Deans warn seniors against sharing college acceptances at school. Facebook posts are taboo. College sweatshirts are out of the question. It is true that this time of year many seniors are understandably sensitive—perhaps overly sensitive.
The culture of our school seems to frame college acceptances as predominantly hurtful rather than exciting. One person’s happiness is another’s bitterness. It is no secret that seniors consider one student’s admittance as the primary factor in another student’s rejection. We feel pitted against each other.
The negative atmosphere surrounding the public announcement of college decisions at our school is unparalleled.
Students must respect the defined boundary between bragging and sharing a legitimate accomplishment. There exists an absolute difference between demeaning displays and short, informative posts.
Come senior year, we all incessantly talk about college. Curiosity about who gets in where, even from those of us who were deferred or rejected, is inevitable. If we actively seek out the information anyway, there is no harm in getting it directly from the credible source.
Assuming that students respects the sensitivity of their peers who were there is nothing wrong with openly sharing acceptances.
Some say any post on Facebook is insensitive, but at the end of the day, a respectfully written announcement is just news.