Last December, as Early Decision notifications arrived in student portals across America, the Baldwin Class of 2022 Instagram page began to update its feed with college acceptances.

The trend of creating college acceptance pages and virtual yearbooks on Instagram increased dramatically with the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented large celebrations. Clara Page ‘22 and Katie McMahon ‘22 created the Baldwin Class of 2022 Instagram page to unite the seniors during the stressful college application process.

Page said, “We thought it would be a good idea to have the whole class connected and know where everyone is going. We also wanted people to experience that special moment when they get into college and for everyone to see that they got in and celebrate their accomplishment.”

The first senior to be featured on the page for her acceptance to Penn State University was Gabi Pritzker ‘22. She said, “I think it’s so fun, and I always comment [nice things]. I like that we celebrate each other in that way.”

The borders of the posts include the respective school’s professional, academic logo and the school’s athletic logo, along with the school’s colors. 

According to Page, these graphics are created using Canva. Page said, “It seems more complex than it actually is, but it just involves pasting the pictures and getting the logos from the Internet.”

The broadcasting of college acceptances encourages cheerful celebration, but it also brings attention to mental health issues surrounding college and social media. 

According to Psychology Today, perfectionism and comparison to others on social media can lead to depression and anxiety. Seeing other students get into schools might foster a culture of competition and stress.

College counselor Ms. Nam said, “From my experiences, I think there is pressure to get into a certain type of college… it’s just a part of our culture right now to share so much on social media.”

The pressure to get into the “perfect school” can stand in the way of celebrating other students’ accomplishments.

As the school year progresses, more seniors will be accepted and eventually featured on the Instagram page, lending even more significance to conversations about mental health and social media.