Using Social Media To Get Accepted

We live in the age of social media. While negative social media activity on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook can impact your MBA admissions, experts say applicants can actually use social media to their advantage.

A 2018 survey by Kaplan Test Prep found that roughly 40% of admissions officers in b-schools screen applicants’ social media pages to learn more about them. While that number may seem low, Kaplan found that admissions officers are increasingly looking at applicants’ social media pages. Kaplan’s first surveys of social media in 2011 revealed that only 22% of b-school admissions officers screened applicants’ social media posts.

Stacy Blackman, of Stacy Blackman Consulting, recently revealed tips on how MBA applicants can use social media to boost their credibility and leave a good impression in admissions.

BOLSTERING YOUR CAREER GOALS

Blackman says applicants looking to switch careers can use social media to help solidify the goals they’ve outlined in other aspects of their application, such as their essay.

“One of your essays talks about your intention to work for a company that develops clean-energy options in third-world countries,” Blackman writes. “You could tweet links to articles or books you’re reading on the subject. Maybe you post about a local conference you attended. Perhaps you give your take on the most promising advancements in the field.”

Building your online presence, in this case, can have a positive influence on your application.

“Let people know when you were quoted in an article or asked to be on a panel,” Blackman writes. “The key is to keep things professional and on point. It’s absolutely fine to let your personality shine through, too — just as it should in your essays.”

Blackman also says applicants can use social media to learn more about the b-schools they are interested in.

“Doing so could be a great way to get some insight about a school that you could work into your essays,” she writes. “Remember, if you don’t consider social media to be another way to strengthen your candidacy, you may be missing out on a great opportunity that other MBA applicants will most certainly take advantage of.”

Sources: Stacy Blackman Consulting, Poets & Quants