As college admission season beings to die down, graduating seniors’ egos are alive and well.
March and April, the two months in which many colleges release their admission decisions, have the potential to be the best and worst of times for seniors. As colleges grow increasingly more competitive, the words “waitlisted” and “denied” are heard around campus.
Notifying friends about which colleges a student got into can be exciting, however, there is a different reaction when acceptances are shared on social media sites.
“It really bothers me when people post all their acceptances on Facebook because I don’t think the people who post about every college they’ve been accepted to really take into account that other people got denied and aren’t as excited as they are,” said senior Ryan Dimick.
This year, Stanford became the hardest school in America to be admitted into with an acceptance rate of 5.07%. The University of Calif., or UC System, admitted the lowest percentile of students this year as opposed to other years. A sense of competition filled the air as admissions were released, making those who were admitted into the colleges of their choice even more relieved.
“I think people have the right to brag about what schools they got into because it’s an accomplishment. The good thing to do would just to be proud of them,” said senior Jared Fitzpatrick.
Whereas some students choose to be excited for their classmates, others view their classmates’ sharing as an excuse to brag.
“I think if someone posts every single school they’re admitted to on Facebook, then it seems like bragging…I think they should only post where they end up deciding to go,” said Dimick.
Senior Tristan Gasperian said, “I think  it can be a way to brag but right off the bat, I think it’s more of a pride thing.”
Gasperian, who is taking a non-traditional route and living with his cousin in Brooklyn, NY next year instead of attending a four year university, is indifferent to the various college posts he’s seen.
“It doesn’t really bother me because if I were in their position, I would be posting the same sort of stuff. When I had my [football] scholarships, I did post them on Facebook. I would be a hypocrite if I said it bothered me when other people do it,” said Gasperian.
Social media is an outlet for people to share their accomplishments. In an affluent area like the Bay Area, social media is often used as a space for people to display their privileges.
“I think this has always been an issue with social media, especially on Facebook. You see pictures of places people have gone and then you start to feel a little jealous, but I don’t think posting about colleges is anything new to that,” said Fitzpatrick.
