As we wind down 2021, we’re also winding down College Confidential’s 20th anniversary year. That’s right - CC was created two decades ago as a resource for college-bound students and their families. The site has changed quite a bit over time, and so has college admissions.
20 years ago:
There were about 14 million students enrolled in college
Harvard tuition cost $13,960 a year (compared to $51, 143 per year now)
The most popular majors were business, social sciences/ history, education, engineering, and foreign language, literature and linguistics
In 2021:
There are roughly 17 million college students
Harvard tuition costs $51,143 per year
The most popular majors are business, health professions, social sciences/ history, engineering, and biological/biomedical sciences
A lot has changed over the years - But one thing has stood the test of time: our vibrant community. We are thankful for everyone who has brought their questions, shared their stats or knowledge, and used CC to give or get support researching and applying to colleges.
We’d love to hear from you what you love about CC - now and over the years. Did this community change your college trajectory? Have you met people who have become part of your life? Did you log on when you or your child was applying to college, and then love it so much you’re still here? Is there a thread you’ve been following for months, or ever years?
Share your favorite CC stories and shout-outs below, and we’ll pick ten responders at random to receive a little 20th anniversary thank you from College Confidential.
Thank you all for being part of this community. Wishing everyone a very happy new year!
So, as one of the oldie goldie’s here (I was actually on the original/legacy version of cc that we used to be able to still access at the bottom of the site but it’s now long gone, and I stayed on that version until forced to change the the “newer” version in October of 2004, so I really joined sometime in maybe spring of 2004) I probably have a million stories I could share. But perhaps a good example of the CC community (since my kids are long out of college and well established in their careers, marriages and families) is that with the recent airline massive cancellations, a cc’er was stranded at my local airport. Another longtime cc’er noticed it on a facebook post, alerted me, and I rescued our own moderator @MaineLonghorn from the airport, housed and fed her and got her back to the airport the next day (yesterday- new year’s eve), to be able to make her flights and connections home just in time to ring in the new year with her husband. That, IMO, is what, aside from a wealth of knowledge about college and assorted and sundry other things, is all about.
I think I’ve been on here since the Stone Age. I can’t even remember how many updates this site has had since I joined.
Even though this is college “confidential”, I have had the pleasure to meet a number of folks here IRL. And I’m looking forward to meeting two more in February.
But really my fondest recollection will always be to this community when I put out a query about California colleges that might be right for my second kid. I received a ton of responses, and heard about schools I had never heard of before. My kid graduated from one of those colleges in 2010. And I also had the pleasure of meeting the CC poster who recommended that particular college. Oh…and fun fact from then…my kid played an instrument while in college and the instrument private teacher at the time was also a CC poster!
I don’t really need a thank you gift of any sort, but the best part of CC to me as a parent is the community of folks who are going through the same thing at the same time. There’s definitely something to be said for having a group of people to vent at/console as well as to share in the victories.
I joined not too long ago but I learned quite a bit through these forums. CC is a big help during the D22 college application process. Thanks to CC and keep going.
I’ve enjoyed the hive mind’s many contributions to many different topics of discussion over the years, many having nothing to do with college. I’ve only met one poster IRL, and that was someone who posted when I did about our kids applying to colleges (they are long gone from CC now).
I found this site when my oldest was applying to colleges 2 years ago. The information was invaluable from other parents who either had gone through it or were also trying to figure it all out. Now I’ve got twins going through the process with a new set of colleges to explore. I find that I’m on here multiple times a day. Thanks for giving us the forum to share!
This site came up while searching information for my oldest son a couple years ago. It’s certainly provided a lot of good information and insight regarding a variety of topics. I appreciate all the members willing to give of themselves to try and help others on their journey. This place truly is a resource that many could benefit from using. Thanks for being here.
