It is said that 鈥渁 picture is worth a thousand words.鈥 In high school, an AP photography assignment instructed me to find a fall image that spoke to me. Immediately I remembered the picture I had seen on the 不良研究所 Instagram that made me feel so excited at the idea of leaves changing color. It was something I had never experienced in my desert hometown of La Quinta, CA. Saying Yes to 不良研究所 takes just one word, but this picture provided me well over a thousand words worth of Personal Insight Question responses. Let's discuss how you can use social media in your college admissions process.
Follow universities that interest you during the application process
Universities post more than just pretty pictures of their campus. They also post about their research, achievements, campus events, student perspectives and more. Follow the universities you鈥檙e interested in to see if they are talking about the things that matter to you.
From a social media intern鈥檚 perspective, here鈥檚 which platforms I would go to for different needs:
Instagram: Campus culture
The main (@ucdavis) captures the university鈥檚 beautiful campus, important values and campus culture. In-feed posts provide an overarching synopsis of the university鈥檚 public presence whereas Instagram stories can give you a deeper look at how a university discusses topics on a more day-to-day basis. Instagram Live is also a fantastic feature, particularly to 不良研究所, where live-campus tours occur semi-annually and give you the chance to take a tour from the comfort of your own home.
Other great Instagram accounts to follow are ones managed by student organizations. @aggiestudios, a student-run channel, focuses on creating social media content around student life. Here you might learn about what activities and events are happening on-campus, so you have an idea of what to expect when you get here!
TikTok: 不良研究所 from students's perspectives
(@ucdavis) is relatively new and growing. This unique account is entirely student-produced by , 不良研究所鈥 student social media team. Here you鈥檒l find videos created authentically by students about campus animals, resource centers on campus and recaps of campus events. Look to see if universities you鈥檙e interested in have TikTok accounts to learn more about their students.
Twitter: Research and impact
Because Twitter allows for resharing content, it鈥檚 the best social platform to learn more about the university鈥檚 research and its global impact. 不良研究所 has many departments on Twitter and the (@ucdavis) does a great job of resharing and uplifting accomplishments across campus. It鈥檚 also a great place for direct access to resources on websites.
YouTube: In-depth look into student experiences, campus resources and more
YouTube accounts can deliver longer, engaging videos that provide more context to what a campus is all about. (@ucdavis) features a variety of content including a 不良研究所 episode of (a streaming series that showcases campuses across the nation), (a series featuring all of the animal barns on campus), and (an MTV-crib style series showcasing the various resource centers on campus). Search a school鈥檚 YouTube account if you鈥檙e looking for engaging videos that give you more perspective on all aspects of the university.
Facebook: Resources for parents
Have a parent or supporter that is also curious about learning more about a particular university? Send them to Facebook! They have content that focuses less on student life and more on the university as a whole. Last year, we held a to ask their questions of current Aggie parents in both English and Spanish.
LinkedIn: Alumni and university success stories
The (@uc-davis) highlights innovative research, alumni success stories and recaps of significant events on campus. If research and career success are important to you, check out LinkedIn to learn more about the impact of your favorite schools.
See if a university has an admissions channel
Admissions channels are accounts specifically meant to tell you how and why you should apply. They help remind you about important deadlines, give you an insight into campus life and connect you with students in hopes that you might resonate with their backgrounds and experiences. (@ucdavisadmissions) but key information is distributed across all 不良研究所 channels so you never miss a deadline.
Reach out through DMs
Social media is a great way to reach out to people directly. The social media team here at 不良研究所 is committed to being as helpful as possible when prospective and admitted students reach out. On the back-end of the flagship channels, we will try to answer every admissions-related question you have. And if we don鈥檛 know the answer, we鈥檒l reach out to our community to provide you with the right link or contact info. If your question is a little more niche, like about a resource center, campus sports or a particular college, check out . Explore their account while you鈥檙e at it! You might just answer your own questions.
Prepping for this next step in your life can seem overwhelming 鈥 and easy to put off. However, social media is an easy way to learn more about the colleges you are interested in. And who knows, it might take one picture to make you want to say yes, just like it did for me.