Most students know the dangers of social media, but today, I’m going to talk about the benefits of social media when deciding what college to attend.
Following a college on twitter, Instagram and/or Facebook is a great way to get the feel for the college without having to go on a campus visit. I’d recommend incoming high school freshmen to start following colleges that they’re interested in or just curious about. As an incoming freshman you have time to figure out what college to attend and what to major in. Getting a sneak peak of the college through their tweets and Instagram posts is a great way to see if it’ll be a place you want to visit further on in your high school career.
College’s social media pages can reveal what the college’s priorities and values are: academics, athletics, student life, arts & theatre…all of the above. If you decide early on that the college is not what you thought it was, that’s fine. You have enough time to re-evaluate and look at other possibilities.
If you want to do further investigation, you can look at the city the college is in by following the city’s government pages. You can get a feel for the town. Is the city supportive of the college, their students and their activities? How’s the restaurant, commercial and entertainment scene in the town/city?
You can also use social media to connect with currents students and get firsthand accounts of attending that particular college and if you decide to attend the college, you’ll already know someone who attends.
Lupe - ICAN Coralville and Davenport Centers
