., click here to enter for a chance to win one of our many gift cards we are giving away.

Learn more

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

How to Get Kicked out of Harvard

., you're logged in!
Enjoy this resource and share our programs with your school district to send these resources to your whole community
Tell Your School District About Our Program
., you're logged in!
Share this resource with a parent at .  (or visit our new sharing center)
Copy Share Link
., you're logged in!
Enjoy this demo pass. Click the button to share access with leaders in your school district (or visit our new sharing center)
Share Your Demo Pass With School District Leaders

Become a member or login to learn more on this topic

Superintendents, Directors and Principals: Request a partnership on this page to unlock our resources for your whole community.
August 22, 2017

Become a member or log in to learn more on this topic

Superintendents, Directors and Principals: Request a partnership on this page to unlock our resources for your whole community.
Quotation marks

This is great info, thanks for giving me some ideas on how to start a dialogue with my teen!

StarStarStarStarStar

Sharon M.

Parent VIP Member

Quotation marks

Josh's presentation about social media was unbelievably fantastic. Our students learned so much about what kids should and shouldn't be doing. The fact that it is such a thoughtful process made it all worthwhile.

StarStarStarStarStar

Director of College Advising

Educator Webinar Attendee

Quotation marks

This webinar is a very helpful eye-opener on the apps that are popular with my students.

StarStarStarStarStar

Irene C.

Educator Webinar Attendee

., tell us what you learned in this lesson/video and earn points towards a gift card.
To earn your gift card, please be specific and write a full sentence that helps us learn what you liked about the program or content

40 characters remaining to reach minimum

Your submission has been received!

If you are in a live event, please comment "I filled out the form!" in the live event chat box!

Otherwise you are free to roam around the site.
Thanks!
-Josh and The SmartSocial Team
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

How to Get Kicked out of Harvard

., you're logged in!
Enjoy this resource and share our programs with your school district to send these resources to your whole community
Tell Your School District About Our Program
., you're logged in!
Share this resource with a parent at .  (or visit our new sharing center)
Copy Share Link
., you're logged in!
Enjoy this demo pass. Click the button to share access with leaders in your school district (or visit our new sharing center)
Share Your Demo Pass With School District Leaders

You may not know this, but what you do privately in your free time and online can affect your chances of getting in (and staying in) your dream school or dream career.

Why should students care?

  • Colleges search for you online to get a more complete picture of who you are as a student
  • Everything you do online can be discovered, even things like Snapchat messages which disappear or exchanges that are made through private messaging

Why colleges care

  • Colleges want to ensure that the students they accept will be a positive representation of their school
  • Students will represent the college as an extension of their brand for the rest of the student’s life (and to everyone in their network)
  • Colleges have a choice when it comes to who they let into their network, so they are very selective as to who gets in
  • Students who have negative content associated with their digital footprint are seen as a branding liability for schools and employers

About Harvard

  • Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, established in 1636, whose history, influence, and wealth have made it one of the world's most prestigious universities
  • Out of 39,506 applicants, only 2,038 (5.4%) were accepted for the incoming class of 2021

Accepted Students

  • Many of the 2,000+ incoming freshman students were invited into a private Facebook group to get to know each other
  • Some of the incoming freshman invited others to be a part of a sub-group for sharing funny memes
  • Some kids posted racist and obscene posts in the sub-group

How students got kicked out of Harvard because of their behavior on social media

  • Harvard found out about the sub-group (and it’s racists posts) and rescinded acceptances for at least 10 students over their behavior in the PRIVATE Facebook group
  • Harvard took screenshots of the content and revoked their acceptances

Why does this matter?

  • Each of these students had already said NO to all of their other schools
  • Now their names are online as students who were expelled from the freshman class of Harvard
  • They will need to re-apply to other schools (and admissions probably will discover their past behaviors with an online search)

How does this affect your future?

  • Partaking in negative online behaviors can drive away opportunities that might come your way
  • Teens who act negatively online tend to attract negativity from others online, especially if they are using anonymous apps

What can you do?

  • Consider getting a Social Media Audit to learn what colleges and employers will see when they search for you online. Get an 8 page customized report with your complete online footprint
  • Learn how to audit your own online footprint in one of our past videos in the VIP Membership

Logged in and still not seeing content? This course may not be part of
your membership plan. Click here to join.

School Districts: Request a partnership on this page to unlock our resources for your whole community.

Become a member or log in to learn more on this topic

Superintendents, Directors and Principals: Request a partnership on this page to unlock our resources for your whole community.
Quotation marks

This is great info, thanks for giving me some ideas on how to start a dialogue with my teen!

StarStarStarStarStar

Sharon M.

Parent VIP Member

Quotation marks

Josh's presentation about social media was unbelievably fantastic. Our students learned so much about what kids should and shouldn't be doing. The fact that it is such a thoughtful process made it all worthwhile.

StarStarStarStarStar

Director of College Advising

Educator Webinar Attendee

Quotation marks

This webinar is a very helpful eye-opener on the apps that are popular with my students.

StarStarStarStarStar

Irene C.

Educator Webinar Attendee

Learn more

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Join Our Next Live Parent Q&A Events

Nov
07
Register

Disappearing Messages: Hidden Dangers Parents Need to Know

Understand the hidden risks behind disappearing messages and learn practical strategies to protect and guide your teen’s digital behavior.

Nov
12
Register

Disappearing Messages: Hidden Dangers Parents Need to Know

Understand the hidden risks behind disappearing messages and learn practical strategies to protect and guide your teen’s digital behavior.

Nov
19
Register

Disappearing Messages: Hidden Dangers Parents Need to Know

Understand the hidden risks behind disappearing messages and learn practical strategies to protect and guide your teen’s digital behavior.

Nov
21
Register

AI for Student Success: Being Productive & Learning Future Skills

This virtual parent night event will explore the fascinating world of AI and the role it can have in every student's educational journey and future career paths.

Dec
03
Register

Optimize Parental Controls Without Invading Your Student's Privacy

Understand how to set up parental controls and monitor your students without being intrusive.

Dec
10
Register

Optimize Parental Controls Without Invading Your Student's Privacy

Understand how to set up parental controls and monitor your students without being intrusive.

Become a Very Informed Parent (VIP) to get our social media suggestions in your email every Tuesday & Thursday.

Dotted arrow to right
Learn about our
"Very Informed Parent" 
VIP Program
Right arrow
Hello, I'm Josh, the founder of SmartSocial.com. Protect your family by taking my 1 minute quiz

This quiz will help you understand how safe your family is

Take Josh's 1 Min Quiz
Right arrow
Smart Social Logo

Schools & Districts: Partner with us to protect your community online

Our remote presentations (and website) teach over a million students each year how to shine online. We teach students how their accounts can be used to create a portfolio of positive accomplishments that impress colleges and employers.

Partner with SmartSocial.com
Right arrow
Smart Social Logo
Join Our Smart Social Podcast
each week on iTunes

With over 240 episodes, Josh Ochs interviews psychologists, therapists, counselors, teachers, and parents while showing you how to navigate social media to someday shine online.

Listen on: