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Somewhat behind the rush, it seems that at least some Oxbridge academics are getting wise to the Facebook phenomenon.
The Guardian reports today that Dr Richard Barnes, admissions tutor at Cambridge's Emmanuel College, recently admitted as much.
Quote:
"This has been the year in which I joined Facebook,"
commented Barnes, speaking of 2007.
"I have to confess that I actually joined to see what I was missingand also to check up (discreetly) on applicants for a college position.I had been alerted to the value of this by some of our members [formerstudents] in the City."
It wasn't clear what kind of Facebook profile would impress Barnes,or what impact a failure to sign up with the networking site might haveon an applicant's chances at Emmanuel College.
University spokespersons said that the comment was a mere throwawayline and that the only things considered in the applications processwere interview performance, exam results and written submissionsrequired from every candidate.
Academics at Cambridge's aspiring rival, the perfectly acceptableminor university at Oxford (which moulded the character of the youngRupert Murdoch among others), offered mixed opinions on admission byFacebook.
According to the Guardian, unidentified Oxford dons said the practice was "intrusive and most unreasonable" and "unacceptable in the case of admissions".
We're guessing that at least a few also said something along thelines of "Eh? Facebook? What's that? Bloody interweb nonsense Isuppose, be off with you."
However, another of the Graun's informants offered thereasonable view that anyone who deliberately posts detrimentalinformation about themselves on the web in this context is probably toostupid for a place at university, saying:
"It's fair to check up on applicants in this way. Facebook is public domain material."
Read the Guardian writeup here.