The percentage of college admissions officers who visit applicant’s social media pages has hit a record high of 40 percent. In a study by Kaplan Test Prep, nearly 400 admissions officers were surveyed. Results show that the amount of admissions officers who check the social media profiles of applicants has quadrupled since 2008. It found that most admissions officers turn to social media to verify an applicant’s noteworthy award, ensure an individual is fully deserving of a scholarship, or to check criminal records.

One college student says she thinks admissions officers shouldn’t view social media profiles with the intent to find something negative.

“To be fair, everybody deserves a shot at college,” Prakruti Nanda, a student at Mount Holyoke said. “So, I think if they are going to look at Facebook, the only reason they should do that is to consider an aspect of a person’s life that is not in the 5 whatever pieces of their application.”

The study did show that its not always negative - 37 percent of admissions officers surveyed said that what they’ve found out about an applicant on social media has positively impacted his or her application.

Negative findings, according to the survey, mostly include criminal offenses, photos depicting drug and alcohol use, and racial, prejudice or inappropriate behavior.

The study found there has also been an increase in applicants actually inviting admissions personnel to visit their social media pages. In these cases, the applicants showcased some of their talents as a musician, artist, poet or model on their social media profiles.