Lessons I Learned from This Year's Admissions Cycle (and other events)

​Sending a young person to college now is more challenging than ever. Inflation, a tight job market for new grads, and war abroad all weigh on families. Layer on what's happening specifically in admissions: pandemic-disrupted learning, a steep drop in international applicants, growing skepticism about whether a degree is even worth it, plus the demographic cliff reshaping who's even applying, and you get a genuinely wild ride for this year's families.

As a college admissions professional, a business owner, and a parent, I watch all of this closely, and honestly, it weighs on me in two different ways at once. As a counselor, I worry about whether my students are ready for what lies ahead. As a parent, I've sat on the other side of this same table, and I know how much of it you can't measure with a spreadsheet. Here's what I'm seeing play out in the Class of '26's outcomes, along with where I think things are headed. Let's get into it to help you evaluate the best choices for your family.

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1. Covid's Shadow Is Still Here
Our newest graduates were shaped by remote learning during some of their most formative years. For a while, counselors and teachers hoped those effects would fade. They have, somewhat, but not entirely. I still get bright students, capable of handling tough classes, who freeze at the start of a project. "What should I write next?" they'll ask. Or, "How do I even start brainstorming an essay?" I'm glad to help, that's my job, but as a counselor, this is the trend that worries me most. Independence isn't something I can hand a student; it's something they have to build, and I'm watching some of them struggle to take the wheel on their own college search.

That same hesitancy shows up around standardized testing. Many colleges made the SAT and ACT optional during and after Covid, and I understand why students aren’t rushing back to test prep, it's nobody's favorite activity. But those tests do something useful: they build language, math, time management, and recall skills, and they reward the discipline of setting a goal and working toward it. They also give students practice with something they'll need constantly in college and beyond: performing under pressure, on a fixed timeline, without a do-over. There's real value in learning how to pace yourself through a few hours of sustained focus, and in getting comfortable with the kind of structured, high-stakes assessment that shows up again in college finals, licensing exams, and plenty of jobs. And for students who don't have a flashy list of extra curriculars or a perfectly polished transcript, a strong test score can be a chance to stand out and show colleges something the rest of the application doesn't capture. I see real gaps in exactly these skills in some of my students now.

2. Too Many Students Skip the Real Research
It's easy to fall for a school because of its football team, its Greek life Instagram, or a "Happiest Students" ranking. Those things might matter to some students, but they're not the same as fit. I push my students to find five concrete reasons a school is right for them, which includes academic opportunities, a social community to fall back on, and the financial fit. "Our neighbor loved it there" or "it worked for your sister" isn't a real reason on its own.

Skipping that homework gets expensive. Most applications run $100 or more once you add the fee, transcripts, and test scores, so a list of fifteen or twenty schools can easily run past $2,000. That's real money that could go toward tuition instead of toward applications to schools that were never the right fit to begin with. As a counselor, this is the part that frustrates me most, because it's so preventable. A few honest conversations early on can save a family thousands of dollars and a lot of senior-year stress. If you don’t know a school well and aren’t willing to go there, then remove it. But, make sure you still have a balanced list of schools.

​3. International Enrollment Is Shrinking, And It Affects Everyone
Recent world events have sharply reduced the number of international students coming to (or returning to) the US for college. Many of these students pay full tuition, with no financial aid, which makes them a meaningful revenue source for colleges. China, East Asia, and the Middle East made up some of the largest international pools before and during Covid, and as those numbers shrink, so does that revenue, along with the academic and social diversity those students bring to campus.

Some argue that fewer international students just means more spots for domestic applicants. That's partly true. But the economics of running a college depend on a steady stream of tuition revenue. When full-pay students stop coming, the pool of money available to support need-based aid (and merit scholarships) shrinks too, which can make it harder, not easier, for students who actually need help to get it.

4. Some Families Are Questioning College Itself, And Sometimes They're Right To
Plenty of students have good reasons to go to college: building a skill set, becoming an engineer or a doctor, gaining independence, meaningful friendships and connections.  Those are solid reasons. "I want to party" or "I don't have a real plan but it seemed like the next step" are not.

Meanwhile, the US is short on skilled trades: electricians, plumbers, aviation maintenance,  and automation technicians. Not everyone is wired for that work, but for the students who are, the job market is wide open. Some technicians with a few years of experience now out-earn college grads who are five or ten years into their careers. College without a plan isn't a great use of four years or a lot of money, and increasingly, it isn't the only path to a good outcome. As a parent, I always consider my children’s mental and physical well being and what success entails.  


​These are real issues. Add in the demographic enrollment cliff (not stabilizing until the 2030's), and you can see where colleges might be struggling to balance their budgets, support their students, and stay afloat in the long term. Going to college takes planning for families and universities. Ultimately, the real goal is not just an acceptance letter. The target is landing at the right-fit school where a student can actually thrive and walk away ready for the workforce, and for life. That’s a big order. As a parent and a counselor, that's what I keep coming back to: helping young people find what they're good at, build those skills in and out of the classroom, and choose a path, college or otherwise, that sets them up to succeed. Pushing through that uncertainty takes courage and time. But it is a ride worth the effort.​

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Lisa Hillhouse, founder of Hillhouse College and Career Advising, is an Independent Educational Consultant who works with families throughout the US virtually on the college search and application process. To schedule a complimentary consult, go to her website, www.hillhousecollegeadvising.com