Read About The ZeeMee Revolution

Here’s a teaser concerning ZeeMee (about which we’ll have more to say later in this post), that comes from a February 16, 2017 Voice of America blog on voanews.com:

Rebekah La Plante, associate director of undergraduate admissions at Virginia Tech, said partnering with ZeeMee helped the school to learn about students “in a much more real, real time type of way.”

Madeline Stahl, a high school senior from Virginia, applied for college “early decision,” which locks in acceptance early, usually in November. She got a call back from her dream school…Virginia Tech.

“I was lucky enough to get a phone call from one of the admission officers telling me they really loved the ZeeMee aspect of my application,” Stahl said.

She became aware of the app when she saw a link to ZeeMee on her application for Virginia Tech.

Like we said, we’ll have more to say on ZeeMee later in this post, but first…

We know that the subject of what not to post on social media – because college admission officers might end up seeing it – has been beaten to death, so we’re not going to tell you what not to do, but we want to stress three simple principles about social media; adhere to them to avoid shooting yourself in the foot:

• Post and re-post only what you’d be proud of having your grandparents see.
• Before you post or re-post anything, ask yourself, “Is there any way this could be misinterpreted by others?”
• Assume that anything and everything you post or re-post will be available for others to see – forever – even if you subsequently delete the post.

Now here’s what you should do – because college admission officers might end up seeing it – to have social media increase your chances for admission to the schools you want to attend.

• In both the photos and the language you post, present yourself as modest and mature – or at least maturing – because colleges want those types of students as members of their communities. Schools absolutely are not going to extend an invitation to immature braggarts. This is not to say that you should avoid posts that are consistent with personal qualities and characteristics about which you’re justifiably proud. You should. A photo (along with a brief comment) of you holding a trophy or award for having done something that took work on your part, is one example.
• Present a picture that’s consistent with the one you’re describing in your application. If you’re going to present yourself on your app as a swimmer, a debater, somebody interested in politics, health care, robotics, photography, or music, join on-line groups that focus on those activities.
• Demonstrate interest in the colleges you want to attend by following them on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Instagram, and any other available platforms. It’s also a great way to get to know current and prospective students, along with any faculty members who participate.
• Review everything carefully for spelling and grammar before you post it, because errors say that the writer is ignorant, sloppy, or both, and those aren’t qualities about yourself that you’d want an admissions officer to see.
• Be positive, because people respond positively to positive people, and that’s exactly how you want admissions officers to see and respond to you as a prospective member of their schools’ communities.

And now, more on ZeeMee. The previously mentioned voanews.com post says,

ZeeMee is a Facebook-My Space mashup that gives students a platform to present themselves to colleges. They can post photos, videos, write about their goals and aspirations, and showcase their skills in music and sports. But this social media platform has a focused audience: college admissions offices.

According to zeemee.com, over 190 colleges now participate in ZeeMee, and your ZeeMee link can be added to any application, including the Common App. Find out more - here’s the link: https://www.zeemee.com/common-app 

Further, NBC reports that “ZeeMee allows students to integrate photos and videos to tell a personal narrative and to be seen as more than a score in the application process,” and Forbes says that “Each applicant’s ZeeMee page becomes, in effect, a custom profile or portfolio that students can curate over time for admissions purposes.” Last, safesmartsocial.com reports that ZeeMee profiles can be made private and unsearchable online, so that only those with the link will be able to see them.”

In short, ZeeMee is – what’s not to like? – a powerful and free tool by which students can present themselves in their best lights to colleges’ admissions offices, and its usage is certain to increase.