Yes, It’s Actually Happening: What You Tweet or Post Can Keep You Out of Law School.

It’s not just an online urban legend.  Some law school admissions officers are in fact Googling applicants and looking them up on Facebook to learn more about them. And in some cases, their verdicts are distinctly negative.  According to our 2012 survey of law school admissions officers*, 47% (up from 41% in 2011) of law school admissions officers said they have Googled an applicant to learn more about them, while 36% (down slightly from 37% in 2011) have checked out an applicant on Facebook or other social networking site.  Of law school admissions officers who did do this kind of online research on applicants, 28% said they found something that negatively impacted the student’s application – still significant, but a drop from our 2011 survey when 32% said they found something that negatively impacted the applicant. What does this drop mean exactly?  That law schools applicants are “better behaved” now?  Or maybe law school applicants are just more discreet? Or maybe it means that admissions officers are more lenient than they were a year ago? Or it could be a combination of them all.  The most important thing for your students to know is that it’s happening, but it’s something they can largely take control of.

These latest survey findings make sense in context with what we consistently hear from law school admissions officers, which is that while admissions is based on factors like LSAT scores, GPAs, personal statements, and letters of recommendation, an overarching theme to the entire application is whether an applicant is able to exercise good judgment.  An applicant’s digital trail can be an indicator of whether or not he or she possesses this quality, since it shows the “unpolished” version of the applicant – the self they are showing when they think nobody else is looking.

And despite jokes and negative stereotyping of lawyers (we’ve all heard them, no doubt!), the truth is that the legal community takes ethics among its members very seriously.  Consider this: not only do you have to be accepted to a state bar to practice law, but once you are admitted, unethical behavior can lead to your disbarment, stripping you of your ability to practice.  Not many other professions have that kind of enforceable code of conduct, so it’s natural that law schools screen carefully.

To help students put their best foot forward during every part of the admissions process, here are a few tips that you can share with those you advise on how to best manage their online brands:

1. Check your digital trail and keep it clean. Search yourself on Google, Yahoo and other search engines, and clean up anything that doesn’t put you in a positive light.
2. Keep your profile photo appropriate. Be aware that even if you set your privacy settings so you’re searchable but only friends can see your posts and pictures, your name and profile photo are still visible. If so, make sure your photo is what you want to present if someone pulls up your profile.
3. Take control of tagging on your profile. Facebook’s default settings allow friends to tag you in their photos, profile posts, and even check you into places – which can be public without your knowledge. Change these settings so only friends can see these posts.
4. Make your Twitter account permission-only. If you have a Twitter account, by default, anybody can view your tweets and follow you. To protect your privacy and tweets, go to Settings – Accounts – and then check “Protect my tweets.” That way people can only follow you and see your tweets if you’ve given them permission to do so.
5. Be smart and think about everything you post online before you do it. The Internet has a LONG memory. After all your hard work, the last thing you want to keep you out of your top school or program choices is an inappropriate Facebook photo or offensive tweet. Posting that a school is your “safety” school can come back to bite you. (According to Kaplan’s research, it has!)

Have any of your students shared these concerns with you? Are you Facebook friends with any of your students or following them on Twitter? Ever been tempted to advise them to be a bit more cautious about what they share? If so, maybe this is your opportunity to tell them.  It could make a difference in their law school admissions chances.

* For the 2012 survey, admissions officers from 123 of the 202 American Bar Association-accredited law schools – including 15 from the nation’s top 25 programs, as designated by U.S. News & World Report – were polled by telephone between August and September 2012.