The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

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The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder

The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder

Students apply to college, change social media names

According+to+Top+Ten+Reviews%2C+73%25+of+teens+have+a+profile+on+a+social+networking+site.++
Tori Downar
According to Top Ten Reviews, 73% of teens have a profile on a social networking site.

While the season for applying to college is upon us, the minds of seniors are often racing with personal essay ideas, how they can finish the semester with a strong GPA and ways they need to or are already preparing for application deadlines. And in an age so focused on social media, some students are even preparing for college by changing their social media names to become more private. And with a new fad in social media comes both supporters and critics alike.

“I see both sides. As we are in the infancy of social media, I don’t think there was quite the understanding of the unbelievable effect that it has. So maybe early on you said or did some things that you later regretted, which I understand why you might want to swap [names]. My hope would be that whether it’s social media or whether its conversations, locker room conversations whatever, that we would always be mindful that whatever we say can be repeated and can be seen by others,” Principal Jeremy Mitchell.

Some students may be mindful of what they post; however, this is not necessarily the majority. According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, one student was even denied admission to their college of choice because of the content on their online blog. This may be the reason for students to hide their accounts with different names, but a student who changes their social media name is not always a suspicious one.

“I remember my friends from private schools last year changing their names around the time of applying to colleges, so even though no one from West County had, I decided to change my name to something funny. I don’t have anything to hide on my Facebook. I would let any college admissions person go through my Facebook, but I just thought it would be fun to switch things up,” senior Monica Burns said.

No matter your view on the matter, being cautious is a common warning giving by many.

“Just be mindful,” Mitchell said. “I know how easy it can be, you’re at a party or something like that with a bunch of people, but just be aware that you are publicizing that to everybody. That’s just the reality.”

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The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High
Students apply to college, change social media names