How Social Media Impacts the Way Students See the College Process
The school year is coming to an end, which means only three short months until Riverdale’s current seniors will head off to college. There’s no doubt that there will be many things they will miss about high school, but one that they likely won’t is the college process. With college admissions becoming more competitive every year and admission rates dropping, the college process can be seen as even more daunting for juniors starting their applications, with this perception being exacerbated by how the process is covered in the news, social media, and information online.
College rankings present one such manifestation, which orders schools in terms of academics and prestige and can cause pressure for some in choosing between a more prestigious institution and one they like more. Senior Ishan Roy tries to ignore the rankings and take a more holistic approach, saying, “Being at a reputable place post-college does count for something... [but] I think I was putting more emphasis on liking the place and thinking about if I was going to go here for four years, rather than applying to the top-ranked schools just because they are the top-ranked schools.” However, deciding which schools to apply to and put on a college list has become more difficult, especially since COVID-19, as more schools are offering virtual tours and information online while providing fewer in-person opportunities, making it harder to discover what is unique about a particular institution. Junior Jack Gelder laments this loss, remarking, “I think you could find a lot online. I think looking at social media is a good way to find out information, but touring is definitely the best way to get a sense of the place.”
In addition, peer influence also can affect students’ ideas about the process. Roy describes, “In the fall when all the seniors are talking about college, I think that can certainly be a little bit scary if you are in 11th grade and people in the grade above are getting very stressed out about it.” However, at the end of the year, seeing which colleges seniors got into on social media, especially with accounts like the Riverdale Seniors Page can give hope to juniors starting the process Roy told us, saying “I think in the spring when people are deciding where to go, that can be perhaps reassuring because it works out for everyone, so I think seeing and knowing that and having the end of the year be a celebration can be helpful in reassuring people.”
Others, such as 11th-grade Dean Johnny Hager, take a different perspective on social media’s impact on the college process and how it promotes competitiveness, telling us, “Social media has had an impact on how students look at results or facts overall. And that gives you anxiety that is so unnecessary and it aggravates information, it aggravates your feeling about a situation.” Ultimately social media can offer numerous benefits or cause unwarranted pressures and anxiety based on how you use it.
Social media can make the college process a lot easier and more accessible for students who can’t afford to travel and physically tour every college of their choice. College websites can help people learn about the classes, clubs, and values of a school. Social media can be used positively to connect with current college students, alumni, and internships, providing a perfect tool for networking and collaboration. However, it is important to always navigate the internet and social media cautiously, and try to harness it positively. Ultimately, for Senior Roy, his decision to apply early to Cornell, where he is attending this fall, came down to doing more research online: “Cornell was in my top two, and I wasn’t really sure exactly if I liked it better, but then once I started doing more research and visited it again, it became definitely my top choice.”
