Source: NYT > Business
A growing cohort of students outsource scholarship research to social media influencers and peers rather than qualified financial aid counselors, prioritizing relatability over expertise. This opens room for scammers, unvetted creators, and aggressive ed-tech companies to capture students' attention and dollars during high-stakes financial decisions, while legitimate guidance institutions lose credibility with their core audience. The gap between where students actually seek information and where institutional gatekeepers expect them to look has become a structural vulnerability.