More and more students, it turns out, are using LinkedIn as a way to express themselves and share information that is relevant to them. That’s entirely unsurprising. So what’s the big deal? LinkedIn recently lowered the minimum age for entry to the site to 14, but teenagers still love their social media, so the fact that they’re putting up profiles on LinkedIn shouldn’t come as a surprise. But the trouble begins with students reaching out to admissions officers by adding them on LinkedIn — that’s entirely unprofessional and unnecessary!

Students should not add admissions officers to their LinkedIn profiles. Not all admissions officers want to be LinkedIn connections with high schoolers. Not all admissions officers wish for students to peruse their profiles. It’s an invasion of privacy. It’s foolish. Not all connections are good connections. Just as you shouldn’t be calling your regional admissions officer every day — which renders you a nuisance and unlikable — you shouldn’t be asking to follow them on Instagram or as connections on LinkedIn.

The Hidden Factor Impacting Your Admission Odds

Despite what embittered students and misguided teachers will have you believe, the college admissions process is not arbitrary, random, unpredictable, or a shot in the dark. Taken as the sum of test scores, grades, letters of recommendation, essays, and supplemental information, an application’s chances of success can be predicted to a surprising degree of accuracy. That’s how we at Ivy Coach, with our extensive experience and knowledge, can optimize our clients’ odds of admission to schools like Harvard and Yale. We’ve perfected our approach, oriented around a singular admissions hook, and we know what plays well in elite college admissions offices because we are a firm composed of former admissions officers from highly selective colleges.

However, we’d like to share a hidden factor underlying this process: the impact of personal relationships. That’s right — admissions officers are human, just like us (shocker!). They care when troublesome students add them on LinkedIn. They care when they receive unsolicited emails asking about a student’s application status. They love an underdog, hate a bragger and boaster, and want to admit likable, friendly, and well-adjusted (not well-rounded!) students to their campus. Despite what you’ve heard to the contrary, a teenage LinkedIn profile will only make you seem like the opposite of this highly admissible type of student!

The Trouble with a Teenage LinkedIn Profile for College Admissions

Don’t link your LinkedIn profile to your college application. Not only is it entirely unnecessary, but it will make you seem like a conceited hack! We’re not kidding! Admissions officers don’t need to remember the time you founded a tutoring start-up in your local community. They haven’t forgotten that pre-college summer program you did in July (which is working against you, by the way!). Directing them to these accomplishments via a LinkedIn page only fills your application with redundancies and wastes everyone’s time. It’s best to steer clear altogether.

Moreover, LinkedIn pages sometimes make you seem well-rounded by showcasing your many different pursuits, compromising your chances of being admitted to your dream school. By diluting your singular hook with brags, like volunteering at the homeless shelter, traveling abroad with an immersion program, or playing varsity basketball, your LinkedIn will backfire on you, and you’ll wish you had never bothered with it in the first place!

The same goes for uploading unnecessary details to the Additional Information section of The Common Application or sending detailed emails to your local admissions representative. Your time is better spent crafting a compelling singular hook with the help of one of Ivy Coach’s former elite college admissions officers! 

Ivy Coach Does What LinkedIn Can’t: Help You Get Into Your Dream School

Save your time and energy by turning to Ivy Coach to guide you through the pitfalls and misconceptions that swirl around elite college admissions. Fill out our complimentary consultation form and we’ll be in touch with an outline of our services.