Facebook stalking has taken on a new meaning.
College applicants are using the social networking site to hunt down admissions officers, according to a new Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey featuring 401 of the nation's top universities.
In fact, 71 percent of college admissions officers at the colleges say they or another admissions officer have received a Facebook or MySpace friend request from an applicant, according to the survey.
Although UF did not participate in the survey, other Florida schools, like Florida Institute of Technology and University of Central Florida, said state schools are using Facebook as a recruiting tool.
The University of North Florida's admissions office has created a page that has about 250 fans.
Katie MacInnes, the assistant director of admissions marketing, communications and articulation at UNF, said the page includes photos, contact information and a list of admissions events.
The page works hand in hand with the admissions office Web site and aids in the recruitment process, MacInnes said.
Kristen Campbell, the director of college prep programs for Kaplan, said Facebook pages for admissions offices are also useful in an economy that makes it difficult to visit colleges.
Facebook allows more opportunities to share the essence of the college through features like videos, Campbell said.
She said it was interesting to note how students have switched to being proactive when it comes to letting admissions officers see their profiles. Rather than accusing college admissions officers of invading their privacy by looking at their profiles, students are encouraging the officers to become their Facebook friends, she said.
UF's Office of Admissions does not have a Facebook page.
UF spokesman Steve Orlando said the large number of UF applicants would make it difficult to create.
But, UF is not ruling out this new use of social media, Orlando said.
