College applicants 'friend' admissions officers

By Jaedda Armstrong
Staff Writer

Karylee Velez just joined Facebook.

Now, the 18-year-old senior at Norfolk's Granby High School is in the process of "friending" her family members and classmates - and after she gets her applications in, she'll send friend requests to the admissions officers at the colleges of her choice.

According to a recent survey, Velez isn't the only aspiring college freshman who wants to become virtual pals with the person deciding her academic future.

According to a new survey by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, a college test preparation company, more than 70 percent of admissions officers at the nation's top colleges report that applicants have requested them or someone in their office as a friend on Facebook.

Only 13 percent of those surveyed said their schools have a policy about interacting with students on social networking sites.

Henry Broaddus, admissions dean at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, said members of his department have received numerous friend requests from applicants they meet at college fairs across the country. Their policy: Don't "friend" them. Instead, he sends them a link to the admissions department's Facebook "fan page," created for prospective students to ask questions about the admissions process.

Broaddus said he realizes he's dealing with a new generation of what he calls "digital natives."

"To them, that's what you do when you meet a new person - you add them on Facebook," he said.

Broaddus said applicants may try to friend an admissions officer to find out about their personal side.

"They think we're all ogres or old white men," he said with a laugh.

To combat that impression, his department's page on the university's Web site has a

biography of each staff member. The bios give information about their educational background, their family life and what they like to do for fun.

Tracy Steward, executive director of undergraduate studies at Regent University in Virginia Beach, hasn't received any friend requests from applicants but would be leery of accepting one.

"People aren't thinking when they're posting information on these sites," she said. Students may be "tagged" in an inappropriate photo that one of their friends posted without their knowledge, she said. The tag means the student's name will show up on the page with the photo.

But Granby senior Velez said she believes that friending admissions officers on Facebook and allowing them to view her page could reinforce her qualifications. Coming soon to her profile: a list of the extracurricular clubs she's in and her 3.9 grade-point average.

Jaedda Armstrong, (757) 222-5846, jaedda.armstrong@pilotonline.com