Some colleges and universities are using the information that you post on social networking pages to determine whether or not you should attend their schools.  Now you might be tempted to think this is unfair.  However, keep this fact in mind… if you post something in a public place, well, it’s public!

There is no way you can keep a university, college or prospective employer from looking at this information.  In a perfect world, people might say, “Your facebook profile is personal, and we only care about your professional life.” But, in reality, this will not happen.  This is why you have no choice but to stop and think carefully about all the public statements that you make in public forums and social networking sites.

College admissions counseling can be a demanding field.  The admissions officers that you are working with might see like robots to you, but you need to remember that often they are worried about losing their jobs if they make a mistake.  If they admit a student who turns out to make the school look bad or cause problems, it does reflect upon them.  As a result, they have to be cautious.

Admissions officers may look at your “online life” as part of the process of determining who you are and what you are like.  This is information that was not available just a few years ago, but today it’s easy to find.  Thanks to search engines like Google, almost anyone can find such information quickly and easily.

If you know that you already have embarrassing information online, realize that you are definitely not alone.  It is important to do want you can to remove any information that may reflect badly on you.  For example, if you have a blog dedicated to how much you dislike education in all forms, you should probably get rid of that!  You get the idea.

In general, start paying closer attention to what you post online, and have a good explanation for anything silly you posted online, as you never know when you might need to explain yourself.  Finally, be proactive and work to post positive accomplishments online.  Consider starting a blog designed to promote a charity that needs your help, for example.

Just because there may be some embarrassing things about you online doesn’t mean that your dreams of getting into a great college or university are “finished.”  By investing some time in working to fix your mistakes, you can smooth over much of what you did in the past.  For most people, this process will really only take a few hours, but the results can be very positive in the long run.

You’ve likely spent a lot of time doing SAT practice tests online, looking into financial aid for college tuition and maybe even college admissions counseling.  Considering all the time you are investing, why not spend a little time thinking about your online presence?

Related posts:

1. How To Get Your Facebook Profile Ready For College Application Season.
2. Colleges and Universities are Using Social Media
3. How to Integrate Social Media into Your College Application Process

Starting your college search? Find out what they're talking about on Twitter! Photo Credit: YourEyes

Now that fall is upon us, the college search is ramping up for seniors across the country. Soon, you’ll need to schedule college visits and admissions interviews. But first, you have to decide which colleges you really want to go after!

And while your mailbox is no doubt filling up with glossy brochures, a college’s social media channels can tell you a lot more about the day-to-day happenings at the school. And that? Can give you a good feel for which colleges might be right for you—before you ever step foot on campus!

But how do you find out where the universities in your college search live online? Easy! Check out the lists of colleges using social media we’ve assembled below!

Colleges and Universities on Twitter

• The Big List: 50 Colleges and Universities Who Use Twitter: Part 1
• The Big List: 50 Colleges and Universities who Use Twitter: Part Two
• The Big List Part Three: 50 More Colleges and Universities Who Use Twitter
• The Big List Part 4: Colleges and Universities Who Use Twitter
• The Big List: Colleges  and Universities Who Tweet: Part 5
• The Big List: Colleges and Universities on Twitter: Part 6

Special Interest Colleges and Universities on Twitter

• 101 International Colleges and Universities on Twitter
• Women’s Colleges on Twitter

Colleges and Universities Who Blog

• 101 College Blogs To put You In The College Mood
• Six Blogs To Follow As You Prepare For College

Who did we miss? What are your favorite college search social media channels? Let us know in the comments below! And don’t forget, we’ll be bringing you can’t miss tips and tricks to help you get into college all year long, so subscribe to our blog today!

Related posts:

1. Colleges and Universities are Using Social Media
2. How to Integrate Social Media into Your College Application Process
3. “Top 10″ List – Your College Search Just Got Easier!

But you know what they say…it’s better to laugh than cry.

At least that’s what the team behind this video from The Princeton Tiger—the nation’s second oldest college humor magazine—think. And we hope you’ll agree.

A few of our favorite quotes from this spoof of the college admissions process?

“I wasn’t sure about this kid until I read his 27th recommendation. His uncle’s middle school art teacher’s glowing recommendation of his community service really inspired me.”

“Let’s all read this one’s personal statement and laugh at it.”

“Listen, can you hear them cry? I like it when they cry.”

But don’t worry. The actual college admissions process is nothing like this! To see what it’s really like, watch this video from Butler University.

Want to be extra sure your application will stand out from the crowd? Subscribe to our blog and get tons of useful advice about applying to college and surviving the college admissions process!

Related posts:

1. Why You Won’t Receive an Instant Admissions Response
2. 5 Tips for Creating A Glowing Admissions Letter and Statement
3. “Top 10″ List – Your College Search Just Got Easier!

Got questions about getting into college? We have the answers.

