A new type of Facebook stalker is on the prowl, but for now, UF applicants don't have to de-tag those crazy spring break pictures.
A Kaplan Inc. survey of schools in the top 500 colleges and universities found that one in every 10 admissions officers glances at an applicant's profile on social networking Web sites as part of the admissions decision-making process.
Although 320 admissions officers were surveyed, UF has not embraced the trend.
Facebook profiles are not factored into a candidate's evaluation because of the amount of applicants UF receives each year, said Steve Orlando, UF spokesman.
Last year, UF received about 28,000 applications, which makes checking personal profiles a difficult task, Orlando said.
According to the survey, about 38 percent of admissions officers who viewed social networking sites said a candidate's evaluation was negatively impacted by his or her personal profile. Twenty-five percent said evaluations were positively impacted by profile views.
Zina Evans, UF associate provost and executive director of admissions, wrote in an e-mail that UF's detailed online application, which includes sections about a candidate's family and extra-curricular experiences, makes information offered by networking sites unnecessary.
Still, Orlando said UF hopefuls might want to edit their online presence and play it safe, as admissions officers may glance at social network profiles for red flags.
On the other hand, uploaded adornments such as racy photos from spring break should not be a problem, he said.
Students creating a squeaky clean profile to attach to their application should know that admissions officers may see through the façade, Orlando said.
The real information is on the applicant's original profile, not "the one that's been sanitized," he said.
