College Reveal Parties are the Latest Trend for Teens and their Parents

If you have a kid in high school, you probably missed out on the whole gender reveal trend. But, if you are itching to get in on the fun, here’s one party that is perfect for you and your teen – college acceptance reveals. Is it over the top? Probably. Do we love it anyway? Yes, we do!

Gone are the days of simply telling friends and family where your teenager will be attending college because now the announcements come in the form of cakes with school colors hidden inside or balloons covered in their chosen school’s mascot. Whether it be a quick video share on social media or a huge announcement, college acceptance reveal parties are catching on.

While the reveal party is a new trend, finding creative ways to make the announcement is not new. Just take a look on Pinterest and you will see a growing number of creative ideas to help plan the perfect revel. From food to decorations and ways to pull everything off, this is more than any typical announcement. Some high school seniors have even been doing college reveal photoshoots with professional photographers and using the pictures as a way to announce their undergraduate plans to the world.

However, not everyone is jumping on the college acceptance reveal trend. Marybeth Bock, a mom of two teenagers and a writer for the website Grown & Flown, shared her thoughts on the good and the bad of these reveal parties.

"It's hard not to admit that those college-colored cake pops are actually adorable and that table display with hand-painted letters is very clever," she said. "If someone can afford to go over the top for this event — that is obviously important to them — who are we to roll our eyes and share that we think it's just ridiculous?"

Brock is not alone with her concerns. Some parents say it’s all too much and an extra expense during their child’s senior year that is just not necessary. Other parents say it can be heartbreaking for the kids that did not get into their dream school or for the kids who can’t afford to go.

Some also consider how, as we know, anything put online lasts forever. So, if your child has a reveal party but realizes during their freshmen year that they made the wrong choice or simply aren’t ready, having the college reveal on social media could lead to future embarrassment.

Pros and cons aside, it really is a choice for parents and their teens to make. After all, this is such an exciting time in their lives with big changes ahead. So, party or no party — be sure to celebrate in some way because you and your teen(s) have earned it!