But while you should definitely hide photos and mentions of alcohol/drugs/sex from your online profiles, there are some things you may want to show, even highlight. In this article, I’m going to show you how to use the internet to your advantage. Instead of hiding, you can create your own online presence and put your best foot forward publicly, making sure nosy college admissions officers find out about your most impressive qualities.

Why Do I Need an Online Presence?

It’s no secret that colleges look at the whole candidate, not just test scores and transcripts. They look for candidates who are passionate about their interests and are proactive enough to follow through on them. Most importantly, they want people who stand out.

Most of you have interests you’re passionate about. They may be academic (poetry, computer programming, political science) or not (movies, comic books, fashion). You probably have friends who are interested in the same stuff, and you spend a ton of time talking about it or doing things related to it.

In the pre-internet days, there was no way of showcasing your various activities, short of writing your college essay about it. Now, you can use the internet to publicize them and truly stand out. A website for your debate team, a food review blog, a MySpace page for your band – these are all things that will create a complete picture of you as an applicant and separate you from the thousands of faceless hopefuls.

Getting Started

It’s pretty simple. Start a blog on Blogger.com and start writing about whatever interests you (I wouldn’t recommend building a full-on website unless you’ve done it before). You can start it alone, or with a group of friends who all contribute to the same blog. If you like movies, start posting reviews. If you are into politics, start commenting on current events. And if you pick up any individual accomplishments along the way – if your football team wins the regional championship, or if you win a school essay contest – definitely post about them!

Remember, the goal here is not to become “huge” and get millions of followers of your blog – it’s to establish an online presence. Just tell your family and friends about it so that they can read it and leave comments occasionally.

The Order of Investigation

Once you’ve created the blog, you then need to make sure it’s discoverable. Here’s it’s important to understand the “Order of Investigation,” which is the order in which a college admissions officer goes to various online outlets to learn more about you:

1. Facebook/MySpace
2. Twitter
3. Google (where they can find your blog, website, etc.)

They know that most students have Facebook or MySpace pages, so they look there first. Although some might dig further into Google to find your blog, most won’t. Even if they do, they may not find it.

Therefore, you need to direct the viewer from your Facebook or MySpace profile to the more substantial blog. When you edit your Facebook profile, go to Contact Information -> Website and put in the url for your blog. In MySpace, show your blog url in the “About Me” section, which appears at the top of your profile.

Then, make the your profile’s Basic Info and Personal Info public from Privacy Settings -> Profile. Now, I know most people would shudder at the thought of making any part of your profile public. But as long as you hide your photos/videos/wall and delete any incriminating details from your profile, you’ll be fine.

When Applying

Talking about your blog in your college essay is one way to get the admissions officer to visit it. Even if you just mention it in passing, include the url in parenthesis next to the name of the blog.

You should also put the blog (with url) into the Extracurricular Activities section of the application.

In Summary

Think of your website or blog as free advertising. If you send a stellar term paper you wrote, most admissions officers will toss it in the garbage. But if you include a link to your blog on your Facebook page, they will probably check it out, maybe read a few articles.

Most importantly, have fun. Blogging about stuff you’re interested in shouldn’t add to your already full schedule or stress level. If you follow these instructions, you will create a strong online presence and gain a huge advantage in your college process, without too much work.

Related posts:

1. How to “Friend” Your College Admissions Officer
2. Barack Obama Says: Be Careful with your Facebook Profile
3. Hide and Seek: Facebook and the College Process