As senior year began, many students changed their names on Facebook. Some claimed that it was just for fun, but others did it to protect their accounts from prying eyes during the college admissions process. Do admissions officers really check your social media, or is it just an urban myth?

A study by Christine Koenig, a former Chicago Tribune employee, found that 67 percent of the 43 schools she spoke to admitted to Googling a prospective student, while 86 percent researched a student’s social media site. According to Koenig, the reasons behind this internet stalking was to “protect their school, its reputation, and avoid potential bad apples from spoiling their brand.”

Admittedly, the numbers from Koenig’s study seem large, and similar studies report different percentages.

Kaplan Test Prep came out with a similar study in 2012, which reported that 12% of students whose social media accounts were viewed by prospective colleges were rejected due to what they saw.

According to the Chicago Tribune, one girl, whose account was seen by admissions officers, sat through a Bowdoin information meeting and posted rude things about the other students in attendance. Because Bowdoin was mentioned in her tweets, the admissions office saw her comments when they searched her. Though she was rejected because her academics weren’t competitive enough, had she been a true potential candidate, her tweets would have upset her chances.

Colgate University is very transparent with their admissions process and lets students know if they were rejected for any reason other than their strength as an applicant. The Dean of Admission, Gary L. Ross, told the Chicago Tribune that he once called a student to ask about an alcohol-related event that he saw online. The student admitted that the incident was true, and his admissions offer was rescinded.

In a recent Huffington Post article, assistant director of admissions at University of Georgia, Cindy Boyles Crawford, said, “It is always absolutely necessary that students are aware of the content they place online. Many scholarships, organizations, and companies see social medias as the ‘true view’ of a student’s character.”

Because of the sheer number of applicants to every school, chances are that the admissions officers don’t have time to check everyone’s accounts. Though it may seem unfair to check the accounts of only some students, it is just the way that the numbers may work out.

However, the chances are greater when it comes to more specific entities within a school, such as the athletic department, financial aid office, and scholarship committees. As the pool of students gets smaller, the chances are greater that a student’s social media is searched.

No matter whether or not admissions officers check your social media, it is probably a good idea to make sure that you present yourself appropriately online. Use the general rule of thumb- if you wouldn’t want your grandma to see it, take it down.