At this time, I am witnessing so much unprecedented change. Beginning with the constant news streams, pre and post covid vernacular, and the need for quick access to college and career planning.
You and your parents made moves in response to Covid, the quarantine, and wondering about what next. You might feel slighted being a junior or senior in high school right now. You have so many hopes and imaginations of what this time would have looked like if COVID didn’t happen.
Your SAT and ACT dates are just returning. See Collegeboard.org for dates. Opportunities to improve your chances of admission quickly disappeared a year ago and are slowly returning. School policies and procedures are impacting college admissions on an incredible scale.
Here are some college admission tips to get you through this very unique application year.
- Embrace the opportunity to retake your ACT or SAT tests. Just because some schools are saying they won’t look at your scores, you still need to be realistic about your overall chances. Test scores are only one part of your whole application.
- Remembering that a deadline is a deadline, give yourself some time. If your application is due Nov. 1, it is due 11:59 pm Nov. 1 or before. You need not rush or create self-imposed deadlines. Create a spreadsheet with all deadlines. Work toward early preparation.
- Consider a GAP year. It’s common everywhere else in the world. Take this time to find the added benefit of your true purpose and passions without the expense of rushing into college with little knowledge of who you are and what you may want. Try out some internships in a field of your passion while you work and save for college expenses.
- It is OK to accept that your plans have been dramatically changed due to covid. Communicate your fears with people you know and trust. Nothing is a crazy idea if you can get it to make sense with someone else. Address your fears and anxieties before putting yourself into debt.
- Go with your instinct. No matter what path you choose, you can’t go wrong if you have done your research. See 0*Net to help you create that plan. Collegeboard.org “Big Futures” is also a good start at finding your passions. Have you taken a personality inventory?
- Keep a journal. You are living in extraordinary times. You never know where your notes will take you.
During these times of change due to lack of control over a virus, I advise my students to develop additional interests. With virtual school and limited activities during the past school year freeing up much scheduled time, there are more opportunities to explore. These options were not available just a short time ago. It seems sensible that more than other years, you can be more honest and straightforward not only with yourself and your family but especially with admission counselors. Many positive opportunities are available due to Covid. Let’s take advantage of turning over each stone to find out what these might be.