Advertising Commit Day as an official day contributes to hyper-academic culture

Photo by Allison Tan

Should senior commit day be advertised by leadership? 

As senior class president, I’m responsible for the daunting decision of how to present graduation and college-related events, which is tricky when combined with a toxic, hyper-academic school culture. In past years, May 1, also known as National College Decision Day, has always been a day to look forward to — all seniors show up that day decked out in merchandise from schools like UC Davis or UMich or even Harvard or MIT, proudly showing off their home for the next four years. 

But as an event that is supposed to celebrate student achievements, Commit Day can carry different hidden implications, especially  promoting stress rather than excitement. 

Most seniors are coping with ongoing rejection from schools they have worked toward attending their whole high school career, with many receiving the most rejection they’ve ever faced in a short period of time. Some alumni have even recounted staying home on Commit Day because they were ashamed that their school was deemed of lower “value” than others. 

There is a strong sense of judgment and prejudice that comes with college decisions in the Bay Area: Many students don’t consider community college or gap years to be desirable options because of the toxic academic culture at our school defining “success.” 

While I’m incredibly proud of my peers, having Commit Day as an official event on campus adds an unnecessary level of stress and burden on not just the senior class, but also on following classes who must face college applications in the near future.

All seniors should be proud of where they’re going in this next chapter in our lives, but advertising Commit Day as an official event for seniors is something I do not intend on doing. Naturally, seniors will wear their college merch on May 1 regardless if the school advertises it or not, but it is important that we make efforts to dismantle toxic academic culture. 

While seniors are still more than welcome to wear their merchandise, I feel it is my duty as senior class president to prioritize the mental health and well-being of my peers.