In today’s society, it is a commonality to judge people based on their actions. Colleges, especially those that are very selective, can’t accommodate everyone. Therefore, they want to accept individuals who don’t only have the right academic standing, but those who can contribute to the university in a positive manner.

If colleges come across a student’s facebook page where he or she has a picture with alcohol, the college may ultimately think the student is unfit to be a candidate. However, the reality is that most individuals in college drink alcohol anyways, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. What’s most important is that the individual portrays himself or herself professionally, and doesn’t depict himself or herself as a “crazy party animal”. The reason being is that colleges will think students are interested in college because of the party aspect. Therefore, they shouldn’t be accepted to that college.

I actually recall having a personal experience where my classmate was in a situation involving alcohol. At the annual semi-formal dance in high school, he along with some of his friends “pre-gamed” before the event. The term, “pre-gaming” signifies drinking alcohol prior to a major event. It turns out that my classmate drank too much. He fell down on the dance floor and was taken to the hospital. At this time, he had already received a college scholarship for lacrosse. Upon regaining consciesness that was the first thing on his mind. The principal was already aware of his actions and suspended him for a few days. He was worried that his actions would appear on his permanent record and that his acceptance and scholarship would be rescinded. This goes to show that certain actions of students can have major tolls on college admission decisions regardless of how well the student may be doing academically.

The article further mentioned that college officials are able to go through social media and find information about their applicants. High school students understand this and try to come up with ways to prevent their information from being divulged. In my high school, during their senior year, the students change their name on facebook to a pun that involves their first name. That way, they won’t be tracked by college officials.

While students may think this is a good idea, they won’t be able to continue doing this in the future. They must learn when to exhibit positive and professional behavior when the time comes for it. Alcohol is not necessarily bad, but individuals must know when to limit themselves at the appropriate times and when to use it professionally.