<p>This generation must learn net etiquette, while said etiquette is being created: [Bad</a> Online Behavior Jeopardizes Students’ College Plans - School Leadership 2.0](<a href=“http://www.schoolleadership20.com/forum/topics/bad-online-behavior-jeopardizes-students-college-plans?xg_source=activity]Bad”>http://www.schoolleadership20.com/forum/topics/bad-online-behavior-jeopardizes-students-college-plans?xg_source=activity)</p>
<p>I’ve noticed that many high school seniors set their Facebook pages to inactive through their senior year which – for the most part – closes down that avenue for information-gathering. On Facebook, and many social networking sites, it’s not only your own actions that can burn you. Your “friends” can also post highly “incriminating” content and “tag” you in the process. Shutting down the accounts reduces the chance that things your friends post will get connected to you. I think I would recommend that if I was a high school college counselor.</p>
<p>Just saying, as a student, I read that post 9 months ago. Now I’ve forgotten about it. Maybe the moderators should put another reminder at the top of the Chances thread. A reminder that states that thread in a nutshell. Students probably forget that thread, as I have.</p>
<p>Bump! A lot of people have read it but haven’t offered their thoughts? New year, new mindset. Any other opinions?</p>
<p>FYI, I started a thread on the CHANCE ME boards, asking CHANCE ME posters why they bother:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-chances/1271863-people-who-respond-your-chance-me-post-no-more-knowledgeable-than-you.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-chances/1271863-people-who-respond-your-chance-me-post-no-more-knowledgeable-than-you.html</a></p>
<p>I did check that out! I will comment.</p>
<p>^^ D’yer, re #22, does that mean those seniors are totally off Facebook all year? I think DS would go bonkers…of course, he’s not that old yet. </p>
<p>Wouldn’t just setting the Privacy Settings carefully (limit access to Friends Only, for example) disable an AO’s ability to see the contents of a kid’s account?</p>
<p>I’ve seen kids use alterations of their real names on FB, too, maybe to get around this issue, but always wondered how their friends ‘found’ them.</p>
<p>I said “many” but I can think of four (CORRECTION: six) kids – from last year’s HS senior class and this year’s – who shut down their accounts. They start back again once the college decisions come out. To me that qualifies as “many” because my son’s high school has about 3 kids in each graduating class so I don’t know very many high school kids. Most of the kids I’m referring to are children of my friends or my son’s friends from the U.S.</p>
<p>One of the concerns – I think (but won’t argue with anyone about it) – is that if you’ve got an account, people who have public accounts can still link to you and items posted on their walls will show up publicly and sometimes people even start posting items about the way “everyone got wasted at Jim Johnson’s house after the homecoming game…and [College Applicant] was totally trashed!” – except that, if you’re not on Facebook at all, what’s the point in tagging you or referencing you? So you’re ignored. And that’s good. Because if you’re in high school, you may have nice friends but, when it comes to privacy, they’re all total morons.</p>
<p>^ ^ Exactly. Sigh.</p>
<p>@laughalittle: Your comment on that one Lawrenceville/Peddie “Chance Me” thread made me think about my very first post here at the BS sub section of CC (I had posted/lurked in the 7th grade ACT/SAT thread before). </p>
<p>Took a bit to find it (from Summer 2010), but here it is…so strange to read in hindsight (I was still in “tier” mode, etc.):</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/969821-explain-chance-me-thing-me.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/969821-explain-chance-me-thing-me.html</a></p>
<p>@SevenDad: I read some of the posts on that thread, and they exactly described what I was wondering about. Those threads aren’t helping; they’re inane. As a candidate last year, you constantly compare yourself when reading those threads, and then you put some syrupy comment like “Wow! You’re great! I think you have an great chance!!! Really!!! LOL I think you’re amazing!!! Schools would be stupid not to have you!!! 
:)” It takes a kid who has been accepted and now comfortable in their school to realize that those threads are ridiculous. I can’t stress enough that we don’t know how you compare. I was in class today and one AO came in and talked to us. We got on the topic of acceptances, and there are a lot of variables. You aren’t only competing against your race, but also your gender, your school, your hometown, etc. They need to accept jocks, musicians, artists, smart kids, and endowment babies. The admissions process is unfair.</p>