College Applications and Social Media: Four Trends That Need to Stop

In the age of social media, a lot of us like to post about nearly everything that happens in our lives. For high schoolers, this includes college applications. But sometimes, all of the college-related posts can get annoying. During application season, our entire Facebook newsfeeds are filled with these types of posts. Don’t contribute to this madness! Here are four social media trends that need to stop.

Acceptance posts

Stop posting about your acceptances in all of those Instagram pictures and Facebook statuses, especially if they’re acceptances to schools you don’t plan to attend. This annoys a lot of people, particularly those who didn’t get into those schools. At the end of the day, you can easily refrain from making these posts. It’s classier to keep all of this information to yourself. You should definitely tell the people close to you, such as family and best friends. But do all of your random Facebook friends really need to know at this point?

Friending everyone from your new college

A lot of students tend to Facebook friend all of the people on their class page. Trust me, you’ll regret this when you’re “friends” with a bunch of random people you don’t know at all. Chances are you may never even meet them in person. Wait until you actually know someone before Facebook friending and Instagram following. That way, you’ll actually care about what they post.

Posting tons of pictures in new college gear

Pictures in a ton of new college gear seem cute at the time. But in a year, you’ll be shaking your head at yourself. Don’t be such a typical pre-frosh. Do you really need a college-themed backpack, college-themed lanyard and college-themed workout shorts? While it’s good to be excited about your new school, don’t go overboard. There is such thing as too much school spirit apparel.

Posting about other people’s acceptances and/or rejections

Don’t post anything online about where other people did or didn’t get in. You never know if they wanted this information to be kept confidential. You never know who might see your comment or your post. It’s best to mind your own business and keep other people’s personal information to yourself.

Stop assuming other people have perfect lives

When we see someone’s post that says they’ve been accepted to Harvard, sometimes we start to convince ourselves that they have better lives than us. Don’t assume anything! Social media makes it seem as if everyone’s lives are better than they actually are. This phenomenon definitely applies to college acceptances. Don’t buy into it.