Scrolling through your Instagram, you may have recently seen one or two (hundred) posts about college decisions for Jackson-Reed’s Class of ‘25. Our seniors have worked tirelessly throughout their high school careers to get to where they are now, but for many their formal education isn’t over. After the difficult college application and decision process, the Instagram page is a chance to showcase the hard work they have put in. For many, DMing their college decision to “jacksonreed_2025” is a moment of celebration. But for their peers it can evoke mixed feelings. Some will be happy for their classmates and others left out of the college experience. Perhaps the most common feeling will be jealousy. We believe that the college decisions page creates a toxic environment that promotes competition and self-comparison, neither of which are healthy. 

Think about it; social media has been criticized for epidemic of comparison it has created for today’s youth. Social media is inherently competitive because users compare likes, comments, and followers. Not only are you comparing the numbers, but you are also comparing your life, and with the rise of lifestyle influencers, many have started to question why they are unable to achieve the same state of perfection reflected on social media in their own lives.

Add that to the stress of college applications, and you are essentially comparing the worth of the next four years of your life with everyone else’s. With this Instagram page, not only are there going to be peers who get into colleges more prestigious than you, but you are also forced to look at people whose posts have more likes and comments than yours. Getting through high school and into college is an accomplishment in itself, and seeing people you believe are better than you can cause many to lose their sense of achievement. 

Additionally, it is common for many to apply to the same schools (e.g., the Ivies and “Public Ivies”). When others commit to a school that you were rejected from, it can cause you to feel ashamed and examine why you couldn’t get into the same school your peers did. 

Furthermore, in the U.S., college is a tremendous financial burden for many students. The average U.S. college tuition for a single year is $38,270. Many people are be limited to public universities or community colleges due to their financial situation, while others might not be able to afford college at all. Students choosing to go straight into the workforce (or trade schools, the military, etc) can feel left out of the traditional college experience, and the Instagram page certainly don’t help with that. As a community, we must celebrate all life trajectories, which means not only congratulating those who choose to go to college. 

All this being said, the college decision page is enjoyed by many. For sophomores and juniors, it is a resource in their college search process and provides a look into their future. Seeing where the seniors are going exposes other grades to schools they might want to attend, which is, in part, what makes the page so fun. Still, as we head into the class of ‘26 college decisions season, it’s important to consider if the negative impacts outweigh the positive impacts.