Social media has become the forefront in which the youth receive and share information. Now, one of the biggest journeys in a teenagers life, the college admissions process, has become its own niche across all platforms; where anyone can post information with the intention of helping students. Unfortunately, this intention can form into exaggerated viewpoints and sometimes impossible standards for students who watch them, becoming detrimental to the way students view their own accomplishments and college readiness. 

The continuously changing college admissions process pressures students to make their application as competitive as possible. Online content offers advice with the promise that students can become a competitive applicant which is why many begin to see all the content as trustworthy. Some students can benefit from having an insight into other applicants but for others it can have the opposite effect as this advice becomes unneeded pressure.

How do students feel?

Zayan Dishan, an Edison senior, mentions the recurring theme of academic pressure from his social media algorithm.

“The content often tells you that you have to do certain things to get into top schools, …It’s always like, ‘You need to do this and that, or you won’t get in.’ … it makes students paranoid rather than prepared,” Zayan said.

Zayan’s perspective comes from having gone through the College Admissions process and experiencing the added pressure during his journey. Just like many other students, Zayan was shown content which focuses on other high achieving students and whether or not they succeed in their admissions process. 

Unfortunate stories of top performing students not being admitted to prestigious universities can paint a picture in which the typical student isn’t doing enough.

“They only show extreme examples—students with 1500+ SAT scores or major national achievements. They don’t show average or typical students. It’s always the top 1%,” said Zayan, which points out the larger problem with some of the College admissions content being the exaggerated narratives it tells students. You don’t have to be in the top 1% to be admitted into a respected institution yet there is much content out there that makes it seem as if you do. 

To get a better understanding of how rising seniors feel affected by this content I spoke with Nafiz Noor, an Edison Junior, who has seen a rise of this content in his algorithm.

“Seeing students who are extremely high-achieving and have access to a lot of resources can actually be unmotivating rather than motivating, because they’re achieving much more than the average student,” Nafiz said.

Nafiz’s perspective highlights an important issue with how this content is presented. Instead of encouraging students to improve, it can create a sense of discouragement when they find themselves constantly comparing accomplishments with individuals who may have had access to opportunities or resources that aren’t available to everyone. 

What can you do?

“Ideally, I’d say stay off social media—but that’s not very realistic. So as an alternative, I’d recommend spending less time on it and more time doing your own research and visiting colleges,” said Mr. Wang, a former college admissions counselor and current guidance counselor.

Mr.Wang’s expertise on how to deal with this content comes from his experience with college guidance and it’s a great approach to how students should treat this content. It’s important to remember that as a student you have access to resources in your own school like your own counselors who are always open to talk with you about any issues, especially your college applications.

Students are constantly in a race against time to build the best college application with the resources they have at their disposal. Ultimately, it’s important for students to feel that what they are doing is enough at times because in the end college admissions can sometimes feel like a lottery. Nobody can determine whether or not somebody will be admitted no matter what their accolades are so it’s important to just trust the process and do your best.