Most MBA Applicants Consider Their Social Media Posts ‘Fair Game’ In Admissions

A new Manhattan Prep/Kaplan survey of more than 300 aspiring business school students finds that a majority believe that their social media posts are “fair game” for admissions officers to use to help them decide who gets in. Some 59% agree, though 41% consider it “an invasion of privacy that shouldn’t be done.”

“The vast majority of today’s business school applicants are millennials and Gen Zers who grew up on social media, regularly using it to tell stories, share, and express themselves, so it’s not too surprising that most are comfortable with admissions officers evaluating them on the content they post,” says Stacey Koprince, Manhattan Prep’s director of content and curriculum. “Though it is notable that some respondents told us that they are concerned their political views shared on social media might be held against them.”

The survey found that applicants were so confident in the content they posted that only 3% said they will “definitely” delete social media posts before applying to business school. Another 10% said they would  “probably” clean up their posts. Some 38% said “probably not”; 35%  say “definitely not”; and the remaining 13% say they are “unsure.”

Many business school admission officials say they don’t often look at social media posts, though they see nothing wrong with the practice in evaluating candidates. “In separate conversations we’ve had with many business school admissions officers, we found that they largely agree that it’s ‘fair game’ to visit applicants’ social media profiles, though most told us they rarely do it,” adds Koprince. “While social media remains a wildcard in the process, we encourage prospective students to focus on what we know will most impact their chances of getting in, namely their scores on the GMAT, GRE, or Executive Assessment, work experience, undergraduate GPA, letters of recommendation, admissions essays, and interviews. That said, we also caution everyone to be careful what they post online. The hunt for online clout can sometimes have unexpected consequences.”

The Manhattan Prep/Kaplan survey was conducted online in March-April 2024 and included responses from 306 aspiring business school students across the United States. All answers were rounded to the nearest whole number.