New Year, Same Issues? And What's the Deal with These Instagram Posts?
- Nina Berler
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Happy New Year!
It's January, in many ways my favorite month for college counseling. In junior advisory meetings in particular, we can revisit outstanding items from previous sessions and make a solid action plan for the spring. With younger students, we can set objectives, look at curriculum and discuss budding interests.
At the same time, the old issues never go away, starting with Early Decision, designed to protect colleges and not your student. While some students are pleased to have the process behind them (see comments on Instagram below), many wait it out. Then there's dealing with testing, branding, curriculum and prestige. The list continues!
Let's take a look at what might affect your teen in 2026.
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A Major Concern: When is it Enough?
In recent posts, I shared information about the trend to back up a choice by double-majoring, which some students do more as an insurance policy than because of intellectual curiosity. So what do we say when Inside Higher Ed publishes an article on students who have four or more majors! Seriously?
A Syracuse student interviewed explained that peers "probably just want to seem … more well-rounded, and if you can add more majors, that really does show that." (Of course, in admissions, it's not so much about well-roundedness but rather students who care about a few things and pursue them passionately.) An ASU student explained that he's "gaining a lot more in terms of learning." But wouldn't that be true without a full major, just studying whatever you care about?
Amherst College, a firm believer in interdisciplinary education, looks at majors differently: "Liberal arts education seeks to develop the student’s awareness and understanding of the individual and of the world’s physical and social environments. If one essential object in the design of education at Amherst is breadth of understanding, another purpose, equally important, is mastery of one or more areas of knowledge in depth."
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Aiming to Please with Curricular Choices
While curious about the hype curve surrounding AI, this counselor feels the need to see how colleges are integrating the subject in their curriculum. Recently, the NY Times told readers that Students Flock to a New Major: AI. Is that a good idea? Maybe. As discussed in a previous post, some tech bros suggest students go for math and physics and not computer science. Indeed, the Computing Research Association reports that "undergraduate computing enrollments are declining at a majority of programs."
So how are colleges creatively responding to the need to understand AI? The Times mentions that UCSD, UCF and SUNY Buffalo have revamped their major choices. In 2025, or last year, Buffalo launched a major called AI and Society: "The vision of the AIS department is to build AI systems where societal consideration is the main driver of the development of AI models and not an afterthought.“ Perusing the site, I saw a list of bachelor of science degrees in AI + X, for example, AI and Policy Analysis, a combined effort with political science, or AI and Responsible Communication. We'll see how this all unfolds, but in the meantime let's appreciate the interdisciplinary rather than just CS focus.
Then there was LinkedIn's 25 Big Ideas that will define 2026. (That really should have been 26.) They tell us that "AI fluency will be the hot new liberal arts major" and also mentioned interdisciplinary majors, citing institutions as different as USC, Purdue and SCAD for their offerings. I looked at SCAD's, a B.Des. in Applied AI! Its courses include Creative Computing with AI, Ethics of Emerging Technology and Agentic Design. (SCAD, by the way, has a SCAD Core, "a thoughtfully curated series of foundation studies . . . that serves as a centerpiece for personal and professional success.")
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Cornell Goes Big (Red) Again!
Cornell always has a knack for large-scale educational innovation. As reported in Inside Higher Ed, they're launching the Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment. Stephen Ashley, who received his bachelor's and MBA from Big Red, donated $55 million donation for "stronger collaborations between agriculture, environmental science, economics and research."
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An Influencer Economy? Syracuse is Hoping for It!
Last month, Inside Higher Ed posted a question: Can universities help students become influencers? In the spring, 'Cuse will launch its Center for the Creator Economy, aiming for 12 content-creation courses en route to a minor. It started when students approached a professor of entrepreneurship requesting more curriculum around content creation. That professor sees room to teach social media issues such as brand partnerships, while an outsider interviewed for the article cited the need for content-creator business setup (e.g., S Corp). Sure sounds like MBA land to me!
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Counting on the Coop Model
We know that coops fueled Northeastern's drive to be among the most highly selective colleges - not to mention their attractiveness to students and their concerned parents. Now, the University of Delaware, long a favorite in the Northeast, is offering yearlong coops to students in its Lerner College of Business. As explained in Inside Higher Ed, the program was also created to not only give students more depth than a summer internship but also to keep them in the First State once they graduate. The program began with 21 employers, and that amount is expected to more than double.
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Indiana's Flying High, But What's Next?
Around here, the IU flags are flying! As pointed out the last few months, QB sensation Fernando Mendoza has lifted the Hoosiers to new heights, propelling them past rivals on the way to his Heisman win.
What will this mean for Indiana? Just as Mark Cuban's fame was good for the Kelley School of Business, Mendoza's victory should be welcomed by IU Admissions.
In previous years and across sports, wins have boosted apps the following year. According to the Wire, that figure for football is 18.7 percent if the team wins a bowl game.
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New Year, Less Doom Scrolling
Do you have a resolution about scrolling less? I know I do, limiting myself to a late-night journey through Instagram posts. But what's the deal with these professional-looking boxes announcing students' candidacies? Sure, it's helpful for a counselor and a parent to learn more about college placements. Like you, however, I am concerned about the impact of social media on teens - and their parents, particularly when I see these posts. Acceptances happen for all sorts of reasons, and sometimes Early Decision I isn't meant to be for top applicants. It seems as if TikTok and others offer templates that provide a slick way opportunity to announce the result. When I look at elite high school sites with Instagram accounts, I don't see the postings, so I'm thinking they emanate from students or parents.
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This new year, certain things won't change, especially hype fueled by lack of information about college. So let's set up something for January and we'll get to work discussing your student's journey.