College Admissions Anxiety: AI, College Closures, and Your Peace of Mind

As students return to classrooms across the country, many families are already feeling the familiar weight of college admission pressures. This year, however, parents are grappling with new uncertainties that seem to change the landscape daily: Will artificial intelligence review my child's application? What if their dream school closes unexpectedly? How do we maintain our family's values and our student's wellbeing amid all this uncertainty?

At Forget the Rankings, we believe these concerns, while valid, shouldn't derail your family's commitment to a thoughtful, holistic approach to college planning. In fact, they make that approach more essential than ever.

The Human Behind the Algorithm

The rise of AI in college admissions has sparked anxiety among parents who worry their child will be reduced to data points processed by an algorithm. While it's true that some institutions are experimenting with AI tools to help manage the overwhelming volume of applications, the reality is more nuanced and thoughtful than the headlines suggest.

Take Virginia Tech's recent approach as an example. After three years of careful research and testing, they've integrated AI to support human reviewers in evaluating essays, rather than replacing them. Their new system pairs one human reviewer with one AI reviewer, and if scores differ by more than two points, a second human reviewer steps in. Crucially, AI is being used to confirm human essay scores, not make admissions decisions, which "continue to be made exclusively by admissions professionals".

This measured approach reflects how responsible institutions are actually implementing AI: as a consistency check and efficiency tool, not a replacement for human judgment. With Virginia Tech receiving over 57,000 applications (a 10.2% increase from the previous year), AI helps them review materials "more quickly and consistently," allowing admissions committees to make decisions earlier.

What this means for your family: 

The human elements of your student's application remain paramount. Focus on helping your student craft authentic essays that reveal their genuine voice, growth, and character. These qualities, curiosity, resilience, empathy, and contribution to community, shine through to human readers, whether they're supported by AI tools or not.

Rather than viewing AI as a threat, recognize it as a tool that actually preserves the human-centered review process. When admissions officers can process applications more efficiently, they have more time and mental bandwidth to truly understand your student's unique story and potential fit with their institution.

When Small Schools Face Big Challenges

The financial pressures facing smaller colleges represent a real shift in higher education, and parents rightfully worry about investing in institutions that might struggle. The challenges are multifaceted: a shrinking pool of traditional-aged students who are increasingly skeptical about the value of a four-year degree, declining international enrollment due to visa issues and changing perceptions, and what experts describe as a higher education recession.

Consider Clark University's situation. This internationally-focused Worcester institution (where more than a third of undergrads and two-thirds of graduate students come from abroad) exemplifies both the challenges and the adaptive responses happening across small colleges. Clark is planning to cut more than a quarter of its faculty in the coming years as it retools its academic offerings to focus on fields like climate and environment, media and computing, and health and human behavior, areas leaders believe are more relevant to today's job market.

What this means for your family: 

The landscape is indeed shifting, but many institutions are responding proactively rather than reactively. When researching colleges, look for signs of thoughtful adaptation:

• Are they aligning programs with emerging career fields and student interests?

• Do they demonstrate financial transparency about their sustainability plans?

• Are they maintaining their core educational mission while adapting their delivery?

• How are they supporting students through transitions and changes?

The college admission landscape may be evolving, but the goal remains the same: helping your student find communities where they can grow, contribute, and flourish. By staying focused on what truly matters - authentic growth, genuine fit, and family wellbeing - you'll navigate these changes not just successfully, but with integrity intact.

Remember: The "right" college isn't the one that impresses others or perfectly aligns with this year's trends. It's the one where your student can become the person they're meant to be.