Gender reveals—you’ve either been to one or you’ve seen them plastered all over Instagram. It ranges from a couple releasing pink or blue balloons into the air to serving a cake with blue or pink icing, and to even slicing into a gender reveal lasagna to learn the sex. Yes, you read that right. People love to include their friends, family, and the internet in major life moments. That’s why it’s no surprise high school seniors have jumped on the bandwagon and have started a new reveal trend: the college decision video.
According to The Cut, we’ve officially moved on from the perfectly crafted Instagram post of the future college student sitting on their bed, completely decked out in new college apparel and surrounded by balloons, mascot stuffed animals, pennants, and a glossy acceptance banner. Now YouTube is filling up with college acceptance and decision video reveals from the future Class of 2023.
When I further deep-dived into this phenomenon, I searched for “College Decision Reveals 2019” on YouTube. What I found were hundreds upon thousands of videos posted within the last few days or months of students and vloggers reacting to their college decision. Many of the videos garnered more than a thousand views and likes, and there was even one in 2018 that reached over 11 million views.
In a college decision reveal video, students will often narrow-down choices one by one until they’ve finally announced the college where they’ve chosen to actually commit to. Others opted to just react to their acceptances, which usually includes a lot of screaming, crying and shocked gasps, and not to reveal their decisions yet. And few have just filmed their reactions to being rejected from their dream schools. These YouTubers usually seem to look on the bright side and aim to be vulnerable with their audience, which I completely appreciate. The New York Times reported recently that a number of top universities such as Yale, Harvard, and the University of Southern California had a record low admission rates.
Some have even incorporated props such as cupcakes, cake pops, or hats. In one college reveal video, a future student filled a bunch of balloons with her choice’s school colors. She then had friends and family pop the balloon to reveal what school she chose. I won’t say her decision, but I will say her grandmother’s reaction was my favorite.
It’s hard not to admit that these college-decorated cupcakes and hand-painted letters are actually adorable and genius. This is an important and often life-changing moment for these students, and why not share with other people you’re excited. If you want to reveal your college on YouTube, ignore the eye rolls, comments, and just go for it! And finally, congrats to the Class of 2023!
