Applying to Colleges? Be Sure to Protect Your Underpants.

Remember in early December, when Facebook made some changes to its privacy settings? You may have seen an alert at the top of your profile that went something like this:

Oh, HEY, you guys! How are you? Sooooo, we're just making a few little tweaks to your profile settings. Nothing important, of course! No need to read any silly, niggling details—hahahaa! Listen, just go ahead and click on these here defaults, and we'll be out of your hair in a jif. Okay, byeeee!

Well, according to the New York Times, that wasn't entirely true. And if you did just go ahead and click on those there defaults, you may have compromised your privacy in ways you're not entirely comfortable with—giving Facebook permission to come to your house, rifle through your underwear drawer, eat all your Cheez-Its, and photocopy that page from your journal where you admit to wanting to make out with your bio teacher.

Uh... metaphorically speaking, of course.

So while your actual dirty laundry is safe from Facebook's grubby little hands, your virtual dirty laundry might be flapping in the breeze, as the new default privacy settings reveal certain information you might not want to share with the general public...or the admissions team at whichever colleges you've recently applied to. So if you've got embarrassing photos, profanity-laden wall posts, or a potentially problematic membership in the Cats That Look Like Hitler fan club displayed on your FB page, take a minute now to ensure that it all stays under wraps.

1. Log into Facebook.
2. Click the Settings link at the top righthand side of the page, and select “Privacy."
3. Under Privacy, click “Profile Information.”
4. Make sure the settings for Photos, Posts By Me, Posts By Friends, and Personal Info are set to “Only Friends.”
5. Make sure none of your friends work for a college admissions department.

Is your Facebook profile private? Or are you living dangerously? Tell us in the comments!

Related post: Auntie SparkNotes: Go Facebook Yourself