With college applications finally slowing down, one would imagine this takes a load off of many seniors’ backs, however, they’d be wrong. College stress remains prevalent, rearing its ugly head throughout the seniors’ school year, making sure it isn’t an easy one.
A May 2023 survey by College Pulse found that 56% of seniors experience college-related stress. Factors such as paying for college, getting accepted, and moving away all play a significant role in contributing to this stress.¨It’s really nerve-wracking,¨ said senior Masha Panova, ¨Nothing much I can do now though,¨ Although applications may not be as stressful as it was in its peak, seniors now face the dreadful waiting period of decisions.
While applications and acceptances are a large source of fuel for college stress, seniors nowadays are even more stressed than previous generations who went through the same thing. The reason for these intensified feelings of stress and anxiety seems to be a reflection of the performative nature brought about by social media in this generation. The idea of posting a commitment to a top college on Instagram is quite appealing.
The decision page accounts, and the ability to put ¨[top college], 2028¨ in a bio are very desirable in recent years. Social media has increased the stress felt by recent graduating classes by adding a previously unknown performative factor. Students want to feel that added sense of accomplishment, it’s become human nature to crave that approval and status. They feel an added sense of anxiety about whether or not they will get into that top college, because it would increase their sense of pride by being able to show it off.
With the rise of technology, and Instagram becoming the primary source of communication for teenagers, college stress is worse than ever before. Not only do seniors face the stress of writing their essays, or whether their GPA is high enough, they now feel the added pressure of performative stress. Not to say this is true for every student, but it is certainly a newly added stress that unfortunately affects many.
