Can Social Media Hurt Your Chances of Winning a Scholarship?
The huge presence social media has in our daily lives is indisputable. With more and more young people using these social networks to broadcast their lives, you can’t help but wonder what kind of negative implications these sites can have beyond the screens. Social media can hurt not only your job prospects but also your chances of winning a scholarship.
We all have been given the “watch what you post” speech from our parents. Although it can be redundant there is great truth in that speech because it is vital to create the right image of yourself online, especially if you are looking to receive a scholarship or score a new job.
It was actually found that a quarter of scholarship organizations look to social media sites like Facebook to find more information about students before deciding on a recipient. That means your Facebook profile is under close watch by scholarship organizations, so keep that in mind the next time you want to post a picture of you and your friend holding up red solo cups.
Having a good image on social media can be the difference between you or someone else receiving a scholarship.
Scholarship organizations look through your profile to have a further sense of who you are and your values. This means they are on the lookout for any negative things on your profile like posts that suggest illegal activity, inappropriate or provocative photos, and extremely negative posts.
Scholarship organizations want their recipient to be as professional as possible. They want a person that would represent themselves in a classy and mature way, especially online. If they see any signs that you are the opposite of that description, then they will be sure not to choose you.
Every time you decide to post on social media, you need to ensure that what you are posting will not hurt your image in any way, and if you are unsure about it, then don’t post it. People often mistake Facebook for a diary and write these rants either about a person they dislike or their current job. All this does is reflect bad on you, not those you are talking about, and it’s posts like these that will surely follow you later in life.
If you find yourself needing to vent, write in a journal or talk to a close friend or family member about your feelings. Facebook or any other social media should not become your therapy session. No one wants to hire or give a scholarship to someone who is always complaining or posting negatively on social media. These kinds of posts can come off not only as obnoxious, but overly pessimistic.
Your social media account is your brand and you want to make sure it is correctly displaying who you are as a person to those who see your profile. You definitely do not want to be misunderstood due to a negative or inappropriate profile. This is why it is important that you review your profile.
Look at your profile thoroughly as if you are a third party observer and if anything on there is questionable or you would be embarrassed if your mother saw it, then it should probably be deleted. Unfortunately, social media now is about a whole lot more than looking cool to the rest of your friends, it is also about creating the proper image and one that you would be proud to display to any person.
Another way you can check your image online is by typing your name in a Google search. This is a great way to make sure nothing inappropriate comes up with your name and if it does, you can find a way to delete it. You also want to make sure your profile is private and if not you should change it immediately. This not only keeps people from viewing your profile without your permission, but also helps with online safety.
The last thing you want is your social media to work against you; you want a profile that displays you in the best light possible. If your profile highlights you as a wild partier that frequently complains, that hardly does any justice to who you are as a person and how future employers or scholarship organizations will see you.
Although you may be tempted to post pictures that can be deemed inappropriate, you should resist the urge. Even if you think posting that picture is a good idea now, you may come to regret it later when it has some negative repercussions. Posting a picture or writing a post is not something you should take lightly because once it is out there, it is out for the world to see.
Instead of using social media as a tool to vent or as a way to show off, you should use it to show what you are passionate about. You can use your profile to share your favorite articles or to write meaningful posts about what you are interested in. You should make your account into one that accurately represents you and does not hurt your chances of getting a scholarship.
Follow Uloop
Apply to Write for Uloop News
Join the Uloop News TeamDiscuss This Article
More Uloop Campus Life Articles
- Is Group Studying More Effective?
