Why high school students should be using LinkedIn for college admissions

It’s my son’s senior year of high school, so I helped him create a LinkedIn profile.

At first, I wasn't sure how much it would actually matter. He is still a full-time high school student. He wasn't looking for a full-time job. And, like most teenagers, he has plenty of other things competing for his attention.

But something happened that changed my mind.

Not long after his profile was created, a dean at a business school connected with him.

That wasn't the reason we created the profile, but it was a pretty good reminder of something I've come to believe strongly: high school students need to start learning how to use LinkedIn now, not when they're graduating from college and suddenly expected to know how professional networking works.

And the college search is becoming increasingly digital.

College discovery is changing for high schoolers

Today's high school students are navigating a very different college search than their parents did.

AI is becoming part of the process. A 2026 EAB survey of more than 5,000 high school students found that 46% were using AI tools such as ChatGPT in their college search, up from 26% in spring 2025. Among those students, AI was being used to identify colleges, research programs, and requirements and find schools they might not have considered otherwise.

Colleges are paying attention to this shift, too. Higher education marketers are increasingly focused on making their schools and programs visible in AI-generated search results. Inside Higher Ed reported in 2026 that colleges are working on AEO and GEO strategies because students are increasingly relying on AI to surface information during their college research.

In other words, the internet isn't just where students find colleges anymore. It's part of how they research, compare, and form impressions about them.

That makes a student's own online presence worth thinking about, too.

Admissions officers already look online

This isn't entirely new.

For years, college admissions officers have acknowledged that they may look at applicants' social media or search for them online. A 2024 Kaplan survey found that 67% of admissions officers considered checking applicants' social media to be fair game, while 28% said they had actually done so.

That doesn't mean every admissions officer is Googling every applicant.

In fact, Dartmouth explicitly says routine web and social media checks are not part of its normal admissions process, although information published online is public and may be considered when relevant.

That's an important distinction.

The point isn't that students should create a LinkedIn profile because a college admissions officer is guaranteed to look at it. The point is that students are increasingly searchable online, whether they intend to be or not.

So why not make sure what people find tells a positive, accurate story?

Using LinkedIn for college admissions gives students a chance to tell that story

A high school LinkedIn profile doesn't need to look like a 35-year-old executive's profile.

In fact, it shouldn't.

Students don't need years of professional experience to have a compelling LinkedIn presence. They already have experiences, interests, accomplishments, and goals that can tell a story about who they are and where they're headed. The trick is knowing how to pull those pieces together and present them in a way that feels authentic to the student while still looking professional.

That's where a little guidance can go a long way.

Creating a LinkedIn profile for a high school student is something Content Forward can help with. The process starts by getting to know the student — their interests, activities, accomplishments, personality, and future goals — and then turning those details into a profile that sounds like them, not like a corporate executive.

The goal isn't to make a teenager sound like they've already launched a career. It's to help them begin building a professional identity that can grow with them through high school, college, and eventually into the working world.

And getting started now means they have time to learn how to use LinkedIn, build connections, and become comfortable presenting themselves professionally.

If your high school student needs help creating a LinkedIn profile, I can help craft a profile that gives them a professional head start –– without losing the personality that makes them who they are.

The networking opportunity is just as important

This may actually be the biggest reason for high school students to start using LinkedIn.

LinkedIn teaches students something that doesn't always come naturally: how to make professional connections.

They can follow companies they're interested in. They can follow colleges and programs. They can connect with alumni. They can learn how people in different careers got where they are.

And occasionally someone may notice them.

That's exactly what happened with my son.

The connection from a business school dean wasn't something we could have planned. But by taking the time, with my help, to create a thoughtful profile, he made himself visible to people who might not otherwise have found him.

As a prospective business school student, we made sure to use keywords that caught the eye of that dean. Beyond the application, LinkedIn is a way admissions officers can find out more about a student.

That's the power of being discoverable.

LinkedIn is a skill, not just a profile

There is another reason I think students should start early: they need to learn how to use the platform.

LinkedIn is not just an online resume.

Students need to learn how to write a professional headline. How to describe an experience. How to send a thoughtful connection request. How to engage with someone else's post. How to share an accomplishment without sounding like bragging. How to communicate with adults in a professional setting.

Those are skills. And like most skills, they're easier to develop gradually than to learn under pressure.

Imagine a college senior who has never used LinkedIn suddenly realizing they need a professional network to find an internship or their first job.

Now compare that with a student who has been using the platform since high school, gradually building connections, and learning how professional communication works.

That's a very different starting point.

Start now

Students don't need to wait until they're applying for internships or graduating from college.

Start with a basic profile.

Add the activities they already have. Update it when they accomplish something new. Follow schools, companies and people in fields they're interested in. Learn how networking works.

Then keep building.

Because the students entering college and the workforce over the next few years are entering a world where search, social media, and AI increasingly shape how people discover information and make decisions.

They should understand how that world works.

And they should make sure that when someone searches for them, they have something worth finding.

That business school dean who connected with my son? It was a small moment. But it made the lesson pretty clear.

Don't wait until you need LinkedIn to learn how to use LinkedIn.