10 Common Social Media Mistakes Every High School Student Should Avoid

A recent study found that 65% of college admissions officers consider social media “fair game” when reviewing applications. What does this mean? In short, what you post today could affect your college applications later. Let’s explore the most common social media mistakes high school students make and learn how to avoid them.

1. Bad Photos

Watch what photos you share. Party pics or risky behavior can stop you from getting into college.

Fix your photos:

• Delete any pics with alcohol or drugs
• Remove tags from photos that don’t improve your presence
• Ask friends to take down harmful pictures of you
• Ask yourself: “Would a college admissions officer approve of this?”

2. Weak Privacy Settings

Many students forget to check their privacy, which usually means anyone can see their posts.

Set all your accounts to private:

• Check your settings every month: Social platforms change their privacy rules often. Monthly checks help catch these changes fast before your private info becomes public by mistake.
• Create lists for different groups of connections: Not all connections need to see everything. Lists let you share personal stuff with close friends while keeping a clean image for colleges to see.
• Be mindful of who tags you: Friends might tag you in bad photos or posts without asking. Controlling tags stops these from showing up on your page and hurting your image.
• Turn off location sharing: Always showing where you are isn’t safe. Furthermore, colleges might worry if they see you’re out late or in places you shouldn’t be.

3. Fighting Online

Getting into online fights feels good at first. But colleges don’t like seeing angry posts.

Stay calm online:

• Wait a day before replying to tough topics: When you’re mad, you might say things you’ll regret. Waiting helps you cool down and think clearly before you post.
• Keep replies in-bounds: Malicious replies show colleges you might fight with other students on campus. On the other hand, polite replies prove you can handle opposing views well and work in harmony with others.
• Don’t attack others: Personal attacks make you look mean and immature. Colleges want students who can disagree with others while staying kind and respectful.
• Avoid hostile talks: Stumbling into online fights can quickly ruin your image. Walking away shows you’re mature enough to avoid drama and focus on what matters.

4. Posts Live Forever

Think posts go away when you delete them? Wrong. People can save your posts with screenshots.

Protect yourself:

• Think twice before posting: Once something goes online, you can’t truly delete it. People can save or share your posts even after you remove them.
• Ask: “Would this look good in five years?”: Posts that seem fun now might look bad later. Colleges and future jobs can find old posts, so consider how your choices might impact your future.
• Keep private stuff offline: Personal drama, family issues, or secret thoughts should stay private. Sharing this sort of stuff can make colleges doubt your judgment and maturity level.
• Save strong views for in-person discussions: Strong opinions online can start fights or make people angry. Face-to-face talks work better for tough topics and won’t leave a digital trail.

5. Mixed-Up Accounts

Using one account for everything is risky. Keep school stuff separate from fun stuff.

Here’s how you can define your accounts:

• Create separate accounts for school and fun: Keeping accounts separate allows you to share fun stuff with friends while maintaining a clean, professional image for colleges and teachers.
• Keep school accounts clean: Your school account is like your digital resume. It should show your best self to colleges, with good grades, leadership, and helping others.
• Make personal accounts private: Private accounts let you be yourself with friends without worrying about colleges seeing every joke or silly moment you share.
• Use different emails for each: Separate emails help you track which account gets what messages. It also looks more professional than using one fun email for everything.

6. Old Accounts You Forgot About

Many students forget about old social media accounts. These can hurt your college chances.

Here’s how you can manage old accounts:

• Locate all old accounts: Old accounts might have posts from when you were younger and less careful. Colleges can find these accounts even if you forgot about them.
• Delete old accounts you don’t use: Dormant accounts can get hacked or appear on Google, Bing, or any other search engine. Deleting them stops old posts from hurting your chances at college.
• Clean up the accounts you use: Old posts might show things that seemed okay years ago but look bad now. Cleaning them up protects you from past posts hurting your future.
• Write down your accounts to track them: Keeping a list of your accounts helps you check all of them regularly. Furthermore, you won’t forget any accounts that could hurt your college chances.

7. Bad Comments on Others’ Posts

The comments you leave on what other people post matter. Mean or silly comments can look bad to colleges.

Here are a few tips on how to clean up your comments:

• Delete rude comments: Mean comments from the past show colleges you might be unkind to other students. Even quick, angry replies can make you look bad.
• Ensure new comments are genuine: Positive comments show colleges you work well with others and prove you’ll improve campus life.
• Think before you reply: Fast, automatic, emotional replies often go wrong. Think before you hit enter – this helps you write comments that look mature and thoughtful.
• Help others with good advice: Providing helpful tips shows you care about others and can lead. Colleges love students who make their immediate community better.

8. Joining the Wrong Groups

The groups you join show what you care about. Bad groups can hurt your image.

Clean up your groups:

• Leave groups that post mean things: Associating with mean groups makes you look bad, even if you don’t post. Colleges might think you agree with the negative things other people in these groups say.
• Join academic-focused groups: Academic groups show colleges you care about learning. They prove you spend time on things that matter and want to grow your mind.
• Pick groups that help others: Groups that help people show you care about your community. This tells colleges you’ll join in and improve their campus.
• Find (and join) groups related to your future studies: Joining groups related to your future major(s) shows colleges you’re passionate about the subject(s). It also proves you’re serious about your college plans.

9. Using Slang

Using lots of slang or swear words is just poor form.

Do the following instead:

• Use clean and clear language:  Big words and slang can confuse people or seem unprofessional. Clear words show you can talk well with anyone, which matters in college.
• Skip the swear words: Foul language makes you look less mature and unprofessional. Colleges want students who can speak well in any setting, even when upset or excited.
• Write like you’d talk to a teacher: Professional writing shows colleges you’ll fit in well with college work. It proves you can change your tone based on who’s reading.
• Check your spelling and grammar: Anything less than perfect spelling and grammar makes you look like you don’t care about details. Proper spelling and grammar reassure colleges that you take time to do things right.

10. Sharing Too Much

Posting every little thing can make you look less mature.

Be thoughtful and selective about what you share:

• Only share major wins: Posting every little thing can make your big wins seem less meaningful. Sharing just the major stuff helps colleges see what matters most to you.
• Keep some things private: Sharing everything online makes you look like you need attention. Keeping some things private shows you’re mature enough to have boundaries.
• Wait an hour before posting: Quick posts are often too emotional or share private info. Waiting helps you decide if something is worth sharing with the world.
• Ask: “Does this help my future?”: Each post adds to your online story. Thinking about how a post helps your future stops you from sharing things that might hurt your chances.

Closing Thoughts

Share Positive Content

Instead of making these mistakes, post about:

• Good grades and test scores
• Helping others
• Leading groups
• Making your town better

What to Do Now

Look at your social media often and make it a priority to fix problems ASAP.

Here’s how you can find content that requires your attention:

• Search your name
• Look at all your accounts
• Clean up old posts
• Fix privacy settings
• Create and share high-quality content

You must start reviewing and fixing your online image today. More than anything else, remember that high-quality social media posts can help you get into your dream school.