Manhattan Prep/Kaplan Survey: Most MBA Applicants Consider Their Social Media Posts “Fair Game” in the Admissions Process

A new Manhattan Prep/Kaplan survey of more than 300 aspiring business school students finds that a majority believe they have little to fear when it comes to their social media posts harming their admissions chances.* Among the findings:

• Legit Factor: Of those surveyed, 59 percent say that what prospective students post on social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok is “fair game” for admissions officers to use to help them decide who gets in; but 41 percent disagree and think it’s “an invasion of privacy that shouldn’t be done.”
• Low Impact: Two-thirds (66 percent) of respondents say that if an admissions officer had full access to all of their social media posts right now, it would have no impact on their chances of getting in; 22 percent said it would help their chances; the remaining 12 percent say it would hurt their chances.
• Minimal Scrubbing: So confident are respondents in the content they posted that only 3 percent say they will “definitely” delete social media posts before applying to business school; 10 percent say “probably”; 38 percent say “probably not”; 35 percent say “definitely not”; and the remaining 13 percent say they are “unsure.”

“The vast majority of today’s business school applicants are millennials and Gen Zers who grew up on social media, regularly using it to tell stories, share, and express themselves, so it’s not too surprising that most are comfortable with admissions officers evaluating them on the content they post. Though it is notable that some respondents told us that they are concerned their political views shared on social media might be held against them,” said Stacey Koprince, director of content and curriculum, Manhattan Prep, which is owned by Kaplan.

“In separate conversations we’ve had with many business school admissions officers, we found that they largely agree that it’s ‘fair game’ to visit applicants’ social media profiles, though most told us they rarely do it,” Koprince added. “While social media remains a wildcard in the process, we encourage prospective students to focus on what we know will most impact their chances of getting in, namely their scores on the GMAT®, GRE®, or EA®, work experience, undergraduate GPA, letters of recommendation, admissions essays, and interviews. That said, we also caution everyone to be careful what they post online. The hunt for online clout can sometimes have unexpected consequences.”

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*The online Manhattan Prep/Kaplan survey was conducted in March-April 2024 and included responses from 306 aspiring business school students across the United States. All answers were rounded to the nearest whole number.

About Kaplan

Kaplan, Inc. is a global educational services company that helps individuals and institutions advance their goals in an ever-changing world. Our broad portfolio of solutions help students and professionals further their education and careers, universities and educational institutions attract and support students, and businesses maximize employee recruitment, retainment, and development. Stanley Kaplan founded our company in 1938 with a mission to expand educational opportunities for students of all backgrounds. Today, our thousands of employees working in 27 countries/regions continue Stanley’s mission as they serve about 1.2 million students and professionals, 15,000 corporate clients, and 3,300 schools, school districts, colleges, and universities worldwide. Kaplan is a subsidiary of the Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC). Learn more at kaplan.com.

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Press: Russell Schaffer, [e-mail] Twitter: @KaplanEdNews