To an enrollment management algorithm, a stealth applicant is a massive risk. The algorithm sees a student with great grades but zero demonstrated interest. The predictive model flags this student as highly unlikely to enroll. The result? The college waitlists or rejects the student to protect their yield rate, assuming the student is just using them as a backup school.

Social media, once considered a platform solely for personal expression, has emerged as a powerful tool for students seeking to make a positive impression on college admissions officers.

Social Assurity taught me that the new standard for getting into college was to adopt a professional mindset.

If colleges are deploying sophisticated software systems that are programmed to focus on enrollment probabilities and graduation rates then where do GPAs and SAT/ACT scores fit in?

Colleges are properly recognizing there is way too much stress in society today and they are working to ease the burden on college-bound students living through this pandemic by rationalizing the admissions process.

To truly understand the scope of college admissions today, you need to widen your perspective by including enrollment management systems, today’s true engines of college admissions and merit aid decisions, within your frame of reference.

Whether your student is seeking acceptance into a highly selective college or looking to properly position themselves for a max merit package, learning how to use social media to demonstrate interest and to showcase fit has become an indispensable college prep tool.

Admissions to “prestigious colleges” have always been subjective. If college admission decisions were simply algorithmic, there would be no need for college admissions officers having to review college applications.

Social media review at the college level has become significantly more nuanced than the antiquated vision of an admissions officer Googling the name of a prospective student. As the way colleges are utilizing social media evolves, so must the social media advice proffered to college-bound students.

College-bound high school sophomores and juniors should now be dedicating time to work on optimizing their social media profiles to create compelling content accurately reflecting their activities, service, interests, and accomplishments for the college admissions process. Here are 5 reasons why:  

People beholden to the notion that college admissions decisions are based on grades and test scores have not been paying attention. Check out the website of any college and you will understand holistic admissions.