Social networking tools —like Facebook, blogging and

Twitter —are fast becoming an integral part of college

admissions in New Jersey and around the country as students

communicate with schools in the way that has become second

nature to them.

More than 60 percent of schools are now using so-called

social media to recruit and contact with students—a huge 【M1】________

jump in just a few years, according to a survey done for the

National Association of College Admissions Counseling. But 【M2】________

just about every college and university in New Jersey has

recently started or is planning to launch some sort of social

media campaign, from “living chats” online to Twitter updates 【M3】________

and video campus tours.

Applicants of Monmouth University can now use videos 【M4】________

submit via Facebook—in lieu of essays—to tell the school 【M5】________

why they should be accepted. Online groups set up by Drew

and Seton Hall universities let those admitted to get to know 【M6】________

each other before they ever set feet on campus, and Rutgers 【M7】________

University freshmen are blogging for prospective students on

school-sponsored sites. “It’s the new and best thing, and you

have to do it if you want to look antiquated,” said Peter Nacy, 【M8】________

vice president of undergraduate admissions at Seton Hall.

Seton Hall’s admissions office last year put on a Facebook 【M9】________

page for freshmen enrolling the class of next year, offering 【M10】________

notices, news and a chance to interact with other students.

The site grew quickly and now has nearly 850 members, out of a

class of 1,140.

【M7】