College representatives generally see online interaction between students and admissions officers as a no-win situation. By opening up personal profiles to each other, college representatives invite the inevitable noise from obsessive parents and annoying students, and students risk exposing details about their personal lives that negatively affect their application.

But just as careless students can expose negative details about their personal lives, savvy applicants can also showcase exemplary details about themselves (again, read this post for more tips on how to do this). If you have honed a super online presence, it is your job to show it to as many people who matter, through as many channels as possible: on your application, your public profile, and yes, by “friending” college representatives.

1. Be extra careful with your profile. Follow the advice from previous posts, and make sure there is absolutely nothing on your profiles that reflect negatively on you. If anyone posts suspect content on your wall or photos, delete it or untag it immediately.
2. Friend everyone. The worst thing that happens is they decline your profile. Hopefully, they will accept and view your profile, thereby discovering your well-written blog or personal website that features your academic accomplishments.
3. Make genuine connections with representatives that share your interests. If you have a blog on Health and Exercise, and you see that an admissions officer lists competitive cycling as one of her interests, reach out to her! Tell her about a new bike that you’ve reviewed, and send her a link to your blog.
4. Don’t go overboard. If someone declines your request, that’s it. Don’t try to tweet them if they don’t friend you on Facebook. Don’t send Facebook messages if they’re not your Facebook friends. Above all, never announce to anyone that you’ve friended so-and-so admissions officer. Always be respectful of their privacy and personal (virtual) space.

A decade ago, the only applicants with an advantage were those with personal or family connections to schools: a long legacy of relatives who attended, a grandparent who contributed lots of money, an independent college advisor who made a few phone calls to some old friends at the admissions office.

Since then, internet tools like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs have changed the rules of the game. Your online presence and social reach are your personal currency. If you aren’t one of the lucky few with family connections, you can now make your own luck by creating genuine, one-on-one connections online.