<p>In clip that I watched on 60 Minutes, an instructor from Platform to Employment, a program that helps the unemployed, says, “When they’re considering hiring you for a job they’re going to go to the Internet and see what comes up. If you have nothing that shows up, you’re not relevant.” The instructor’s words ring through me–the words somehow seem as relevant to applying for a college as to applying for a job. </p>
<p>How do college admissions consider your online activity today?</p>
<p>Oh heavens, no. They’ll probably just be pleased that you haven’t shown up making a fool of yourself as hottiexoxo on Myspace or something.</p>
<p>^haha that’s brilliant.</p>
<p>I share the stage name of a somewhat prominent pr0n star… ■■■</p>
<p>It’s much different when you’re applying for a job because companies don’t have to sort through tens of thousands of applicants. They can thus spend more time reviewing each applicant.</p>
<p>Most schools won’t bother checking out your online profiles at all. That said, regardless of any effect on college admissions, it’s not a good idea to be making a fool of yourself online. Your best bet is to (1) be careful what you post, as anything you post could surface years later regardless of the privacy settings; and (2) keep tight privacy settings on all your online profiles.</p>
<p>If colleges and employers can’t find you, that’s in many ways a good thing. It means you’re smart about how you handle yourself online and that the company doesn’t have to worry about you creating problems for them on the Internet.</p>
<p>Thanks Red.</p>
<p>Now I don’t have worry about this until I hit my junior and senior year at college.</p>