This week we visited Coastal Carolina & had the opportunity to sit down the head of the program who was gracious enough to spare us an hour and answer questions. In our informal discussion it was mentioned that the school is aware of several accepted students whom have already accepted elsewhere but not given Coastal the common courtesy of a decline-of-offer.
He mentioned that they know b/c kids have posted their commitments on social media and that the school follows from afar to see what their statuses are.
I thought this was interesting ~ figured I’d share. I know everyone here is probably doing the “right thing” and releasing their spots that they won’t be taking as soon as the decisions are made but apparently there are many parents/students out there that are either not that savvy +/or courteous.
Really sucks for the kids on those waitlists as the clock is ticking!
Thanks for posting that! As someone who’s anxiously waiting for my S to be accepted off the Coastal waitlist, it would be greatly appreciated if those who’ve chosen otherwise would release their spots sooner than later.
@lostaccount - checking social media is pretty common for many college programs (and professional gigs too). Something kids should be aware of. I know of an offer that was rescinded (last year) b/c of social media. The kid posted theorizing whom their future roommate would be, and saying they wouldn’t want to live with someone of a specific ethnic background. (In full racist terminology). This was not from an MT program btw- just an ordinary kid with an ordinary major
Social Media is a form of media - it’s not like following someone’s twitter feed is like reading their diary. When you publish something on social media you should expect that it becomes public knowledge. I fail to see where the creepiness comes in and I hope the schools use the information they gather from social media to move to the waitlist more quickly!
At my daughter’s high school, there was a tradition that at the beginning of senior year, everyone changed their name on Facebook to something silly. Anyone on their friends list still automatically saw their posts, but if someone searched their name on FB, it wouldn’t show up. Once they were safely enrolled at their chosen college, they switched back to their real names.
None of them were posting anything offensive or anything like that - they just wanted to be on the safe side.
Most kids these days have fake instagram accounts which is where they post anything that does not portray them in the most positive light - partying, etc. I think that it’s expected that if you have a FB or insta account under your actual name that you are not posting anything unflattering on there, and most kids fully expect to be “found” by colleges; peers; etc. It’s not exactly like they are stalking you even though in a roundabout way they are. But it’s a mutual understanding that you are putting things out there that you do not mind people seeing. So therefore not creepy IMO.
Not creepy at all. Also realize that a lot of the drama students are friends with/see each others social media, and when they see someone who was accepted to their program say they have committed to another school, (especially in the smaller programs) they frequently check in with the department to make sure they are aware, and to see if they have been contacted.
If the schools over-accept, expecting that some will go somewhere else, they probably can’t start on the waitlist until they have a critical number of acceptances who turn down the spots. Some schools are one-for-one, but most aren’t.
Students are under no obligation to give final answers before May 1. It is pretty rich for a college admissions officer to be unhappy that kids aren’t answering before May 1, given how admissions treats students leading up to making admissions offers. Some of those kids might change their minds before May 1. But I guess this is a lesson that kids should set their social media settings to friends only.
regarding the idea that a kid might post a commitment but then things “fall apart” and they go elsewhere, I have no idea how often that happens. In my personal experience of seeing several graduating classes, most kids wind up where they commit. And I think if a program director sees that multiple kids have accepted elsewhere and posted their formal commitments in their “school gear” on social media then they need to take that at face value. If enough kids are in that category that said director wanted then s/he most certainly needs to begin evaluating the waitlist, unless they utilize the alternate scenario.
I think there’s a difference in general college admissions counselors vs. the heads of MT/Acting programs where there are very few available spots. It’s completely understandable that program directors want to know if they need to go to their WLs since their classes (for the large majority of these schools) are so small.
If a school sees that someone they’ve offered has posted a commitment to another school on social media, I would have no problem with the school reaching out to those students and letting them know that while they would be thrilled if they were to choose them, if they know they are going elsewhere they’d like to be able to offer their slot to another student.
Far too many kids these days are afraid of any potential for conflict and simply “ghost” the schools and stop responding to email and other communication, just like they do elsewhere in their lives. They need to know the schools are actually grateful to know so they can offer a spot and any scholarship money to another student who would be thrilled to be there.
@lithpool , congrats on your decision!! So excited for you and your family.
My D posted on social media a few days before letting the other schools know. I think this is fine (e.g., she announced on a Friday and emailed the schools by the end of the day Monday). The department heads were very grateful that she communicated with them…
@afterp89 I completely agree with you. It was a tad overwhelming for my D to get daily emails from the schools. But, once she committed, she emailed them and asked them to withdraw her application. I think she was happy to get less correspondence and to see that people were kind and wished her the best. Life lessons
Just adding that there are some college coaching programs that are already posting their students final decisions. These are public pages, and we often see where students are going but they haven’t told us yet. I know for a fact that that- plus facebook pages that our student recruitment coordinators follow because they are friends with these potential students on social media - are what is being monitored.
Commitments change at the last minute for a number of good reasons. The kids have until May 1 to decide, and I recommend that they keep that leeway. I’ve seen situations change and schools will often not take you back if you release your spot. It’s the student’s right, and it’s one of the few advantages one has in this college app process. This happens with athletes as well with national commitments. Until that signing occurs, the athlete is not committed and surprises have happened at the 11th hour.
I honestly think it’s different in MT/Acting than in athletics. Very few programs have the same kind of size constraints as these BFA programs and I don’t know of any athletic programs that have a “designated alternate” kind of waitlist like Pace’s. So when an accepted BFA student doesn’t let a school know that they’re off the list for consideration until the last minute it directly impacts waitlisted students and it potentially impacts the school’s chance of filling their class. No one would ever advise a prospective student to release slots they are conflicted about - if you’re still deciding, you’re still deciding. If you’ve already decided - let the schools know.
