- Embed video presentations of project demonstrations.
- Include interactive prototypes or working models.
- Create visual timelines showing project evolution.
- Add audio recordings of presentations or discussions.
Documentation framework
Research documentation
- Include methodology sections with clear step-by-step processes.
- Document decision-making rationales.
- Maintain version control logs for project iterations.
- Create visual flowcharts of research processes.
Impact measurement
- Present before-and-after metrics.
- Show statistical analysis of results.
- Include user feedback and testimonials.
- Display performance improvements through charts.
Leadership role documentation
Position recording
- Create detailed logs of leadership responsibilities and accomplishments.
- Include specific examples of initiatives led and challenges overcome.
- Document quantifiable results of leadership efforts.
- Track the number of people your child led or mentored.
- Record-specific improvements he or she implemented.
- Document successful project outcomes with metrics.
The best part about following this framework is that it gives your child the ability to speak to each piece of content confidently in an interview and easily explain the impact each piece had on the project and his or her individual growth.
Now, I understand this can seem like a lot. As the parent, you are juggling work and other life situations. Meanwhile, your child may be busy with extracurricular activities and studying. But this can’t be ignored.
So, what are the options?
Well, there are professionals who can help walk you through building digital preparation using concierge services that create curated content like this. This way, when someone searches for your child online, you control what comes up.
Professional support services
When you work with a digital preparation expert, you are provided with a clear path to improving or proactively growing your child’s online reputation, while also securing their online digital privacy.
Support and services should include:
Digital concierge support
- Real-time monitoring of online mentions and search results
- Customized alerts for brand mentions across platforms
- Content removal services for negative or misleading information
- Strategic content creation and optimization
VIP white-glove services
- Personal reputation advisor assignment
- Custom-tailored reputation strategies
- Professional website and portfolio development
- Privacy protection packages
Monitoring and management
- Cloud-based dashboard access for real-time monitoring
- Deep-dive search analysis of current online presence
- Email alerts for new mentions or content
- Regular reputation report cards
Content development
- Professional website creation and optimization
- Strategic content publishing across multiple platforms
- Search-engine optimization (SEO)-driven profile development
- Social media presence enhancement
Privacy protection
- Personal information removal from public databases
- Social engineering attack prevention
If you’re looking to enhance the efficacy of your child’s admission to college, you’ll want to give him or her every opportunity to succeed in a world where admissions officers often use a candidate’s digital presence as a benchmark.
The best way to get started is to grab your free digital audit and speak with an online reputation expert today. Because, even if it’s not your child’s fault, if you don’t control what people find about them online, you’re rolling the dice on what sticks and what doesn’t.
This post was contributed by Rockey Simmons, founder of SaaS Marketing Growth.