Do Barnard students trust experts anymore?

Students describe a cautious relationship with expertise shaped by personal experience, social media, and institutional trust.

Photo by Haley Scull/The Barnard Bulletin

By Frances Aebker and Chase Taylor 

May 23, 2026

In his influential book “The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters,” American author and academic Tom Nichols examines the increasing public skepticism toward “experts.” Nichols argues that we are experiencing a cycle of “know-nothingism” and intellectual narcissism. The well-informed opinions of those with high levels of skill, knowledge, or experience in a certain field are increasingly criticized, rebutted, or outright dismissed. Nichols points to college campuses as an environment where this pattern is prominent, especially because the foundation of universities is producing and evaluating knowledge. College students are constantly asked to question ideas and engage critically with authority, sometimes reinforcing trust in expertise or intensifying skepticism around it. 

However, does Nichols’ argument have any merit on our politically engaged campus? 

Rather than rejecting expertise altogether, many Barnard students seem to treat trust as something experts must earn through transparency and accountability.

For some students, trust in experts is conditional rather than inherent. 

“I trust experts that keep an open mind towards the possibility of their research not being 100 percent [accurate],” Nisso Klaits (BC ’29) told The Barnard Bulletin. “I think that’s closer to the truth than the people who say ‘this is 100 percent fact: believe this.’” For Klaits, expertise is most persuasive when it does not demand acceptance but invites evaluation. “Sometimes people get Ph.D.s and kind of run with it,” Ellen Keefe (BC ’26) similarly noted, “and people maybe give them a little more credit than they deserve.” These student perspectives suggest a reluctance to accept expertise as inherently authoritative, instead emphasizing humility and transparency in determining who is worthy of trust. 

Regarding medical expertise, student skepticism often becomes personal. 

“I don’t always trust my doctors,” says Elaine Ryan (BC ’26). “They all tell you different things, and they don’t really listen to what you say.” Rather than relying on a single expert’s opinion, Ryan stated that she turns to published research to make decisions for her personal health. 

Similarly, Calliope Beatty (BC ’29) stated that she does not “fully trust” medical experts. Beatty described her strategy of cross-referencing multiple sources and consulting medical experts, family members, and the internet.

At Barnard, student skepticism regarding medical expertise reveals a larger hesitancy toward the opinions of medical practitioners as the absolute truth, with Klaits citing the food and drug industry in America as a cause of wariness. In these cases, skepticism does not necessarily reflect a rejection of medical knowledge but rather a desire to verify it against other sources and lived experiences.

However, for some students, Barnard’s academic environment reinforces respect for expertise.

“We’re surrounded by so many brilliant people,” Ryan told The Bulletin. “It definitely influences how I view expertise because I see how difficult it is to be published.”

Perhaps this suggests that collegiate proximity to experts can counteract or abate broader skepticism by making the labor of expertise visible. At Barnard, expertise is not an abstract category but a tangible presence that students encounter in classrooms, research, faculty mentorship, and even peer interactions. 

Students’ conditional trust in expertise is often influenced by the rise of social media, where professional credentials compete with influencers and viral narratives for authority. Several students voiced concerns over the platforming of individuals without credentials, amplifying voices based on popularity rather than education, research, or expertise. “I tend not to trust people on the internet because it is like, genuinely, where did you get this from?” Ryan commented. Her question captures a common thread of tension among students. While sometimes skeptical of experts, students are more often skeptical of authority or opinions that lack evidence altogether. “When it comes to medical professionals, I’m more worried because of social media,” Klaits stated. The environment encountered by students online appears to shape student skepticism toward expertise, particularly as social media platforms blur the line between credibility and viral influence.

Ultimately, Barnard students’ approach to trusting expertise is based on cautious hesitancy and a desire for better standards of trust, rather than conforming to Nichols’ anti-intellectual argument. Students interviewed did not dismiss experts but instead questioned how expertise is communicated and emphasized their inclination to cross-reference and verify. 

On Barnard’s campus, trust in expertise remains alive, but it is no longer automatic.