As more and more students are having to change their names on Facebook in fear of colleges and universities using the sites to ‘spy’ on the potential applicants, it begs the questions: “How much information is too much information?” and “Should you really be posting information about yourself, you wouldn’t want your mother to see?”

24% of admissions officers admitted in a recent survey by Kaplan Test Prep that they had viewed publicly available pages to find out more about a student, and 20% said that they have used Google for the same reasons.

The report showed that a staggering 12% said that what they found had had a negative effect on the chance of admission, with discoveries of underage drinking, vulgarity in blogs and in some cases, plagiarism.

It is clear that a student’s online reputation can influence an admissions representatives decision – so what can schools do to advise their students against posting such information online?

Schools in the USA are introducing seminars in to their assemblies expressing the risks involved with posting information that may hinder your chances of getting into a university or college. Students as young as 8 and 9 in the 5^th grade are being advised on the potential ramifications of their actions online.

Other methods include asking students to Google themselves to see what they can find. The results intended to shock the students into changing their behaviour and practices when using Facebook, Twitter and personal blogs.

Students are also using their initiative (perhaps even cunning) to deter college admissions representatives away from their online lifestyle, with changing their names and introducing pseudonyms  so they’re unsearchable to anyone outside of their social circle.

The problem with using such methods to ‘suss-out’ students behaviour outside of the classroom, is that there are technically no official guidelines being used by institutions governing how it should factor into the admissions equation. This is likely to remain uncertain until there are clear legal guidelines put in place. And as these online searches and check-ups become more popular with the use of TargetX, a technology programme integrating Facebook and Twitter designed for admissions offices only, more and more universities are turning to them to judge whether students are actually who they say they are.

David Hawkins, the director of public policy and Research for the National Association for College and Admission Counseling, backed the institutions use of social network sites saying “Colleges can’t just ignore something that has been brought to their attention”. However he also recommended that there be a “policy in place on the use of information that bubbles up through these very public sites”.

Are you a student looking to apply to university/college? Are you worried how your online persona could affect your admission opportunities?

Do you censor information you publish online about yourself to prevent this from happening? What methods do you use?

43,000 hopefuls applied to the 2,800 spots for the incoming freshman class which is a record high for the university. According to university officials, the number of applications is up 15% from last year and is almost triple the number from a decade ago.

Many other institutions in Boston, including Harvard, Tufts, Brandeis and Boston College have experienced the increases in applications from high school seniors, the rise at Northeastern is noticeable by the sheer size of the increase.

Philomena Mantella, senior vice president for admissions said that the number of international students has also leapt by more than 42 percent in just one year, to just under 4,500 applications.

The rise in applicants could be due to the university now offering students the opportunity to graduate in four years instead of the traditional five year commitment, they’re also still able to fit in two six-month placements of job-training.

The university also has a good reputation for its overseas connections and extensive global reach, in placing undergraduate students in co-ops in 69 countries and on all 7 continents including Antarctica.

It could also be argued that one of the reasons for the increase is due to the university hosting an admissions conference, OACAC, last year – inviting 700 high school counsellors from across the world to take part.

Overseas Association for College Admission Counselling (OACAC) is an affiliate of the National Association for College Admission Counselling (NACAC). It strives to serve students as they make their choices about pursuing postsecondary education. Their conferences bring together college counsellors and careers advisors from all over the world to meet with college admissions representatives to build relationships and help aid students through the international application process. It is an annual event which will be taking place this July at the University of Calgary.

Higher Education: once one of America’s most reliable export markets is suffering due to the post September 11th visa restrictions and high tuition costs. Therefore the growth in international students has slowed allowing other countries to step in and reap the benefits.

American institutions are now fighting back having finally shaken off their prior contentment that the prestige of US academies was enough to keep the international students coming in. Universities are now targeting international students, offering scholarships as incentives, forming partnerships with institutions in growth areas such as China, and for the first time offering commission to private recruiters.

The desire to increase the international recruitment is said to be driven by the wish for universities to be more diverse, which has become a unique selling point to American students.

A survey by the Institute of International Education states that 57% of the universities that responded stated that they are taking steps to improve their international recruitment. An example of this is the University of Rochester, which has increased their international student population by 53% this year and overseas students make up 10% of its overall enrolment.

Some universities have even begun offering scholarships to international students to offset the high- cost of tuition fees- something that has never been done before.

Controversially, some universities have begun paying private recruiters commission in an attempt to compete with international rivals. An action frowned upon by the National Association of College Admissions Counseling as US universities are prohibited, by law, to do this domestically.

Another strategy has seen some universities partnering with other institutions overseas, agreements that will see students spending two years in the US.

The assertive approach is already showing improvements, with the number of the international students on the rise again: up 10 percent in 2008 and 16 percent in 2009.

This drive to attract more international students has encouraged universities in various states to join forces to promote themselves i.e. Discover Indiana and One Big Campus in Philadelphia. This is something very new to Higher Education as in the past, many institutions saw every other institution as a competitor for international students.