Instead of waiting to arrive on campus to figure things out, students utilize tips given on social media to make their transition from high school to college easier.

Twitter is a way for incoming freshman to meet other students, connect with Registered Student Organizations and find useful information about the university, specifically by using the hashtag #SIUC18.

The #SIUC18 hashtag has been tweeted more than 2,000 times this year, according to Tweet Binder, and has allowed new students to interact with people before arriving on campus.

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Alexander Martin, advisor of Student Programming Council, said SPC decided to utilize Twitter because of how swiftly information can be distributed throughout the site.

“Twitter is a community,” Martin, a graduate assistant for the University Programming Office, said. “The best part about it is that you have multiple hashtags that expand across the world.”

Martin said hashtags enable students to get to know their entire class before they get on campus.

“Incoming freshman created their hashtag,” Martin said. “That’s how they know who they have classes with, what events are going on around campus and which RSO’s are the best to join. … This hashtag or any hashtag for that matter is more than just that, it is a community that connects you with so many, and can possibly open up so many doors of opportunity.”

Shaneice Bufford, a sophomore from Carbondale studying biomedical science, said Twitter was helpful to her during her first year.

“Whenever I needed help finding a building or finding out what events were going on around campus or Carbondale, I automatically went to Twitter,” she said.

As a member of Vanity Fashion Fair Models, Bufford said the organization uses Twitter to recruit new members.

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“Since the RSO Fair is coming up, we’ve been doing a lot of heavy promotion on Twitter as well as Instagram, because both platforms give us a chance to be seen by plenty of people,” she said.

The hashtag #SIUC18 has been posted more than 950 times on Instagram, according to data gathered from the site.

Demetrios Layne, a senior from Itasca studying sports administration said Twitter enables him to get the word out about his business.

“Twitter allows me to reach as many individuals as I can, instead of going out to talk to them one by one,” he said. “Twitter is swift and it’s beneficial.”

Layne, former president of the RSO Speaking and Teaching, said Twitter was responsible for helping recruit new members and for receiving large turnouts for their events.

“Before Twitter, or any social networking site, we as students had to work really hard to find out what was going on,” Martin said. “These days, staying aware is as simple as opening up your phone and scrolling down your timeline.”