Social Media accounts?

tryingmybest

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Sep 30, 2019
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So my son, a USMA hopeful, is now 18. Up until now, at our suggestions since he was a minor, his instagram account was on private. Some of his peers are now opening their accounts to public as they are applying to colleges so they are easier to search. These kids are savvy with this and his insta is very positive. It is a documentary of events, accomplishments, and a glimpse into his social life over the past few years: service projects, Eagle scout award, local government award, time spent with and EC and winning a huge award there, sports posts, post congratulating friends for accomplishments, boy's state, SLE, etc... He is headed towards MOC interviews in the next few weeks, and he asked me if I thought he should open up his accounts in case they search for him. Is this something that admissions at the SA will look into? MOC interview panels? Should his be open?

On the flip side, we understand that many colleges look into this. Will he be at a disadvantage if they see his SLE photos or his photos where he is sporting West Point gear? We don't want to do anything that will put his plan B chance of full ride competitive scholarships on the line. Thanks for any advice.
 
So my son, a USMA hopeful, is now 18. Up until now, at our suggestions since he was a minor, his instagram account was on private. Some of his peers are now opening their accounts to public as they are applying to colleges so they are easier to search. These kids are savvy with this and his insta is very positive. It is a documentary of events, accomplishments, and a glimpse into his social life over the past few years: service projects, Eagle scout award, local government award, time spent with and EC and winning a huge award there, sports posts, post congratulating friends for accomplishments, boy's state, SLE, etc... He is headed towards MOC interviews in the next few weeks, and he asked me if I thought he should open up his accounts in case they search for him. Is this something that admissions at the SA will look into? MOC interview panels? Should his be open?

On the flip side, we understand that many colleges look into this. Will he be at a disadvantage if they see his SLE photos or his photos where he is sporting West Point gear? We don't want to do anything that will put his plan B chance of full ride competitive scholarships on the line. Thanks for any advice.

No, he’s fine. Personal preference; I keep your stuff on private regardless to only allow people I approve in. That being said Cadre will mess with him if they see his Instagram, happens every year.
 
Keep it locked down as tight as possible for as long as possible. (And that’s if you have to have an account at all).

Main reason is for one’s own privacy. Second reason is you can’t control what others post to your account on several of these programs.
 
Keep it private. Any potential classmates who want to find him still can, but he can choose who gets to see anything beyond his profile picture and bio. There is no reason to give MOC panels or academy admissions access to his social media.
 
Have heard many stories of how social media ruined one's chances of attending a college. Have heard very few -- if any -- stories of how social media actually helped one's chances. If discretion is the better part of valor, then that goes double for social media and SAs.
 
+1 DDmom -- in addition to keeping his accounts locked, my son opted to do a full review/scrub of his accounts. Although everything was pretty benign, he opted to delete 90% of all content due to the short shelf life of most social media content.
 
Also remember that other people are NOT private, and he could be tagged in THER photos. So a savvy searcher can check photos that your DS is tagged in.

My own didn’t know that title nugget back in the day. Mom did (score one for mom...thanks to the Kim Comando radio ‘all things tech’ show I occasionally listen to). He was fine, but it’s a good idea to check those tagged pics, too.
 
^^ I agree, FB (which I rarely use) made a change a couple of years ago where I can now view the profile of 'friends' of 'friends' even if I have NO idea who they are. Seems a terrible idea and not sure how many realize this. Think it is smart to use good judgment and common sense about how much personal info you post in ANY social media site regardless of where you might be planning to go to college. Using any of these as a daily/online diary is NOT a good idea.

Some friends post daily pictures from their vacation while still traveling. Great way to advertise your home is vacant while you are gone !!!
 
So my son, a USMA hopeful, is now 18. Up until now, at our suggestions since he was a minor, his instagram account was on private. Some of his peers are now opening their accounts to public as they are applying to colleges so they are easier to search. These kids are savvy with this and his insta is very positive. It is a documentary of events, accomplishments, and a glimpse into his social life over the past few years: service projects, Eagle scout award, local government award, time spent with and EC and winning a huge award there, sports posts, post congratulating friends for accomplishments, boy's state, SLE, etc... He is headed towards MOC interviews in the next few weeks, and he asked me if I thought he should open up his accounts in case they search for him. Is this something that admissions at the SA will look into? MOC interview panels? Should his be open?

On the flip side, we understand that many colleges look into this. Will he be at a disadvantage if they see his SLE photos or his photos where he is sporting West Point gear? We don't want to do anything that will put his plan B chance of full ride competitive scholarships on the line. Thanks for any advice.

Your son is a nerd lmao
 
Your son is a nerd lmao
I see you are new. This kind of comment isn't in the spirit of the forums. No need for this kind of thing. You can review forum rules for clarification.

BTW, its a very valid point....athletes open up their social medias to generate interest and awareness (hudle and youtube for example) about themselves and to leverage their offers against others. It's a great idea to consider this for academic/EC accomplishments.
 
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I think KevinMaster64's comments don't deserve any attention. There are many threads that deserve attention and guidance from the group here. He/she should not be allowed to post if there is any more such type of activity. Just my 2 c
 
Your son is a nerd lmao

Four posts and not one has landed clean. Pro tip: before posting on a site take a few minutes to poke around, read and get a general feel for the tone and temper of the place. You're missing the mark here and unlikely to find a warm welcome with your current attitude. Good for you that you desire to serve, but take a breath and try to figure out why everyone is giving you such a hard time.
 
For the OP I would say your son could be on to something as to how to effectively utilize social media. There was recently a good piece from a senior military leader encouraging his peers at the four star level to be active in the space while also savvy as to the positives and negatives. I think lessons on that can be applied at echelon. The reality of this day and age is that social media is part of the environment we all operate in and it is to ones benefit to understand the environment.

 
I think there should be combat footage on social media, it would be an excellent ad for recruitement
There is plenty of combat footage on social media. You just need to be connected with the right people.
 
Definitely keep the account on private. Once your son goes to USMA, I will pray for him to get in ;), he will be briefed multiple times on cyber security. They will most likely advise him to privatize his account anyways and check any other social media security settings.

It's important to keep your profiles secure because you don't want random people following you and tracking your life.
 
Definitely keep the account on private. Once your son goes to USMA, I will pray for him to get in ;), he will be briefed multiple times on cyber security. They will most likely advise him to privatize his account anyways and check any other social media security settings.

It's important to keep your profiles secure because you don't want random people following you and tracking your life.
Thank you! This is just the type of feedback I need. He has heard from his GC that college admissions officers and scholarship committees will be looking for social media. I have already advised that he keep it private but this will reassure him that he is doing the right thing. Makes perfect sense, along with not wanting to be a target during Plebe year.
 
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