According to a recent survey of admissions officers from about 500 universities nationwide, several admit they do poke around online social networking sites, like MySpace or Facebook, when evaluating a potential student.

"According to our survey, one out of every 10 college admissions officers told us they actually went to a student's social networking site," said Kristen Campbell of Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions. "Of that group, more than one-third told us it had a negative impact on the student's application. When it comes to policy, there isn't a common one. I think that's the interesting finding, and also a challenge. Less than 20 percent of colleges actually have a formal policy and in many ways it's the wild, wild west when it comes to social networking; it's a new frontier."

NY1 reached out to a handful of universities for comments on their policies, and all, including NYU and Columbia, said their admissions officers do not check social networking sites as part of the process.

In response, NY1 asked some current students whether, back when they were seniors in high school, they expected their online profiles to be checked.

"No I really didn't think that was a possibility," said one college student. "I don't really think it's ethical. I think it's a very private issue."

"I actually went to a seminar on how to better brand yourself through social networking," said another. "So it can be a very useful tool."

That is precisely the other lesson to be learned from this report. Being judged, at least in part, based on what can found about you online, is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, Kaplan says it knows of several stories where students actually forwarded their social networking links to admissions officers hoping they would take a peek.

"On the flip side of the 37 percent that had a negative impact, 25 percent said that by going to the student's site they actually had a positive feeling or a positive result and it helped the student gain admission," said Campbell.

Kaplan says of the schools that admitted to looking, many indicated they have time to do so only for certain applicants – either those who were on the bubble, those whose school record raises red flags with things like suspensions, or when they got anonymous tips, sometimes from rival applicants.