Whether you have a profile on Facebook, an Instagram account, or are sharing clips on Vine, it’s important to remember that anything you don’t have hidden with privacy settings can be viewed by a college admission officer. While it’s true that admission folks aren’t spending vast amounts of time Googling every applicant, there is nothing to stop them if they wanted to do this…and many have.

It’s important for students to take some time to check out what they have posted online (and don’t forget any photos you may have been tagged in by friends!) and, if necessary, do some cleaning before submitting your applications. The last thing you would want is to be rejected by a school, or have an offer of admission rescinded, because of a random bout of profanity or inappropriate photo on one of your social media sites.

On the flip side, using social media to connect with colleges can be incredibly useful and help demonstrate your interest in a particular school. Asking questions of admission staff via a school’s Twitter account is a great way to engage and build rapport with the admission staff. It’s also a great way to see what current students are saying about the university and you can even begin conversations with a college President or two! Here are a few of our favorites in the Twitterverse:

• Santa J. Ono, University of Cincinnati: @PrezOno
• Kirk H. Schulz, Kansas State University: @kstate_Pres
• Eli Capilouto, University of Kentucky: @UKYpres
• Walter M. Kimbrough, Dillard University: @HipHopPrez
• Angel Cabrera, George Mason Univ: @CabreraAngel
• Wallace D. Loh, University of Maryland: @presidentloh
• Beverly Daniel Tatum, Spelman College: @BDTSpelman

For more information on how colleges may (or may not) be using social media in the application review process, check out the following articles:

They Loved Your G.P.A., Then They Saw Your Tweets – New York Times

Toning Down the Tweets Just in Case Colleges Pry – New York Times