College Admissions Project

Directions

You are college admissions officers who must decide which of two college applicants to admit. The admissions committee has already determined that the candidates, Markus and Tommy, are equally desirable based on their grades, test scores, and personal essays. The officers also have the following information from an online search of each candidate.

Review the material below. Then fill out the Feedback Form and make your final choice.

Copy the Chart below to your Blog. Fill out the chart and answer the questions. Make your final choice, and be ready to make a case for your selection.

Final Choice:

3 Main reasons for Choice:

ASK: Why did you not choose the other candidate? Is there additional information about this candidate that could have made you want to choose him? Sample responses:

  • We did not select Tommy because we thought he was fake or insincere. (Maybe it would make a difference if you knew that the exchange between Tommy and his friend Maggie was a private joke. Maybe Maggie is also trying to get in to the same college as Tommy and Markus, and writes joke messages to make Tommy seem shallow.)
  • Markus did not get in because he did not seem that interesting. (Maybe it would make a difference if Markus had a stronger online presence that showed he was interested in things other than sports.)

ASK: Do you think the comments by JJ and Maggie had a positive or negative effect on their friends’ chances for college? Do you think this is what they intended when they wrote the comments? (Students should recognize that these comments revealed private information about Markus and Tommy, and also emphasized negative rather than positive qualities. JJ and Maggie almost certainly did not mean to hurt their friends’ chances to get into college; they just weren’t thinking carefully about it.)

ASK: Do you think this is a good way for a real admissions officer to make a final choice? Why or why not? (Students should understand that while admissions officers, prospective employers, and the like sometimes do look at online profiles, this may not be the best or fairest way to assess someone. The material that appears online may not present a full or accurate picture of a person and of his or her personality and achievements.)

LEAD a discussion on the larger ethical and practical issues involved in sharing information online.

ASK: What are some ways teens share information online? (Students should mention the ways they contribute to their digital footprints – through social networking, blogging, and other online activities.)

ASK: Do you think teens share too much information about yourselves online? Why or why not? (Students will have differing opinions, but they should recognize the importance of carefully considering what they contribute to their digital footprints.)

Key Vocabulary

  • Digital footprint: All of the information about a person that can be found online
  • Admission: To let in or to be given entrance
  • Candidate: Someone seeking entrance to a school or placement in a job, usually competing with others for the position