Search for #decisionday on any social media platform, and you’ll find a bunch of photos and videos of high school students holding up shirts or slowly unzipping their jackets to show the name of their chosen colleges. 

“I’m going to the University of Arkansas. Woo, pigs!” a happy student shouts at the camera. 

You’ll also see them wearing college hats, surrounded by balloons and even cakes decorated in school colors.  

This is all part of the ramp-up to May 1, the traditional deadline for when students have to let a college know that they plan to attend. College athletes have long made videos announcing their commitment to a particular school. Then, nearly a decade ago, the Barack Obama administration declared May 1 National College Signing Day, encouraging all kids — not just athletes — to take pride in this accomplishment.

As part of that, they could share images of themselves on social media in their college gear. During the pandemic and school shutdowns, a lot of interaction was online, and so-called decision day posts became even more important. Now, the photos and videos have taken on a new life — and a cost — of their own. 

Tina McNelis,19, gets why people want to make a big splash with their college announcements: They’ve worked hard, and they have something to show for it. 

“I’d definitely say it is a bit of a brag,” said McNelis, who’s now a sophomore at Towson University in Maryland. “And it is something to be proud of.”

Her decision day photos included a graduation cap decorated with the Towson tiger. She also has a side hustle as a photographer and has booked decision day photo shoots. Her rates vary, but start at $150 for a two-hour shoot.

“While living in the moment, I also love to document it,” McNelis said. 

It’s possible to spend a lot on college announcements, not just paying a photographer, but making custom banners or graphics, or getting hair and makeup done. 

“It’s really easy to get sucked in, especially because this time is really stressful,” said Jennifer Jessie, a college consultant based in Woodbridge, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C. “So, you start ramping up your commercialism.”

This year, to help out, Jessie made her own balloon arch for students to stand under. 

“At first, it kind of felt extra, if I’m being honest,” said Jessie. “But then I started to think about how many events these students have missed out on and why, if there’s one thing that we should be celebrating, it should be this.”

Some high schools have decision day slideshows announcing where their seniors are going. It’s meant to celebrate the kids, but Jessie points out that it can also put pressure on students to make a gigantic financial decision, sometimes before they have all their financial aid information. 

“A lot of times, you have to tell students, ‘Divorce yourself from college signing day, if that’s what it takes to make the right decision for you.’ Sometimes students listen, and sometimes students just don’t,” Jessie said.

Many of the students Jessie works with are the first in their families to go to college, and she negotiates with schools on their behalf for better financial aid packages. Not all of those financial appeals are back by May 1.

“A lot of times I just tell students to lie. If you don’t know, you’re down to three options, and you’re waiting for financial aid, just pick one,” Jessie said.

The college signing day initiative is now part of the nonprofit Common App, which provides a platform for students to apply to multiple schools. Stephanie Owens oversees it and said there’s no reason to rigidly hold to the May 1 announcement date. 

“Many students will make that decision, because of financial aid, well into the summer, and that’s OK,” Owens said. 

She also said that no one should go broke creating the perfect social media post or gathering. 

“Always, we hear from folks who say, ‘We just don’t have the money to celebrate.’ That breaks my heart because signing day is not supposed to be expensive,” Owens said. “Signing day is just supposed to be: We want to celebrate our kids however we can.” 

One thing college consultant Jennifer Jessie said she’d also like to see: financial aid review day, where kids sort through all their scholarship and aid offers. She said that makes them better able to make a decision that’s logical, rather than emotional. And part of that is also mourning the road not taken. 

“Parents are like, ‘You’re going to be fine. You didn’t get to do this college, you’re going to be fine, we can’t afford it, you’re going to be fine,’” Jessie said. “But you’ve been telling them for the last 16 years it matters where they go to college. And now all of a sudden, overnight, you want them to be fine. That’s not happening.”