Social Networking Ruining the Future of Britain's Brightest?

With more than 360 British universities searching applicants online, a straight-A college student with impeccable school reports and a real dedication to their education may no longer be accepted by their chosen university because of their family’s background, some photos they had taken on a night out or their secret extra curricular activities.

Figures from the world’s biggest people search website can reveal that more than 360 British universities are carrying out free background checks on applicants via online searches; checking their social networking sites, reading blogs they have commented on and looking at pictures they have uploaded onto the web.

The Top 5 British universities interested in social networking are as follows;

1 – Oxford University
2 – Cambridge University
3 – The University of Nottingham
4 – Sheffield, Hallam University
5 – University of Manchester

These figures make Oxford and Cambridge the 1st and 2nd most active universities in the UK and US, who are seemingly using the internet as a high-powered tool for sieving through the unsuitable applicants and learning more about an individual’s home life and interests.

The Top 10 UK and US universities using people searchs:

1 – Oxford University
2 – Cambridge University
3 – Harvard University
4 – Stanford University
5 – University of New York
6 – Yale University
7 – University of Nottingham
8 – University of California Los Angeles
9 – Sheffield Hallam University
10 – Princeton University

These statistics highlight how important it is for people to monitor their online reputation and be aware of what image they are portraying on the net. It is no longer enough for a student to have straight A’s and strong reports, if they party every night of the week and write inappropriate comments on a blog, they could be hindering their future opportunities.