Tweet, tweet. It should probably go without saying that colleges look at prospective students’ Twitter accounts. But recent horror stories in major news outlets have revealed that not everyone is aware of this fact.

An article in the New York Times titled, “They loved your GPA. Then they saw your tweets,” details a touring prospective student who live tweeted her tour of the campus in a less-than-cute light. Not only was her account not private, she also used the name of the college.

Unless you’re applying to graduate school in the near future, this hopefully isn’t something Simmons students are worried about. However, it should be noted that potential employers are definitely going to read your tweets as well as colleges, so it’s wise to either keep your account on lockdown or keep it relatively buttoned up.

Many students between the ages of 17 and 23 seem to think that social media is a basic right, and that it should be protected under the First Amendment: Freedom of speech. This is not the case.

Of course a potential employer or college admissions officer is going to look at your tweets and judge you on it. Not only does it speak to your sensibilities (someone who trash tweets their college might not be the brightest bulb), it also speaks to your personality.

Anyone can come across as professional in an interview, but what an applicant is like behind a username is an important part of their persona. It can help determine whether he or she is funny, vapid, well-read, foolish, or prone to getting into trouble.

This doesn’t just include whether you’re going to do illegal substances or not. College and workplaces can also ascertain whether someone is going to be the kind of person to make headlines and disturb your fellow students with sexual harassment, hate crimes, or standard bullying.

So while it may seem like the people who comb through your tweets are out to get you, they’re also out to protect you, and, admittedly, protect the college’s reputation while they’re at it.

When all is said and done, there’s really no excuse for having a graveyard of a Twitter. After all, it’s not that hard to make it private.