New Issues Await Grads and Parents
By BRIAN RAISON, raison.1@osu.edu Extension Educator, Greene County
Each spring, nearly 100,000 students graduate from high schools across Ohio. At numerous convocations and commencements, distinguished speakers will impart an array of advice, much of which has been recycled from a thousand graduation speeches that have gone before. While many issues still ring true for today’s grads, some unique items have recently emerged on the scene.
Here is my short list of things students should consider:
- Be careful what you post. Online social networking sites such as FaceBook and MySpace may seem like they’re “private” or only for your friends. But, a growing percentage of colleges and businesses check these prior to admitting or hiring students. Also, online posts last (essentially) forever. You may remove an incriminating photo; but it has already been cached, stored, saved, or downloaded on a computer somewhere.
- Drop the cutesy email address. While you may be the “topfootballjock08@whatever.mail.com”, your professors or future employers are looking for signs of maturity. Enough said.
- Learn text etiquette. No matter how important the “911” message from your friend may be, or even if you finally got a date with “cheering-cutie-08”, your professor does NOT want to see you replying during a meeting.
Excerpted from an article originally published in the Dayton Daily News on May 14, 2008.