Summer is fast winding to a close, and when it does, the college search process will heat up for millions of students across the country. Worried about how to start? Trying to simplify your search? Are you even ready?

To help you get prepared, we’ve created My College Guide’s “top 10″ list based on our most popular college search posts!

Why are they popular? Easy, they provide helpful information on finding the college that’s right for you, figuring out the college admissions process and identifying ways to pay for college.

Let’s get started.

1. Got a pet that you just can’t stand to leave behind? In You Can Take Them With You: Pet Friendly Colleges and Universities, you’ll see which colleges and universities are pet friendly.

2. Need help paying for college? Who doesn’t? Colleges for Low Income Students: Free Tuition, No Loans, and Full Rides provides a list of colleges that offer full rides or free tuition.

3. Looking for a college scholarship? Think the scholarship options are limited? There’s more out there than you think! Be creative, think outside the box and check out our Super List of College Scholarship Websites.

4. Wish you could get advice about getting college scholarships? Read tips about finding scholarships from the pros in Fastweb, Scholarships.com, Super College: Scholarship Tips From Pros in the Know.

5. Trying to get through the financial aid process? Worrying about all the forms to fill out for college funding? Learn about the financial aid process from the people behind the scenes at the University of Michigan in our post, College Tuition and Financial Aid Explained at the University of Michigan.

6. Searching for affordable colleges? Need to find a college that’s affordable with or without financial aid? We’ve got you covered. See our list of  8 of America’s Most Affordable Public Universities.

7. Want to get an edge on the competition for admission to your dream college? Check out 3 Ways to Get into Your First Choice College (Besides Getting Good Grades) and discover things you can do before you ever fill out a college application to help you get the attention of college admissions officers.

8. Nervous about those upcoming college interviews? Read 5 Tips to Help You Prepare for Your College Interview and learn what you need to know to succeed.

9. Want to make sure admissions officers remember your name? Learn how to stand out from the pack with How to Increase Your Odds After Sending in Your Application.

10. Worried about the economy? Want to get a job right out of college? Then you should read The Most Employable Majors: 5 Concentrations That Will Land You a Job Straight Out of College.

We’re always sharing more information on getting into college, paying for college and college help,  so subscribe to our blog today and stay ahead of the curve!

If you’re looking for answers to specific college and career readiness questions, Ask The Guru.

Photo courtesy of Ninja M.

Related posts:

1. Starting Your College Search? Use Social Media To Research!
2. 3 Reasons Why You Should Use Your Summer to Search for College Scholarships
3. Super List of College Scholarship Websites

Do you know where to find the best college info?

The first thing you’ll notice when you start looking for college information online is this—there are a whole lot of websites to weed through. Finding the good sources can be a little bit challenging!

If you’re nodding your head right now (or rubbing your aching temples), we have some good news. We’ve done the researching for you! Read on to learn about six of the top college blogs around.

College information from inside sources.

Want the best advice about getting into college? Ask a college counselor! These two blogs have the inside scoop on what it takes to make it through the college admissions process:

Get Into College Blog—Penned by a professional college counselor in New York, this blog gives you tips and tricks for getting into college. Read about how to ask for college recommendation letters, how to write college essays and more.

Great College Advice—Written by educational consultants, this talented team of insiders has the scoop on everything from college essays that worked to financial aid.

College advice from your peers.

Learning from professionals is great, but to find out what getting into college is really like, you need to talk to fellow high school and college students. These two blogs are among the best:

Teen College Education—At this blog, you’ll hear from high school students, college students and professionals—but the content is written for and by teens. Learn about everything from the best way to get textbooks to the right amount of extracurricular activities.

Campus Splash—With a channel devoted exclusively to high school students, you’ll learn everything you need to know about getting into college. Read about preparing for college applications, mastering the essay and more!

College information from news organizations.

If you want to be in the know about all the latest and greatest news pertaining to college, you’ve got to follow the professionals. Blogs to subscribe to include:

USA Today College—Whether you want inspiration for finding the perfect job or links to colleges making the best use of social media, USA Today has what you need—and more.

Huffpost College—Whether you’re looking for the latest news about the best paying jobs straight out of college or more light-hearted opinions about what college Harry Potter would choose, the Huffington Post should be among your go-to sources for college information.

These are just a few of the many great college blogs that abound. Is your favorite on the list? What sites would you include?

Stay tuned to hear about more of the best college blogs on the net. Subscribe today!

Photo courtesy of Christina Welsh.

Related posts:

1. 101 College Blogs to Put You in the College Mood
2. 93 International College Blogs to Broaden your Horizon
3. Read All About It: Johns Hopkins University Blogs It All

Twitter List of Online Colleges

As an adult learner, your time is precious! Even though Twitter can turn into a potential time suck, why not put your Twitter account to good use! Start connecting to the schools you are interested in. Whether or not you are ready to go back to college right now and work toward your online bachelor’s degree or if it is in the not-too distant future, you will be able to quickly find out about exciting online classes and new majors just for adult learners using our handy list of online colleges.

