Random Question

[ScaredyCat]

Hi everybody! So I have a question. I am applying to Continental programs including Stony Brook, Fordham, and Vanderbilt. I submitted my Vanderbilt application on January 7th, 8 days before the deadline. Anyways I have an academia.edu, which allows you to see that someone has found your page and how (e.g., google search). The day after I handed in my application I got a notification from academia.edu that someone google searched me in Tennessee. Now I have not met anyone in Tennessee recently and because of the close timing it makes sense to assume someone from the committee was googling me.

Leiter about this in his blog but it is from six years ago. Many professors said that schools would not google search you because they have all the pertinent information. No relevant information can be gleaned from an internet search and i am apt to agree. My question is why would they google search me? Have any of you been google searched as far as you know?

I had a friend that told me this is a good thing. Apparently she was google searched by Vanderbilt, and she got in.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[dgswaim]

I got a hit from some person in Alaska right after I created my account. I know nobody in Alaska. I wouldn't read too much into it.

[SamStone]

Yea, I was thinking the same thing as dgswaim. You can get a lot of random hits on academia. On my account I've gotten more page visits from cities that I don't know any one in. I don't really know why that happens, but I'm guessing its just people scanning around on the site. I do that sometimes. And even if it was someone from Vandy, I'm not really sure you can glean much from that knowledge...

Though, I guess if I had to wager a guess, I'd assume it wouldn't be a bad thing that someone saw your app and wanted to look you up.

[ScaredyCat]

Thanks guys. You both are probably right.

[MVSCZAR]

Just wanted to bump this and say that I got some searches from Nashville a few days after sending my Vanderbilt application and was eventually accepted. Maybe they do search??

[currentphilgrad]

I had a hit from South Bend, IN. Hopefully this means something about Notre Dame.

[thehegeldialectic]

Did you guys get into Vanderbilt or wait-listed or anything? I live in Nashville, but haven't heard anything from them or gotten any hits recently.


I have a hit from Nashville from January 14th (right after I sent it), but I don't know if it was me googling myself, haha.

Edited February 12, 2016 by iunoionnis

[MVSCZAR]

20 minutes ago, iunoionnis said:

Did you guys get into Vanderbilt or wait-listed or anything? I live in Nashville, but haven't heard anything from them or gotten any hits recently.


I have a hit from Nashville from January 14th (right after I sent it), but I don't know if it was me googling myself, haha.

I wish I could google myself but my name is so common that I'd never end up finding myself unless I really try. 

 

I got a call from Vanderbilt yesterday saying I'm in.

[thehegeldialectic]

Congratulations!

So, you think they have any more people to call, or is the show over?

[MVSCZAR]

10 minutes ago, iunoionnis said:

Congratulations!

So, you think they have any more people to call, or is the show over?

Thanks! 

 

To be honest, I have no idea. I'm not even sure how many people they admit a year. I also haven't seen any waitlists, so who knows. Are you at Vanderbilt right now?

[thehegeldialectic]

9 hours ago, MVSCZAR said:

Thanks! 

 

To be honest, I have no idea. I'm not even sure how many people they admit a year. I also haven't seen any waitlists, so who knows. Are you at Vanderbilt right now?

No, I finished my degree at Belmont University in December 2015. My fiance works at Vanderbilt medical, however. 

[ScaredyCat]

On February 11, 2016 at 11:36 PM, MVSCZAR said:

Just wanted to bump this and say that I got some searches from Nashville a few days after sending my Vanderbilt application and was eventually accepted. Maybe they do search??

Yeah. I think they do search, but now I am wondering if it means anything. Idk. I haven't heard anything from Vanderbilt.

[MVSCZAR]

I'm getting lots of searches from cities where I've applied (or near where I've applied). Weird. Let's see if the theory holds true... 

Edited February 14, 2016 by MVSCZAR

[Swann]

was any sort of correlation found between academia hits from cities of schools applied to and admissions? i know its a long shot, but I just got a hit on my academia page from Stanford, CA. and I wanted to get really excited...but i know it probably doesn't mean anything special——i just want to get in somewhere!

[Disgruntledlurker]

I got a bunch of hits from a city that a conference I applied to is in just before they told me that my paper was accepted. If they really like your writing sample, I'm sure some people are curious to put a face to the name after the admissions process and so they google you. Probably most don't take the time to do that. And sometimes its random people scanning the site. I'm strangely popular in Korea. I'd try not to get my hopes up based on an academia hit, but it was enough to make me change my instagram account back to private anyways.