The college application process can be a tedious and often daunting task for high school students.
Students have to worry about SAT and ACT scores, high school transcripts, letters of recommendation and college letters.
So should LinkedIn profiles be added to the list?
The Bonaventure community weighed in on the idea brought up in a recent New York Times article, about the professional social networking device being used in the application process.
In the article, The Times played with the idea and stated the upsides and the pitfalls of using the social medium.
According to the article, students who use LinkedIn are more likely to stand out among peers and effectively build a connection with a prospective institution.
On the other hand, students have a substantial amount of items that require focus included in the college application process and adding LinkedIn will increase the college application burden.
Matt Threehouse, a school counselor at Olean High School, said he agreed with the latter and from his 18 years of working with students, he sees red flags if LinkedIn becomes common among high school students.
“I still believe that most colleges will not take the time to check social media accounts, due to the number of applications that are received in their admissions office,” said Threehouse. “Most schools don’t have enough time or manpower to take on this challenge.”
Threehouse acknowledged that highly selective colleges might take a LinkedIn profile into consideration, but a LinkedIn profile lacks the depth to showcase the student’s personality and achievements.
Doug Brady, director of recruitment at Bonaventure, says the admissions staff looks at high school transcripts, college essays and letters of recommendation as some of the major components considered when admitting students.
“I have worked at other institutions, and here we are great at meeting students through the process,” said Brady. “If they are here on campus, they get a one-on-one interview with somebody in the admissions office, and if they can’t get to us, we will go to them, interview them and try to learn more about them.”
Brady explained that Bonaventure aims to build a connection with applicants that goes beyond the standard application materials and tries to get to know the prospective students.
The LinkedIn minimum age for use dropped from 18 to 14 years old in 2014.
In The Times, the article discussed one student who added a LinkedIn profile link to his application to Harvard University. It could not be determined whether or not having the link aided his application, but the student was able to find out someone from Harvard University viewed his profile, thanks to a tool on the app that allows users to track views on their pages.
Pamela Ferman, assistant director at The Career and Professional Readiness Center, described how LinkedIn innately, in its design, aids in the process of reaching out and communicating with professionals.
“You can’t sit around for someone to look at your résumé, you have to be aggressive,” said Ferman. “LinkedIn allows for students to do so, and to reach out to alum and employers politely and appropriately.”
Brady stressed the importance of having a conscious and appropriate online presence, but noted social media isn’t looked at when reviewing student applications to Bonaventure.
“One thing in admissions is we try to meet students where they are, and if LinkedIn is where they are heading, we will meet them there,” said Brady.
fieldsbj14@bonaventure.edu
