Cleaning Up Your Social Media for College Admissions
Why your social media matters to colleges
You’ve studied for the SAT, written the perfect essay, and lined up strong recommendation letters. But what about your Facebook posts from two years ago? Or that tweet you made without thinking?
Colleges are not just looking at grades. They are also looking at character. And increasingly, they are turning to social media to find it.
According to a survey by Kaplan, about 36 percent of admissions officers said they check applicants’ social media. That number has grown over the years, and with more students online than ever, it is not going away.
What you post, share, or like can either strengthen your application or create doubt. Cleaning up your social media is not about hiding who you are. It’s about making sure your online presence reflects the best version of yourself.
Not to mention international students – who may have their socials scrutinized as early as during their visa application.
What schools and colleges are looking for
Colleges want students who will be a good fit for their campus culture. That means they are paying attention to:
- How you interact with others online
- Red flags like hate speech, bullying, offensive jokes, or illegal activity
- Contradictions between your application and your public persona
- Positivity, curiosity, and passion for learning
- Whether you show leadership, creativity, or community involvement
You don’t have to be perfect, but your profile should show you are mature, thoughtful, and ready for college.
What to remove or review
- Posts with inappropriate language, slurs, or offensive jokes
- Negative content about schools, universities, colleges or teachers
- Photos or videos that show partying, drinking, or illegal behavior
- Comments that are mean-spirited, argumentative, or bullying
- Public likes or follows that could raise questions
- Old usernames or bios that no longer represent you
- Tweets or posts that conflict with what you wrote in your application
Even if something seemed funny at the time, it’s not going to land the same way with an admissions officer.
How to delete content that might impact your college admission
Once you’ve determined the content you need to remove – it’s time to start the pain-staking process of removing it from the public eye. That means going through all your social media accounts activity and deleting any posts, comments, or even reactions & likes that might cause trouble.
The process of finding and removing this content can take hours or even days – it’s an exhausting process, especially when you’re trying to get ready to start college at the same time.
That’s where Redact comes in.
Redact is the best social media deletion tool on the market. It’s the only app that lets you:
- Bulk delete posts, likes, and comments from platforms like X (Twitter), Reddit, Discord, and more
- Filter by keyword or date so you only remove what matters
- Preview your deletions before confirming anything
- Schedule regular cleanups to stay ready for every application deadline
It’s fast, safe, and fully in your control.
Redact also supports dozens of other major social and productivity platforms. You can try it free for deletions on Discord, Twitter, and Facebook, and Reddit.
