It might be, explains Ryan Scudder, Associate Director of College Counseling at Punahou School. The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on college visits, but the downward trend in student attendance began years earlier. Other factors that may have drawn student attention away from this classic aspect of college admissions include busy schedules and an abundance of information that can be accessed online. College visits are a major opportunity for high school juniors and seniors to learn about...

When Alice’s phone started buzzing, she didn’t know what to think. Some of her friends were texting her to say that her Instagram account had been hacked. They must have been wrong, though, because she had just gotten a DM from her cousin saying someone was impersonating her. Opening the message, she discovered a new account with her name, profile picture, and posts. The bio talked about “18+ content,” and there was a link to what looked like a pornographic website, with her name and photo at...