- What You Need to Know About Moving Mid-Semester
- Dos and Don'ts for the Night Before Midterms
- How To Decorate Your Apartment Walls
THE SALON PROFESSIONAL ACADEMY-ANDERSON HOUSING LISTINGS
See all THE SALON PROFESSIONAL ACADEMY-ANDERSON Housing ListingsTHE SALON PROFESSIONAL ACADEMY-ANDERSON Scholarships Listings
WRITE FOR ULOOP
Apply to Write for Uloop NewsGET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
TOP 5 NEWS ARTICLES
TOP THE SALON PROFESSIONAL ACADEMY-ANDERSON Campus Life Q&A
BROWSE OTHER COLLEGES
- By CollegeBall State UniversityIndiana University-Purdue UniversityIndianaUniversity of Notre DamePurdue UniversityIndiana University-Purdue University-Fort WayneIndiana State UniversityIndiana Wesleyan UniversityIndiana University SoutheastButler UniversityIndiana TechUniversity of Southern IndianaAnderson UniversityBethel CollegeCalumet College of Saint JosephDePauw UniversityEarlham CollegeFranklin CollegeGrace College and Theological SeminaryHuntington UniversityIndiana University EastIndiana University KokomoIndiana University NorthwestIndiana University South BendITT Technical InstituteManchester CollegeMarian CollegeOakland City UniversityPurdue University CalumetPurdue University North CentralRose-Hulman Institute of TechnologySaint Joseph's CollegeSaint Mary-of-the-Woods CollegeSaint Mary's CollegeTaylor UniversityTrine UniversityTrinity College of the Bible and Theological SeminaryUniversity of EvansvilleUniversity of IndianapolisUniversity of Saint FrancisValparaiso UniversityVincennes UniversityIvy Tech Community CollegeIvy Tech Community College- LafayetteIvy Tech Community College -NortheastIvy Tech Community College-Central IndianaAlexandria School of Scientific TherapeuticsAmerican College of EducationAnabaptist Mennonite Biblical SeminaryAncilla CollegeApex Academy of Hair Design IncAvant Gard The SchoolAviation Institute of Maintenance-IndianapolisBethany Theological SeminaryBethel College-IndianaBrown Mackie College-MerrillvilleBrown Mackie College-Michigan CityBrown Mackie College-South BendChamberlain College of Nursing-IndianaChristian Theological SeminaryCollege of Court Reporting IncConcordia Theological SeminaryCrossroads Bible CollegeDon Roberts Beauty SchoolDon Roberts School of Hair DesignEmpire Beauty School-IndianapolisExcel Academies of Cosmetology-MerrillvilleFortis College-IndianapolisHair Arts AcademyHair Fashions By Kaye Beauty College-NoblesvilleHanover CollegeHarrison College-AndersonHarrison College-ColumbusHarrison College-ElkhartHarrison College-EvansvilleHarrison College-Fort WayneHarrison College-IndianapolisHarrison College-Indianapolis EastHarrison College-NorthwestHarrison College-Terre HauteHoly Cross CollegeIdeal Beauty AcademyInternational Business College-Fort WayneInternational Business College-IndianapolisITT Technical Institute-Fort WayneITT Technical Institute-Indianapolis EastITT Technical Institute-NewburghIvy Tech Community College-BloomingtonIvy Tech Community College-ColumbusIvy Tech Community College-East CentralIvy Tech Community College-KokomoIvy Tech Community College-NorthcentralIvy Tech Community College-NorthwestIvy Tech Community College-RichmondIvy Tech Community College-South CentralIvy Tech Community College-SoutheastIvy Tech Community College-SouthwestIvy Tech Community College-Wabash ValleyJ Michael Harrold Beauty AcademyKaplan College-HammondKaplan College-IndianapolisKnox Beauty CollegeMartin UniversityMasters of Cosmetology CollegeMedTech College-Greenwood CampusMid-America College of Funeral ServiceMidwest Technical InstituteMyComputerCareer.com-IndianapolisNational American University-IndianapolisPaul Mitchell the School-IndianapolisRavenscroft Beauty CollegeRegency Beauty Institute-AvonRegency Beauty Institute-CastletonRegency Beauty Institute-EvansvilleRoss Medical Education Center-EvansvilleRoss Medical Education Center-GrangerRoss Medical Education Center-KokomoSaint Elizabeth School of NursingThe Salon Professional Academy-AndersonThe Salon Professional Academy-KokomoTricoci University of Beauty Culture-HighlandTricoci University of Beauty Culture-IndianapolisTricoci University of Beauty Culture-LafayetteUniversity of Phoenix-IndianaWabash College
- By State
- By City