Many parents are still trying to make sense of what just happened in the 2025 admissions cycle. Why were students with top scores and strong resumes turned away from schools that once felt like solid options? The truth is, this year rewarded clarity, timing, and strategy more than ever before. These four takeaways offer a clear lens into what changed, why it mattered, and how families can help their students navigate the journey to college with more confidence and less stress. 📈 Application Inflation Changed the Odds: A 6% rise in Common App volume reshaped which schools felt predictable and which became unexpectedly competitive. 🎯 SELECTIVE MAJORS SHAPED ADMISSIONS OUTCOMES: Selective majors—like Business and CS—had far lower admit rates than the colleges themselves. 🗓️ Early Decision Applications Made The Difference: Many top schools filled over half their freshman class through binding Early Decision plans. 👩‍💻 Test Scores Quietly Returned to Power: Submitting a strong SAT/ACT score gave students a measurable advantage—even at test-optional schools.

Artificial intelligence is changing everything—from how students learn to how colleges make decisions. But while AI may be helping your teen plan a summer program or outline a personal statement, it’s also quietly reshaping how admissions officers read and review applications. If you’re a parent of a high school student, understanding these shifts is essential.

This year, we were lucky to work with some of the most driven, reflective, and self-directed students in the country. Many were admitted to some of the most selective colleges in the U.S.—from Stanford and Yale to UT Austin’s CS and Business Honors programs. These weren’t students who simply checked every box. They were students who built something.  In almost every standout application we read, there was a throughline—a summer capstone project that brought the student’s story into focus.

If your teen is starting to explore college majors, they’re doing so at one of the most uncertain—and opportunity-rich—moments in recent memory. According to LinkedIn’s Grad’s Guide 2025 , the path from college to career is evolving fast. The jobs, industries, and even cities gaining momentum for new grads are not always the ones families expected. For parents, this shift brings both a challenge and an invitation: How can we help our kids choose majors that are both meaningful and market-smart? The answer lies in understanding what’s actually happening in today’s job market—and helping our teens plan ahead with a combination of curiosity, flexibility, and strategy.

In the rush to help our kids succeed, we may be quietly steering them away from the very roles that hold our communities together.  Careers in teaching, social work, counseling, journalism, and the humanities were once seen as noble, purpose-driven paths. But today’s college students are walking away from them in large numbers. And while it’s tempting to celebrate the surge in tech and health degrees, there’s a deeper story beneath the data—one that every parent of a teenager needs to hear.