For many high school students, social media represents a place to express one’s thoughts and feelings. However, those who like to post inappropriate pictures or vent their frustrations about school, jobs or other people should think about how this can have a negative impact on their future.

Take the college admissions process, for example. Colleges can check the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts of prospective students in order to gain insight on their character. You might think that it is impossible for admissions officers to scrutinize each and every social media profile—after all, this would be a lot of additional work for them to go through, especially since the profile they see might not even be the person they are looking for. However, while this is true for most colleges and universities, there are still a few who will look at students’ online activities. If they do not like what they see, it could result in a rejection letter in the mail.

Admissions officers can also find out about any derogatory posts a person makes without the trouble of going through each applicant’s online profile. Often, they are notified about applicants’ questionable behavior through sources such as high school counselors or graduates. An individual can have a great resume and grade point average, but posting rude comments about teachers or other people gives colleges insight on the type of person he or she really is.

The same goes for job applications. Future employers are looking to hire people who have respect for others and themselves, and if their online counterparts say otherwise, a potential job offer might have just gone down the drain.

It is important to think about how your online footprint can harm your future; colleges do not want students who constantly insult their peers, and companies are not looking to hire people whose online posts could end up making them look bad. The next time you are online and want to post a mean comment, ponder these things and make the right decision.