As high school seniors, you’ve heard it. “You know, colleges look at your Facebook.” The typical student’s response: “No they don’t! That’s illegal!” So what’s the truth?

A recent survey conducted by Kaplan of about 500 top colleges says that 10 percent of admissions officers admitted to looking at students’ Facebooks. That might not seem like a high number but it does mean that if you apply to ten schools, at least one of them will look at your Facebook. And of that 10 percent, 38 percent left with a bad impression of the student.

Sometimes what you have on your Facebook can make or break you when it comes to getting in. Jeff Olson, who leads the test prep division in Kaplan, reports that in one case a school rejected a student after they discovered that he was trashing the school online, despite talking about how great it was to the admissions officer during an interview.

You’re now thinking “But wait! This can’t be legal, can it?! That’s my Facebook!” Well, because Facebook is relatively new, there are no laws against it. It’s a huge gray area that no one has yet taken a dive into. Plus, Facebook is a public forum. If you do not have privacy settings set up, colleges are free to come and go as they please. And why wouldn’t they? Think about it, if Facebook gives a raw, realistic view of an applicant, why not use it?

“I don’t really put anything questionable on my Facebook,” explains senior Michelle Teixeira. “There’s nothing really to change.” On the other hand, senior Michelle Frungillo plays it safe. She changed her Facebook name to use her middle name as her last name. “That way, if colleges look up my real name, they can’t find me,” she says.  Many seniors have utilized this same trick.

So in the midst of sending in apps, writing essays, and going on visits, scroll through your pictures on Facebook, and take down anything that may be questionable.  Maybe even change your name. It might also be a good idea to like the Facebook pages of the schools you’re applying to.