This year, as per usual, seniors find themselves in the strange and stressful season of college applications, living in a blur of two o’clock bedtimes, and constantly refreshed inboxes. Many exploit their most vulnerable and personal selves in 250 words, in the hopes that some admissions officer will find it moving. This arduous (and costly) process is familiar to many, but this year the COVID-19 pandemic has set a distinctive tone. No facet of life has remained untouched from the pandemic, and this includes the process of applying to what is commonly referred to as “the college industrial complex.”
The academic and application landscape has changed significantly this year. Perhaps one of the most drastic alterations is the near-ubiquitous spread of test-optional. Some colleges, including the University of California public school system, have opted to go test-blind, meaning they will not consider any test scores, until at least 2024. In past decades, most American colleges have required standardized testing as a mandatory part of a student’s application. This year, however, COVID-19 has led to the suspension of testing across the nation — two dozen students sitting in a cramped classroom for three hours isn’t exactly socially-distant. Many students who had planned to test the spring or summer of their junior year found their respective testing centers closed. Even those that had the option to test faced a choice between risking their family’s health and taking a standardized test.
The implications of wide-spread test optional policy isn’t exactly clear, but we can make a few predictions. With test scores no longer serving as a universal standard, transcripts become the focus when admissions officers determine whether a student is academically qualified to attend their university. The challenge lies in the fact that each school offers different courses, at different levels, under different circumstances. At the same time, those who do choose to submit a score may still be advantaged, but by how much is unclear.
Some schools, including Columbia and Cornell, are extending their test optional policy for the next few years. Additionally, the College Board cancelled SAT Subject tests and the SAT essay. While most agree that the intense Chinese Gaokao and the Indian Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), which are sole determinants of college application success in their respective countries, are not the best ways to go, some see standardized tests as a constant. Of course, those with more resources can afford better tutoring and generally have higher test scores.
Additionally, extracurricular activities may be weighted more. But, many extracurricular activities were put on hold when the pandemic hit. Sports that held daily practices, with players in close contact with each other, were cancelled or significantly limited. Activities like Quiz Bowl and Debate, which usually hold big Saturday tournaments, were also put on hold. Although by now organizers of these activities have figured out ways to run tournaments virtually, many seniors were left with no access to their activities at a time where they may have been excelling and leaders in a normal year.
The academic environment at school also changed dramatically. When classes went all virtual, the quality of instruction heavily depended on the adaptability of each teacher. Overall, students were less productive, covering less content than they would have in a normal year. This is reflected in the College Board removing the last few units off of many AP tests. These tests were also severely modified, shortened to only forty-five minutes apiece, instead of the usual three hours, and made completely free-response questions. Also, the legitimacy of these unorthodox tests have been stressing students out over whether they will be given credit for them.
While many colleges have released statements saying they will accept credit, there is still an air of uncertainty. Since lockdown, grades have also become more volatile. Studies have shown that a disproportionate amount of students were failing classes in quarantine as compared to normal in-school learning; some schools even adopted a pass-fail system to try and combat the sudden spike in failing grades. Locally, students from Morristown High School wrote a petition for their district to become test optional due to the difficulties of virtual learning.
Demonstrated interest is another factor for admissions that has been affected. Some colleges track campus visits, information session attendance, and other forms of demonstrated interest to see how likely an applicant is to attend their university. This is all in effort to protect their yield. This year, however, almost all on-campus events have been cancelled and it is much harder to establish a connection with schools over Zoom.
Letters of recommendations, often the most overlooked part of an application by students because we are not directly responsible for them, have become increasingly important in the application process due to the absence of a test score. However, establishing a connection with a teacher in a virtual setting where there’s practically no room for outside conversation or banter, is really difficult. Also, we are unable to see our teachers just around school and get to know them beyond the worksheets and textbook readings and vice versa.
The actual college decisions process has become more nerve-wracking this year as well, as the amount of applicants to top schools have increased dramatically. Although Harvard originally predicted that their Early Action applicants would decrease, they actually received a 57% increase in Early Action applications. Similarly, Brown reported a 26% increase in overall applicants, and Tufts 35%. This may be attributed to two factors.
First, test-optional policies allow students with lower-than-median test scores to shoot their academic shot. Second, with all the uncertainty, many students may have decided to employ a “shotgun” tactic by submitting many more applications than they originally planned to. Finally, in some colleges, many students from the class of 2020 took a gap year, joining the class of 2025. Ultimately, this means that acceptance rates will likely fall as a larger proportion of the class of 2025 has already been filled.
Outside of the technical aspects of the application process, many seniors have been emotionally affected by the pandemic, which seeps into the general anxiety about college. Across the nation many families have been affected by unemployment, sickness, or in some cases, death. Additionally, they are unable to see friends. To think about their future at a time like this becomes overwhelming, when even the near future isn’t certain. College also represents an integral step forward in a young person’s life, a confusing juxtaposition with the stagnation we are all experiencing. Taken together, these factors can be incredibly taxing to seniors’ mental health.
The effects of the pandemic will still be unraveling in years to come its effects on college applications included.
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