By Jane Han
Korea Times correspondent
NEW YORK ― High school seniors beware: It's okay to kick back and enjoy senioritis, but think again before announcing what you do online ― that raw photo or foul message can end up getting viewed by an unexpected person.
An increasing number of college admissions officers in the U.S. are turning to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social networking sites to evaluate applicants, a practice that's becoming another worry for high school seniors.
"Students must understand that just because they got their acceptance letter does not mean they're completely off the hook," says Matthew Lee, a guidance counselor in Fairfax County schools in Virginia. "School officials continue to look at and observe who will be entering their institution come fall."
Most recently, one Korean student in the Fairfax district reportedly had his admission revoked from an Ivy League school after posting pictures on Facebook showing alcohol consumption.
"Underage drinking is illegal," said Lee, "so that's what the school didn't like. A prestigious university wouldn't want anyone breaking the law as part of its student body."
He stressed that students should remember every posting they submit online is not only open to their friends, but others who can possibly make or break their academic career.
A 2008 survey done by education company Kaplan showed that 10 percent of admissions officers from 500 top U.S. colleges acknowledged looking at social networking sites to evaluate prospective students.
Of the schools utilizing online information, 38 percent said what they saw "negatively affected" their assessment.
Considering the fast growth of social media tools in the past year, experts say more schools are likely to incorporate online resources in applicant evaluations.
"What's written on applications isn't everything ― and schools know that all too well," says Kim Il-joo, a counselor at a Manhattan-based college prep school. "It's going to become more and more natural for admissions officers to start surfing the Web to find out real details about a student's background and thoughts."
He advised high school seniors to refrain from posting inappropriate photos and messages online or simply modify settings so that only friends can see.