The Big List of Online Colleges on Twitter

Get connected. Just remember that if you are going to engage with any of these schools from our list of online colleges, that you are always on your best behavior. On-campus or online college, schools still care about what students they admit—so if you don’t censor yourself, you may want to refrain from using your real name!

Your Turn

Have you seen any schools that My College Guide needs to add to our list of online colleges? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll add them to Part 2. Four year colleges with online degrees or online only colleges that cater to adult learners – well, we’ll take them all!

…And Then

Need some advice regarding social media and online colleges? We’ve got the truthful information that you need. Stay tuned to My College Guide for more great Twitter lists of online colleges, iPad apps, and more to help adults just like you make the transition to college.

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For more than 20 years, My College Guide has provided information to help students find the best college degree and career for them. Get information on programs, browse through our list of online colleges, and find the right career for you!

Subscribe to our blog via RSS or email and stay on top of everything college!

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3. Three Things To Ask Yourself Before Getting a Master’s Degree Online

Due to popular demand, My College Guide has created yet another list of colleges and universities on Twitter! Feel free to follow colleges individually by clicking on their Twitter link below or follow our master Twitter list. As always, when interacting with anyone online (especially college admissions) be respectful, be polite, and don’t SPAM their Twitter page with 200 different questions!

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For 20 years My College Guide has produced an annual magazine chock full of free college info for high-achieving high school sophomores. Check out our participating colleges. If you’re a student, enter for a chance to win an Apple iPad or iPhone or cash!

Related posts:

1. The Big List Part Three: 50 More Colleges and Universities Who Twitter
2. The BIG List: 50 Colleges and Universities who Twitter: Part Two
3. The Big List: 50 Colleges and Universities Who Twitter Part 1

Some may serve as a starting point for college admission hopefuls, for those that are simply curious about the school, or for those who have been accepted! On a few of these college Facebook Class of 2015 Pages you may need to request permission to join the group (when they say admitted students only, they mean it!).

As on any social network, use common sense. Schools can take back their offer of college admission (and yes, it really has happened). Be polite, don’t be afraid to reach out to others, but keep overly personal information to yourself. If you need a bit of guidance, My College Guide has a few Facebook tips just for you!

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For 20 years My College Guide has produced an annual magazine chock full of free college info for high-achieving high school sophomores. Check out our participating colleges. If you’re a student, enter for a chance to win an Apple iPad or iPhone or cash!

Related posts:

1. College Class of 2014 on Facebook
2. Facebook in Real Life with Braves TV at Ottawa University
3. 101 College Blogs to Put You in the College Mood

But, we must admit, even we get tired of the Farmville requests. Check out this funny look at Facebook in real life from the creative students at Ottawa University. Produced by OU’s own Braves TV, the student group in charge of creating videos for Ottawa University (would that look nice on a resume or what?), it’s a real world look at life as Facebook. Watch Ottawa University: Facebook in Real Life on YouTube or below.

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For 20 years My College Guide has produced an annual magazine chock full of free college info for high-achieving high school sophomores. Check out our participating colleges. If you’re a student, enter for a chance to win an Apple iPad or iPhone or cash!

Related posts:

1. Braves TV: An Ottawa University First
2. Johns Hopkins Model of a Modern University or College Facts Made Fun
3. University of Glamorgan Student and The Study Abroad Experience

My College Guide had to point out a few of the fantastic lip dub videos scattered across YouTube. There’s Calvin College performing to So Much Love by Rocket Summer and Brock University jammin’ to a Beatle’s classic.

Even International colleges and universities are getting in on the act! Check out Footloose from the Warsaw School of Economics, the University of Montevideo in Uruguay that features both students and professors, University of Vic Hey Soul Sister lip dub that also combines faculty and staff – this time 900 members of campus! Really, does anything beat watching the lip syncing of a college professor?

Schools like Pompeu Fabra University in Spain and Australian Catholic University in Australia have released lipdub videos. Australia Catholic University students teamed up in order to show off several different ACU campuses and loads of actual students (talk about a fun way to get a look at college campus!).

Want to see more? Check out the Lehigh University Lip Dub of 2010 on YouTube or below. Have you come across a fun college lip dub video? Let us know in the comments!

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For 20 years My College Guide has produced an annual magazine chock full of free college info for high-achieving high school sophomores. Check out our participating colleges. If you’re a student, enter for a chance to win an Apple iPad or iPhone or cash!

Related posts:

1. College Lip Dub Phenomenon: Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Glee’s Somebody to Love
2. Don’t Just Sit There, Interact! Saint Michael’s College Interactive Campus Tour Video
3. Johns Hopkins Model of a Modern University or College Facts Made Fun