Throughout all of the years of high school, many students have been preparing for this final moment, college application decisions. This important and pivotal moment marks the final end of a long process, filled with hard work, commitment, and perseverance.
On the other hand, as many students receive their decisions, the emotions they feel are more complicated than expected.
This year, the admissions cycles have been extremely competitive.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, UC applications for fall 2026 have surged to the highest level ever.
This is partly due to the test optional policies that have been recently implemented to make it easier for more students to apply with less bias from colleges. With higher application numbers, acceptance rates at schools with higher status typically become even lower, making the decision season have more stakes in a way.
One big factor in college and the expectations placed on students is social media. Social media plays a big role in shaping the expectations of how students think about college.
“It’s hard not to compare yourself, you know,” Leo Ibarra, a senior, explained.
“You see people posting their own stuff and I can’t help but compare, I guess. Like, I’m happy for everyone, but its both a relief and weird feeling.”
“…Personally, it makes me second guess my own results, even if I am already happy with them,” says Ibarra.
Recently, social media like TikTok and Instagram are filled with decision reaction videos and acceptance posts.
While all of these posts can be exciting, they also create pressure in a way. Students of all may feel like they are supposed to have a certain kind of reaction or outcome.
Even with the stress, decision season is also something that should be celebrated rather than stress out about. For many, the focus now shifts from waiting for results to choosing where to go as a final decision.
“In my opinion, after decisions have been released, I think picking a college feels harder than applying,” Tyler Eldrige, a senior at Granada, said.
In the end, college decisions are an important but also somewhat of a small step in life. It is only one step in a larger journey that students should not especially worry about. Wherever one goes, it is what they do that matters the most, not where or how regarded the place may be.
